Introduction to VI Skiing

Discover the thrill of the slopes with confidence. If you have never had lessons or even tried skiing before and have always wanted to give it a go, this initiative offers a supportive, inspiring and affordable pathway onto the snow. You’ll also get the opportunity to meet a Paralympian who will share their Winter Paralympic stories and motivate you to take part!

Disability Snowsport UK, VICTA Sport, Snowsport England and Snowsport Scotland are launching an exciting new programme designed to open up snowsports to blind and partially sighted young people (up to the age of 25).

National snowsport taster events in Spring 2026

• Snow Centre, Manchester
• Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead

Each event includes taster sessions, supporting 3 to 5 visually impaired young people per session and offering up to 25 places in total.

What to expect

• Flexible sessions suitable for different ages, family groups and individual needs
• Supportive instructors experienced in working with visually impaired young people
• A welcoming environment for families and carers

• Carers/parents who need to support their child on the slope can contact us to discuss arrangements
• Cost: £10 per visually impaired young person

Continue your journey: subsidised snowsport lessons

After the taster events, participants are then eligible to apply for a place on a programme of 10 subsidised one-to-one lessons with Disability Snowsport UK.

Programme details

• £30 per lesson (normally £72 in Manchester or £82 in Hemel Hempstead, supported by a grant from the Powell Family Foundation).
• Full cost of the 10 lessons will therefore be £300 (participants can pay £30 for each lesson when booking on)
• Lessons will be available at:
  • Snow Centre Manchester
  • SnowDome Tamworth
  • Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead
• Choose lesson times and dates that work for you
• All 10 lessons must be completed by March 2027
• Support and inspiration through our partnership with Snowsport England & Snowsport Scotland
• Maximum of 20 places available
• Participants must commit to the full 10‑lesson programme
• A proficient skiing family member may join the final two lessons to learn guiding techniques, including the use of Bluetooth headsets and other communication methods.

Please note: Due to expected high demand, places for the subsidised lessons will be allocated through a short selection process. If you aren’t able to take part in this programme (due to location or timings) and would like to know more, please contact Disability Snowsport UK at hello@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk or go to www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk.

Apply below

Applicant details (VI child/young person)

First name *

Last name *

Gender *

• Male
• Female
• Other

If other, please explain how you would best describe yourself below

Age at time of activity *

Confirmation of vision impairment

To qualify for this activity the lead applicant (your VI child) must be either registered or registerable as blind or partially sighted (sight impaired/severely sight impaired). VICTA will ask for supporting evidence post application if we have not previously received it.

Please confirm that the applicant is registered or registerable as Sight Impaired or Severely Sight Impaired *

• Sight Imapired
• Severely Sight Imapired

Which taster day are you applying for? *

• Manchester - 10 May
• Hemel Hempstead - 17 May

Have you received skiing lessons from DSUK before? *

• Yes
• No

Have you attended a DSUK taster session before? *

• Yes
• No

Parent/guardian contact details

Parent guardian first name *

Parent guardian last name *

Email *

Home phone *

Mobile number *

Address 1 *

Address 2

City *

Post code *

County *

Photographs and filming

Photographs and video footage may be taken during our activities. These will be used to create photo albums both on our website and on social media after the activity to share with family and friends and to celebrate the event, this may include your child’s name and age. VICTA may also use any photographs and/or video material taken during an event for marketing purposes, including being displayed on the VICTA website, on our social media channels, on charity emails and by connected third parties working in partnership with VICTA on this event/activity. Do we have your permission? *

• Yes
• No

Declaration, privacy and consent

To be signed by the applicant or a responsible person.
a. I agree to take part in VICTA's activity and have read all the information sent to me.
b. I acknowledge the need to behave responsibly at all times during the activity.
c. I confirm that this form has been completed accurately and I undertake to update VICTA's organisers should any information contained on the form or personal circumstances change.
d. In the event of an emergency/accident, I consent to emergency medical treatment, which may include the use of anaesthetics.
e. We understand that some young people will use WhatsApp at home and each home has their own rules on technology. It is likely that your child will meet others on a VICTA activity that they’d like to stay in touch with. While we do not encourage the use of WhatsApp before the age of 16, we do encourage connections and friendships. We ask that if your child is coming on a VICTA activity and they use WhatsApp regularly to remind them their behaviour and language follows the expectations that we have when meeting in person – polite, courteous, and inclusive at all times. If you have any questions surrounding this, please contact the Activities Team on activities@victa.org.uk
f. By signing this form I consent to VICTA using the information supplied for the purpose of administering the named event. All the information will be treated in the strictest of confidence and made available only to those staff working with the participant. We may need to share your details with third-party suppliers in relation to this activity. Contact information will be retained and used for marketing of other relevant services.
g. I give consent for VICTA to carry out the following in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulations as supplemented by the Data Protection Act 2018 and related laws and to store my personal information on VICTA's database and/or any other suitable system.

Agreement to declaration *

• I agree
• I do not agree

Signed (insert name) *

Date *

My relationship to the applicant (if applicable)

• Parent
• Legal guardian
• Other

If 'other' please state

Would you like to sign up for email updates from VICTA to hear about future activities? *

• Yes please
• No Thank you
• I'm already signed up

Submit