Three years ago Jeff Scott was enjoying a day of snowboarding at Revelstoke Mountain Resort when his ride turned a terrible corner.
Scott was born in the northern town of Granisle B.C., but moved with his family to nearby Burns Lake by the time he was four, where he grew up and finished high school.
After high school he worked for the B.C. Forest Service, Wildfire Management Branch, and soon relocated to Revelstoke for his winters. He was eventually transferred to Revelstoke, and he become a full-time Revelstoker.
There’s a terrain feature on the mountain where a large bump forms a ramp. The ramp, or ‘roller’, gives way to a clean - but long - trajectory over a gap where it re-connects with the downhill slope.
In this case the gap was a wide, flat, hard-packed track of snow connecting skiers from one lift to another.
Scott had been eyeing the gap for a while and decided the time was right to launch over it and experience a moment of weightless freedom.
“It was the last run of the last day of the season,” said Scott. “I misjudged that roller and landed flat.”
Landing flat means he didn’t completely clear the track. Instead of connecting safely with the downhill slope, he landed flat on the track with no place for his momentum to dissipate safely.
“I landed on my board - on my feet - but there was too much compression and my shoulders came down. I hit my knees and knocked myself out.”
“I was just out riding with a bunch of friends,” Scott said. “That was April 11, 2010. My mom’s birthday.”
When Scott regained consciousness, he was a quadriplegic.
He didn’t stay down for long. After an intense year of surgeries and physical rehabilitation he regained partial use of his arms and hands. Scott and his friend Izzy Lynch, a talented skier and Revelstoke local he had met before the accident, made a trip to Canada’s east coast.
During the trip Scott and Lynch hatched an idea that has, in just two-and-a-half years, gone from inspiration to reality: Live it! Love it!
“The Live it! Love it! foundation came to life on that road trip across the country,” Scott said.
The foundation for adaptive adventure makes it possible for people with disabilities to experience the outdoor world in a way that many assume is no longer an option after a life-changing accident.
“This year we’re doing our first sit-ski camp in two weeks at Silver Star [ski hill] in Vernon.”
These three to five-day camps are hosted at no charge to the participants.
The van that carried Scott to the east coast is now 20 years old with more than 390,000 kms on the odometer. It never was an ideal way for Scott to get around, lacking the adaptations that it would need for him to operate it with his injuries.
“It’s still working now, but I’m unable to drive it by myself,” Scott said. “I’m reliant on others to help with that.”
“I need the van to get to [Live it! Love it!] camps and to trade shows,” he said. “I speak at schools and youth groups. Having the van is essential in allowing me to get to those places. I’m looking for something I’m able to operate independently.”
An online campaign hosted by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association found at http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/jeff-scott-victoria-bc/ might help Scott replace his van.
The voting began on March 11 and ends on May 10. With only one vote allowed per day per computer internet address, Scott will need a lot of voters to win. He’s one of 336 people registered, so far, in the competition.
Three years ago Scott wasn’t doing anything unusual for someone to whom sport is more than just a recreation or a pass-time; he was pushing his limits.
That day ended very badly for him, but the years that followed have seen him come back and co-found an organization that is bringing new, unexpected freedoms to others in his situation.