With both feet on the ground

Exactly when you think you have already seen everything, then you are disabused. Especially if you think you know the physical limits and requirements of snowboarding: You stand on the board, bounce with your knees and trigger the turns by rotating your upper body and shifting the center of gravity between your feet. At least that was my understanding of snowboarding for the last four decades. For this reason, my mind first struggled to interpret what I saw correctly. Flashes of thoughts like "that's impossible!" went through my head. "How can he..." was next, when I noticed that suddenly my world view was turned upside down.

Something like this is what most people think when they see Darren "Swifty" Swift snowboarding for the first time. The ex-soldier, amputated above the knee on both sides - so he has no knees anymore - boards despite the massive restriction. Rather, I think, one simply missed to tell him that this is actually impossible. It seems that the charismatic and formerly 188 cm tall giant - who is now half a meter shorter - has defined his own rules of what is possible.

In retrospect, there is a decisive experience in the life of every person. For Swifty this was May 1991, when he lost a good friend and both his legs in an IRA attack in Northern Ireland. That day shaped him into what he is today: father, adventurer, boarder, actor and motivational speaker.

Since I was able to spend a few days in the mountains with Swifty and his teammates over the last few months, I was struck by the joy of life of him and his colleagues, whether they were amputated, blind or their bodies were poisoned by enriched uranium ammunition. A zest for life that reminded me of the early days of snowboarding and the time before the big commercialism. And what Swifty achieves is enormous: No knees to cushion, all blows go straight into the back and the board with the homemade binding strapped to his thighs weighs over 12 kilograms.

The interview with Swifty was conducted on the occasion of a training at the Kaunertal.

Before we start the interview. It seems you have no problem talking about the attack and the loss of your legs. Was this true from the beginning?

I never had a problem talking about it, it was so thanks to the military-medical care, where the guys from the military never gave me the opportunity to not be myself and to withdraw or keep quiet about it. So I always talked very openly about what was happening to me. It doesn't bother me. There's a cathartic benefit, I think, or one of the benefits is to be able to talk cathartically about what happened, and I enjoyed doing that. Although I have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), I don't suffer from it; I manage my condition. I am able to manage my condition; mostly, not all the time, but mostly.

Then we'll go straight to the full. How did you lose your legs in 1991?

Two IRA terrorists tried to climb out of a five-story building building to drop a bomb on my head. At least I think so, because hit the bomb, a coffee glass jug, right next to me. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) placed Semtex (editor's note: a plastic explosive) in the glass jug. And inside the Semtex was what we used to call shipyard confetti: Nuts, Screws, nails. Anything that can fly around and maim and kill.

It blew my mind and killed my friend Terry "Geordie" O'Neill. He was - like me - a dog handler and he was standing about three feet away from me and he was dead before he hit the ground. And I sat on my ass on the concrete, fully conscious and without pain, there was no pain. I just sat there, looking at his body and yelling at him: Geordie! Geordie! Wake up, Geordie! Then I looked at myself and noticed that my legs and two fingers were missing. The bomb had injured my left arm and in addition I had many shrapnel injuries. I was bleeding heavily and thought I was going to die. My grandmother died about 18 months earlier and I thought - I am not religious in any way - she would come and get me, there would be a tunnel with a light. "Darren comes to the light, comes this way" and I sat there for what felt like an eternity, but nothing happened. So I wanted to shoot myself and so I reached for my pistol, because I always had a pistol with me in all my time in Northern Ireland. But this one time I did not have the gun with me and I could not shoot myself. Looking back now, I had some sort of luck in misfortune. Otherwise I might have shot my chin off, or my ear, or whatever it was.

You could have made things made it worse.

Exactly. I was taken to hospital and I was in a coma for about four days. Then they moved me to London and I started my rehabilitation. This lasted about 18 months and then I was asked: Do you want to stay at home or should we give you an office job? But an office job, that was not me; I was an infantryman. I decided that at 26 years of age it was time for me to leave the army. Since I joined at 16, I had 10 years behind me and that was enough. So I traveled around the world, tried out many sports and came to all the things I do today.

You decided then not to take the office job. Then what were your plans? You were free, you you could do almost anything you wanted to. So what did you do exactly? You say, that you've traveled a lot.

