In February of last year, while in the lead at the Fernie Junior Freeski competition, Amanda fell and hit a tree in her final run. The horrific crash had horrific results. She had severely damaged her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

It didn’t take long for Amanda’s story to spread through the intimate network of the ski world. For myself, and a close group of female skiing friends- it was a hard pill to swallow. We had recently seen another close friend suffer a spinal cord injury and were well aware of the harsh realities of the injury. As young, active females, competitors, coaches and freeriders, without even knowing Amanda, we were all affected by it… The story hit especially close to home and each in our own way did what we could to help. (Amanda’s accident actually inspired the 2012 Rad Boob Club Calendar www.radboob.com)

Our path never crossed until August of last year when plans for Live It! Love It!‘s inaugral camp were in motion.. Spots had been reserved for BC residing individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries, but when two weeks before the camp, there was still room to fill I emailed Amanda to see if she would like to come. I was hesitant because I knew she was still in Rehabilitation for her injury and wasn’t sure if she would be physically or emotionally ready to participate in a 3 day adrenaline pumping adventure camp.

Was I ever wrong. Amanda rsvp’d to my invitation immediately with an enthusiastic yes. She would be the only girl at the camp, and the only one who had not yet been released from Rehab but from what I had heard about Amanda, fear of new and unfamiliar situations were not going to stop her.

The first day of the camp- we sat on the grass and introduced ourselves. The participants consisted of 12 individuals- all who had sustained life altering spinal cord injuries in the past 5 years. The common thread was that each individual had injured themselves doing something they loved, skiing, mountain biking, dirt biking, kayaking and were now overcoming the barrier of paralysis in returning to sport, and returning to life.

Amanda rolled in a few minutes late, on to the grass and with a huge smile announced who she was and where she was from. The next morning as we rolled out to the Bungee Jump session I asked her if she was nervous- she replied quietly “nope, I’ve done it before”. She was the second one to jump off the bridge with that million dollar smile on her face.

As the camp progressed I couldn’t help but see a little of myself in Amanda, always looking for a rush, always up to do something a little bit scary.. I thought about her skiing and sensed she she felt the same connection to the freedom of flying down a mountain with skis on her feet that I did, and I wondered how it felt to have that threatened…

This month marked a special few days in Amanda’s recovery… She got to try sit skiing for the first time at Sunshine Village Ski Resort with the Rocky MOuntain Adaptive Sports Centre. She spent three days with instructors and volunteers, bearing the wind, cold, and impact of the groomed slope with every fall. I got to join Amanada on her monoski on the third day. Sore and tired she spent the entire day lapping the Strawberry lift, with intense determination to make it down without a fall. Focused, Amanda worked on finding the sweet spot, carving her turns and leaving the tethers and ropes that the instructors used initially to help her out behind. By the end of the final day she was flying over rollers and taking air, charging around corners and smiling while she picked herself up after a fall, it was pretty obvious, once again that passion overcomes fear for Amanda.
Click to view slideshow.
Watching Amanda link together turns for the first time was incredible and inspirational, and her passion for getting back into the sport reminded me of all the amazing gifts that being part of a the ski community at large brings us. Support, freedom and friendship to name just a few… We are all so lucky to be a part of this amazing world of skiing and mountain life!!

I truly believe this. I do. I think adventure and time spent playing outside, scaring yourself a little, pushing your limits,  doing your best, accomplishing goals, looking into the distance, standing on a peak, bushwacking through the woods, sliding on the snow, lying in the grass and looking at the stars, watching a river flow, swimming in the ocean, connecting with the culture of the outdoors and  getting  dirty are all therapeutic practices that are vital for a healthy and happy life.

Some people are born or suddenly faced with challenges in their lives that make accessing these practices a little bit harder. People who have sustained disabling illness or injury, are born with challenges that are out of their control are often unable to engage in adventure and outdoor activities because of logistics, lack of support, money etc even though they are individuals who would probably benefit from a little adventure therapy the most.

my adrenaline junkie friend Amanda, who broke her back in a freeski comp last year is working hard at a rehab centre in California to get back on her feet

That is why Live It! Love It! exists….

Right now we are in a competition for funding from the Aviva Community Fund. If we win $100 000 – $150 000 will go towards making adventure therapy a little bit more accessible for people who face more challenges accessing nature, adrenaline, mountain culture, and their favorite sports.

If you agree that Adventure is empowering, and Adventure is for Everyone please click one of the banners above or below and vote every day until November 30th.

Thanks for you support!
much love, Izzy & Live It! Love It!

http://biglines.com/video/christina-lusti-lustenberger-video-and-interview

In preparation for Halloween the next day, I unpacked my bathing suits and sand filled shorts and tank tops and promptly refilled my backpack with a shovel, probe, down jacket, thermos, goggles and skins. I pulled out my gore tex, goggles and long johns spread them out on the floor and threw together a bag full of clif bars and whatever non perishable food items I could find in my kitchen.

The next morning Lusti, Leslie and I headed out for to find some snow on McCrae a sweet zone just south of Revelstoke.
Trick or Treat!

I was on a ski trip in Austria last winter when I came up with the idea of Live It! Love It!… An organization that promotes adaptive adventure and provides outdoor recreation opportunities for people with physical disabilities, by planning adventures, providing support, funding and access to equipment training and instruction.

Not the first of it’s kind for sure, but we are different from other adaptive sports programs in Canada as we are  focused on ADVENTURE, rather than traditional wheelchair sports or  tried and tested disabled friendly activities. My vision for Live It! Love It! is that it is all about trying something new and creating  access point to the outdoors for the physically disabled.

I believe any obstacle can be overcome with a little creativity, a positive attitude and the right support network. A good plan always helps too.

The first challenge? Deciding what to do with a $25 000 grant awarded to us from the Keg Steakhouse on June 29th 2011. I decided planning the ultimate adventure camp and deemed it “Freewheel Whistler”..  inviting 20 individuals who have recently sustained life changing injuries.  All are wheelchair users, between the ages of 16-33, with a passion for adventure and the outdoors.

So far, so good.

My friends and I have spent the summer researching “adaptive adventure” and adapting adventure for ourselves.. Since April my boyfriend who suffered a severe spinal cord injury last year have dogsledded, roadtripped from Whistler to Newfoundland and back, hiked into remote hotsprings, cycled, canoed, bungee jumped, swam in lakes, flown in helicopters, fished and explored back roads and lakes in BC. We made many mistakes, learned countless lessons, had some awesome experiences and  were surprised by our potential time and time again…

The camp is two weeks away and we have an action packed agenda- three days of bungee jumping, zip lining, rock climbing, kayaking, gliding and atving in Whistler, along with presentations from Paralympians, pro athletes, sports psychologists and adaptive adventures..

I am so excited about Freewheel Whistler, the Live It! Love It! Foundation and the incredible response we have had from our family friends and anonymous supporters along the way. I cannot wait to see what kind of ideas and energy manifest over the weekend and the connections that are made with the campers in attendance.

Check out www.liveitloveit.org or email izzy@liveitloveit.org to find out more about the foundation and the camp!