Skiing / Steve Wallace: A letter from Chairman of the board Ryan Lindquist
"Skiing with Steve. We’ve come a long way. That is, the sport of skiing has come a long way, especially within the last several years. I hate to even think it’s been a decade, but if memory serves me correct, it hasn’t been. Yet looking …back, man how things have changed, the equipment, territories, athletes, competitions, and progression in the truest sense, all in the name of skiing. Unbelievable. Yes, I’ve seen a lot, and am fortunate to have witnessed it at the epicenter of our culture here in Squaw Valley. Just off the top of my head, I can recall the arrival of twin tips and the fat ski evolution paving the way of what we now refer to as rocker, or rather reverse camber, leaving behind the traditional ways of thinking all the while catapulting skiing in new directions. Visionaries such as McConkey, Coombs, Johnson and others who are no longer with us left behind a legacy not to be forgotten. Of course there is also the current field of talent that continues to push the limits as we know.
I have ridden chairs and skied lines with many of those visionaries but have yet to be as impressed with any skier as much as I was until this past Sunday. Steve Wallace amazed me. For those who aren’t familiar with Steve, he’s a skier too, he just took some time off. You see, Steve suffered a life-altering injury that left him with paralysis, which was supposed to compromise him for life. An injury he got while skiing. It wasn’t until after surgery and relentless hours/days/months in physical therapy that Steve was able to walk again, or even think about returning to the sport of skiing. Along came Sunday.
Through the efforts of the High Fives Foundation, Steve has returned and sits beside us on the chair and skis alongside us on the slopes. He’s got an entirely new set-up from adaptive poles, custom boots and even skis with rocker. He is relearning the motions and rediscovering his form. He’s not there yet, but will be soon. True, it may seem like it’s a long way to go, but we’ve come a long way in the mean time, haven’t we.
Welcome back Steve. High Five."