I had no limitations at all, I was not married and had no children. I just wanted to go away and do what I always wanted to do. My passion was always traveling, making new experiences and doing different things. To be honest, I was not really into sports at that time. Sport was not something that was high on my agenda, but I enjoyed everything that included adventure. So when sport coincides with adventure, then I am involved and so I took part in some canoeing and went on an expedition in the Canadian Northwest Territories up in the Arctic Circle. It was with some friends who were also disabled. Canoeing down a white water river to the Arctic Circle and it was an amazing trip, an amazing event and experience. The expedition lasted 18 days and it took us two years to plan, prepare and adjust to it.

Afterwards I decided to cross Iceland with a bicycle with hand wheel drive. At that time I had already done some expeditions with other people and I enjoyed working as a team, but I wanted to do something all by myself. So I thought up this expedition through Iceland. Nobody had ever driven through Iceland by hand. Unfortunately, my original route through the centre of Iceland - between the glaciers - literally fell through due to the weather. Finally I drove across the south to the lowest part of Iceland and back to Reykjavik. It was an amazing trip and I had a lot of fun, but it was very exhausting; hand bikes are exhausting and in Iceland it is either uphill or downhill and there is usually always headwind.

Then I had the chance to start skydiving; so I became a skydiver.

What do you mean, that you had the chance?

Me and my very good friend Alistair Hodgson - he lost his legs just like me and we did some things together for a few years - were offered a job: Why don't you do a tandem jump for Blesma (British Limbless Ex-Servicemen Association) And we just thought: Yeah right, then we'll come along and won't be able to do it because we don't have legs. But this guy said, "No, no, no, come over, we'll sort it out." So we did this parachute jump and we really enjoyed it. It was the best thing we ever did. We both looked at each other and said, "Fuck it, we have to do it alone, we don't need a tandem, let's do another jump".

So we talked to the chief of the landing zone and told him that we wanted to do it alone. And he said he wasn't sure if the authorities would allow it, it was a matter of safety and insurance. Anyway, he told us that he would look into it. About three weeks later, he called us and told us it was possible. So we became the first two skydivers in the world with no legs above the knee. We skydived for about five or six years and in 2003 Alistair and I won gold at the British Skydiving Championships. We lied to all those people who said that you can't skydive if you don't have knees. We pointed our fingers at them and said: "No, we can, look what we have won".

Was there a special Disabled category?

No, in skydiving there is no category for disabled people; either you jump or you don't jump? That's it and no one cares is about a disability.

So you've got them all defeated.

It was fantastic because the handicap doesn't allow anyone interested. Once you're in the air, it doesn't matter what disability or ability you have. We've been very successful with it, but... I got a little bored skydiving and was looking for something ...and looked around at other people. The love for it has been extinguished over time. So decided... I decided to find another sport and switched to the monoskibob, which I then drove for about 10 years.

I really liked doing that, but you know what? It became a little boring and a little mmm... I went to Italy and I have did what everyone in Italy does when they ski.

Mas is made in Italy skiing?

Well, you sit there and eat lunch. The Italian Lunch lasts about three hours and usually includes wine and pasta, of course. So I had a bowl of pasta, and I was mostly done had a bottle of wine. Suddenly these three young snowboarders were riding down the slope - it was in 2005/2006 - and right towards me, when I was on terrace sat and enjoyed my wine.

Where was that in Italy?

In Sestriere. And these guys came up, stuck their boards in the snow and went in to drink beer. I thought, "Fuck it. I want to do that. That's what I wanna do". And so I came home, and one night I sat down with my very good friend Dale Rennard - he's a designer - over a couple of beers and I said to him: "Look, I want to be a snowboarder". He asked me how I wanted to do that. And I said I didn't know, but that night we drew the basics of my binding for today on a beer mat.

Over the next 14 years this drawing has evolved into what I do now, competitive snowboarding. So that's when I caught the snowboard fever and as a result I tried competing in the Paralympics. Last year, the Winter Paralympics were in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and I trained with the British team for two and a half years to qualify. Unfortunately I could not be selected for various reasons. It's a real pity; the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) wanted me to be there and I passed all IPC qualifications. But unfortunately the British federation decided that I was not fast enough. I was three seconds over the time they had requested. So I was not allowed to participate, which was very disappointing for me.

So you'd rather didn't send anyone instead of you? So much for the "Participation is everything" motto...

And they really pissed me off because I'm the only snowboarder in the world who has been amputated above the knee on both sides. Although my buddy, who I'm teaching now, is already boarding. I am the Only one who competes and they didn't see fit to let me even though I beat seven individual amputees from around the world had. They all went to the Paralympics for their countries. wasn't allowed to go. To be honest, I'm pretty bitter about that.

