BEN THOMPSON Class of 2005 Interviewed by Michelle Noble | September 2016
S
ince the day Ben took his first step, his life has revolved around adventure - from fast flowing rivers to
steep ski slopes to rugged mountain terrain. At the age of eight, Ben noticed he didn’t have control over the muscles in his legs and had to learn to adapt to his body’s boundaries, which he soon discovered could be pushed and stretched further than he ever imagined. Never one to be held back from adventure, Ben adjusted to his disability, revised his activities, and continued pushing the envelope for thrill-seeking experiences. We hope you enjoy this Spotlight on the ever-inspiring 2005 Mulgrave graduate, Ben Thompson.
How has skiing been a part of your
With skiing in my blood, I started
nerves, mostly affecting the feet, so
family’s life? At what age did you first
early and was on skis at the age of
I walk but do not have the strength
step into a pair of skis?
three, doing my best to stay upright.
in my lower legs to control skis. If I
By the age of eight, I realised that I
were to put skis on now, I would be
would not be able to progress with
lucky to make it down the bunny hill.
stand up skiing; I just didn’t have the
In a sit-ski, I can ski how I want and
muscles needed to control my skis
it allows me to ski with family and
beyond the way a six-year-old would
friends. The biggest challenge for
ski a blue run. I pursued other things
me was awareness; I just didn’t know
like swimming and biking.
sit-skiing existed or that it was an
I was born into a ski family. My dad and his brother patrolled all over the Rockies and coastal mountains when they were growing up - they even learned to backflip on 218cm skinny skis. My mom and her siblings are all awesome skiers as well. Uncle Jack used to do back-to-back
Can you explain why you were
seasons heli-ski guiding in BC and
unable to control your skis? What
New Zealand before settling into
was the most challenging part of
a job with the Canadian Avalanche
giving up the sport you loved?
Foundation in BC. Grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins and friends – everyone skied in the winter.
option for me. At the time, adaptive skiing was not common world-wide and was just starting to become more well-known. I am very lucky to have my younger
I had to give up stand up skiing
brother (who has the same disability)
because my disability (called Charcot
as he played a significant role in how
Marie Tooth) limited how I could
I coped with my disability.
ski. It affects my peripheral motor
How did you first get into sit-skiing?
before the Sochi Paralympics when
school, but they changed drastically
I received my first NorAm podium,
in my first year of university.
a 3rd place in Super Combined,
During my that year, I met so many
which is a discipline that combines
interesting people who had unique
1 Super-G run and 1 Slalom run. I
life experiences, and they made me
was also named the first alternate
re-think what I wanted to pursue.
for the Sochi Paralympics, meaning I
I had taken one art history course
would be the first person to replace
in my first year as an elective and
any injured Canadians competing in
enjoyed it, so again, I followed my
Sochi.
interests.
higher speeds. After a few years of
After graduating from Mulgrave, you
Did UVic provide you with an
learning the basics, we entered our
originally headed to UVic thinking
opportunity to delve into your
first race and were noticed by the
you would study physics. What made
passions/ hobbies? How did you get
BC Para-Alpine Ski Team.
you change paths?
involved?
That’s impressive! So what was your
I did not have a defined career path
Vancouver Island is a great
sit-ski career highlight?
that I wanted to pursue when I
destination for whitewater kayaking,
graduated from Mulgrave. I followed
offering everything from beginner
my interests and passions from high
rivers to some of the most difficult
I started sit-skiing in 2006. A parent of another Mulgrave student (Shae de Jaray, 2006 graduate) saw a sitskier in Whistler and told my brother and me about it. From there, we took our first lesson, and we were instantly hooked. After a few lessons, my brother and I were pushing each other to go on harder runs and hit
My career highlight was in 2014, just
in the world. When I first arrived
degree, but the experience provided
again following my passion. After a
at Uvic I had heard about a white
a different and complementary skill
few summers of working just for the
water kayaking club but did not
set to my degree.
kayak shop, I expanded and started
know much beyond that. I ended
offering multi-day whitewater raft
up meeting some amazing life-long
trips in the Yukon. Eventually, I
friends because of this club. In my second year of university I became involved with the club executive and ended up running the club for a few years. The club grew from 85 to over 400 people while I was there. I really believe my experience
“
I COULD NEVER PICK MY WILDEST ADVENTURE, THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY TO PICK FROM.
”
with running this club provided more practical knowledge than my university degree. (The club had about the same number of people as
How did you turn your love for white water rafting into employment?
travelled to Norway to work as a whitewater raft guide. I was really just following what I enjoy doing and was ready to jump on any opportunity that was presented. What is the wildest adventure you’ve had? I could never pick my wildest adventure, there are just too many to pick from, but they would all be
the entire Middle and Senior School
During my first summer in
related to rivers. The Grand Canyon,
at Mulgrave at the time.) I do not
university, I worked at a whitewater
the Firth River, and my entire
mean to diminish the value of my
kayak school in North Vancouver,
summer in Norway would be among
BEN THOMPSON
some of wildest. What is your involvement with Live it! Love it! Foundation? A very good family friend of mine broke his neck snowboarding in Revelstoke in 2010. Since then, he started the Live it! Love it! Foundation, which is a foundation that provides adventure camps for people with disabilities to return to the outdoors. For the last few years, I have had the absolute pleasure of coaching the big mountain sit-ski camp alongside my brother. I enjoy coaching and sharing the knowledge and skills I acquired during my years of competitive ski racing, but in a much more relaxed environment. Tell us more about your 3D printing
business and some of the most
set to allow me to take advantage
interesting projects you have worked
of even more opportunities. I am
on.
taking a CNC (Computer Numerical
After retiring from ski racing, I started my own small 3D printing company. I started out printing architectural models but quickly
Control) Technician programme at BCIT. Before I start school, my girlfriend and I are travelling to South East Asia for eight weeks.
expanded into rapid prototyping.
Having an accident or learning you
Some of my favourite projects have
have a physical disability can be
been printing a prosthetic hand
devastating for people – especially
for a friend, prototyping wrist
for those who are active by nature.
watches, prototyping bike parts for a
Do you have any advice for someone
company from France, and working
who is going through this?
on my own prototypes for sit-skis. What’s next for you? I’m going back to school for a career change. Since I started the 3D printing company a few years ago, I have decided to expand my skill
Be ready to adapt and realise there are way more opportunities out there for anyone with a disability than you think there are. Ben Thompson, 2016