Para Sport and Lagoped: equipping skiers with adaptive equipment suited to their disabilities

Fabian is a ski instructor. Retirement is approaching, and he is looking for what to do with the time ahead. One day, on the slopes of La Rosière, he comes across someone operating a ski tandem. He stops, watches, and asks questions. A ski tandem is a chair mounted on two skis, operated by a trained guide, that enables people with disabilities to ski down alpine slopes, regardless of the severity of their condition. Fabian asks how to become a pilot. He completes the training certified by Tessier, the leading manufacturer of this type of equipment. He then immediately offers his services to Belgian institutions.

That is how Para Sport was born, in 2023.

Para Sport is currently the only officially recognized training center in Belgium for these disciplines, with a quality charter established in partnership with Tessier. During the first winter season, 2023/2024, Fabian worked alone. From May 2024 onward, he looked for motivated people to join the project. Five new pilots joined the team. Partnerships with institutions multiplied in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the French Alps.

The partnership with Lagoped began at La Glisse store in Liège. Fabian walks in with a clear idea: he wants colourful outfits that are visible on the slopes. When piloting a tandem ski for adaptive skiing, being easy to spot is not a matter of vanity; it is a safety issue for the crew. The manager brings out a yellow EVE jacket. Fabian tries it on. He leaves with it.

As soon as they got the equipment, the pilots adopted the outfits. Since then, every piloting outing has been done in an EVE jacket and SUPA trousers. Without exception.

The first product feedback Fabian mentions concerns the trousers. The reinforcement on the lower legs of the SUPA trousers withstands the specific stresses of tandem piloting: low positions, repeated pressure on the snow, and contact with equipment. Ordinary trousers cannot withstand this level of use. The SUPA can.

The outfits are worn all season without washing between outings, then washed once at the end of the season. Intensive use on snow, in repeated cold and wet conditions. The feedback is clear: the clothing stands the test of time where other products wear out more quickly.

Fabian's answer is direct. He was looking for a brand that could keep up over time, with permanent colours rather than colourways that disappear from one season to the next. A timeless brand, with ongoing product availability that would allow him to re-equip his pilots without changing their outfits with every new recruit.

And a brand committed to the environment. Para Sport's pilots ski in the mountains, in natural environments they want to preserve. Working with a brand whose clothing is made in the European Union, from 100% recycled materials and without PFAS, is consistent with this commitment. Practising adaptive skiing and championing access to the mountains for everyone deserve equipment that reflects this commitment.