Angelica finds freedom on the ski slope

Angelica Johansson shows that skiing has no limits. With the right support, everyone can experience speed, freedom, and joy in the mountains. It’s never too late to find your own way to ski.

Ten winters in Trysil: “I never feel as free as when I’m skiing”

Angelica Johansson is 28 years old and originally from Lidköping by Lake Vänern, but now lives in Gothenburg. She describes herself as a talkative adrenaline junkie who loves skiing and has visited Trysil every winter for ten years.

Angelica is a loyal customer and every year she books the same instructor from SkiStar Guides who skis with her all week. Today, she and Simon know each other well after many runs together in the mountains.

Sitski makes skiing possible

Angelica lives with cerebral palsy, which together with balance difficulties makes her legs a little unsteady. When she skis, she therefore uses a sitski. She needs a companion who skis with her on the slope – and it has to go fast! Angelica prefers skiing in the forest and loves being out all day. She usually books Simon for six hours a day when she’s in Trysil. A family member or a friend could be the one skiing with her, but that’s not what Angelica prefers.

– It has to be someone trained as a companion because there’s a lot to think about, and they need to be really good at skiing since I want variety and love when it goes fast!

Taking the sitski on the lift

Angelica continues by saying that she gets a lot of questions about how she actually manages with the sitski on the lift – isn’t it difficult? Do you have to get out? But no, she doesn’t have to get out. You fold and adjust the sitski “kind of like a Transformer.” Angelica thinks it goes smoothly when she gets on the lift, and the staff’s attitude is: “We’ll help you,” which makes it easy and just wonderful.

Ski-in/ski-out a necessity

To book accommodation for her ski trips, Angelica has taken Simon’s advice on where she can stay that suits her. For example, it’s important to be able to stay right by the ski slope.

– I want ski-in/ski-out, preferably right outside the door so they can tip me into a snowdrift, laughs Angelica.

But it’s not just for fun – if no one is there to help her home, she needs crawling distance, literally. A tip from Angelica is therefore to call customer service to get help booking the right accommodation if you don’t have anyone to ask.

It’s never too late to start

The first time Angelica tried skiing was as a child when the family went on a ski holiday, but the challenge was too great that time.

Angelica put the skis away and gave up all thoughts of skiing until it was time for a ski trip with her high school class in 2015. Of course, she was skeptical – she had already tried skiing once and it hadn’t worked. But this time it was different – Angelica had a guide with her and for the first time got to try skiing in a sitski, which opened up a whole new world. Angelica was hooked! As she describes it herself:

– I never feel as free as when I’m skiing!

Even today, several years later, she can find herself sitting on the slope with the sun on her face and just smiling.

– It’s never too late to start skiing as an adult – and love it!

Experience freedom in the mountains yourself.