Extreme wheelchair sports

As the potential to have sport-specific wheelchairs has been realised, so the perceived barriers to wheelchairs being used in some of the more adventurous sports have collapsed.

Probably the biggest new field of wheelchair sports access is in the area of extreme sports. This area can include sports like off road racing and even downhill skiing. These can be highly dangerous sports for able bodied and wheelchair users alike, but interest in these sports is increasing rapidly and there are now purpose designed wheelchairs that are produced specifically for them.

Off road racing wheelchairs

In addition to the striking track racing wheel chairs that are a familiar sight in the Paralympics, there is now a new breed of racing wheelchairs that are intended for off-road racing.

This kind of wheelchair is used for what is commonly called an extreme sport, the most popular version of which is four wheeled down hill mountain biking. Wheelchairs of this kind can have 4 wheel drive (4X4) settings.

This kind of racing can be done on dry mountain slopes or on snow covered slopes and the courses can even include ramps and jumps. You can see an example of this extreme wheelchair sport in this youtube clip.

As the video above demonstrates, this particular wheelchair sport is comparable with the most dangerous of able bodied extreme sports and it is definitely one for the adrenaline junkie.

Other versions of this sport can see trick riding, where the wheelchair performs various complex manoeuvres that see it balancing on two wheels and using various man-made props, similar to skateboarding.

All variations of these sports are exhilarating, but they also involve a degree of risk, so training and safety equipment are a necessity.

In the USA extreme wheelchair sports have already achieved significant popularity and there are organised competitions which are classified (like the Paralympics) into injury or disability categories. In the UK this is a comparatively new group of sports, however organised meets and competitions are already taking place and this sport has links with other bodies and associations.

Wheelchair skiing

Wheelchair skiing does not of course use a wheelchair, but rather a seat, similar to that of a racing wheelchair, to which a ski or a pair of skis has been added. These special ski seats are part of a group of sports know as disability snow sports and they are rapidly increasing in popularity.

There are many variations of these downhill snow chairs and they range from single ski chairs, that require a high level of balance and need the rider to lean in an exaggerated way as they make turns (just like a skier), to snow sleds.

Snow sleds usually have a tubular framed platform and seat along with either a pair of skis or a snowboard attached to their base. These sleds perform more like a snow boards, but they have a much lower centre of gravity.

The winter sports in which all of these ski and sled variations are used form part of Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Water skiing

It is also possible to water-ski by using a chair and ski in a very similar to that of the snow sports version. This sport is called adaptive water skiing.

Back to Wheelchair main page

Back to the Home Page