It sounds like the History of Eddie the Eagle.

Very, almost exactly like Eddie's. I never wanted Winning the medal. I was there to show people that anything is possible is if you want to. Anyone can do it if you really want to ...is beginning. But unfortunately, the British Association has decided that this is not was sufficient reason to go to Korea. They wanted medals and Sponsors wanted medals. It's the same all over the world.

The Paralympics are So it's the same as the Olympics? Business comes before everything else?

That's exactly it. Where the Paralympics and the IPC really supported. I can't complain about them, because they're wanted me there and they saw exactly what I was trying to do. Unfortunately, the British did not. But hey, that's life.

Would you have been against single amputees have to compete?

Not only amputate the single above the knee, but also the double lower knee amputees, who obviously have an advantage over they have two knees to bounce. But also competitors with cerebral Paralysis and multiple sclerosis and other disabilities have it easier than me and that was very obvious from the beginning. I am at a great disadvantage and I noticed that from the very beginning at the competitions. In my first competition I was a zero, I was below zero, I didn't even show up at of the rankings. After a while, my skills started to show a little. and I managed to get better. We changed the way bindings was configured and I did not win in the end - I have never won anything - but I somehow beat the first person, then two people, then three people, and so on.

And now you're looking for for people who would also be in your category, you still want participate? Even if you were 60, if you had the chance to go Olympic Games, would you be there?

I would like to say yes; I would like to think it could. There's no reason why I shouldn't, except my own fitness and I keep myself fit. For my age I like to think that I'm extremely fit, but you can always do a little more. When my If I am fit enough body and soul, then I can still keep up at the age of 60. When the next Olympic Games are held in Beijing in 2022. I'll be 56 years old. I would already have been in the last Olympic Games of were the oldest participants. The second oldest guy was about four years younger than me. I don't think age makes any difference. It's just the Ability, if you have the balls to go out there and do it, and right now I think I have it. But right now, my priority is to find other Involve people and get them to participate in competitions. And the IPC would be more than happy to give us our own category. You but can't if it's just me and two other contestants. It there must be four, five, six or seven others from all over the world who also ...and want to race. So we are really interested in helping others double above the knee amputated from anywhere, regardless of their background and her age to get boarding.

That's what I wanted you to do anyway. ask. So you support not only the British, but anyone who is interested?

Anyone from anywhere in the world. I'd like to hear from them listen. And if there's anyone out there who'd like to try, you have to be double-over-the-knee amputee right now. Even if you're a knee amputee. and a single lower knee-- they know what I'm talking about out there. that's great too, we can work with that, I'm sure. But we... just find people to join us and form a group, and then this group can compete against each other at the Paralympics.

Would you also with the attachments and so forth?

Yeah. Absolutely.

I think the Equipment is the biggest challenge right now when someone starts wants? You could start out with a kid's snowboard like you did, and then they'll break it after a downhill run, because it's not for this weight and the pressure that you put on him is done. And the next thing you know. bond, because when I look at it, it's unique. To me, she looks looks like a tank. I also assume that if more people do this. a great chance that the technology will be improved, and then the costs of this are also better distributed. I don't suppose you have Sponsor for the bindings. Do you have to finance them yourself?

I have sponsors who help me with travel and accommodation costs help. I have a sponsor who recently gave some money but it's not just about money. It's about.., to find someone who could get the job done, and we had the big Lucky to find a company called Bristol Aero, which has a small which works for the aerospace industry in the field of design. You have offered their help, and they are doing a fantastic job right now in the development of a binding that has a damping effect. And then it goes - no matter what design you come up with - to find a manufacturer who can produce this bond in the desired material. Whether metal or Plastic, whether nylon or whatever it may be. We also deal with 3D printing.

Is a bond off the 3D printer stable enough?

We won't know until we produce this thing. The next design iteration will be the STR 2, i.e. the "Suspended Test Rig 2", and we have the "Suspended Test Rig 1", which is located on the upper floor (in hotel room) and I will test it tomorrow. I don't know, but "Test Rig 1" has proven that the concept of a shock absorber that Imitating knees works. And then you mount this thing on something that allows you to stand in a certain position, a adjustable position in the same way as you stand on your board and you can set the high back, you can set the angle, you can adjust everything about the binding and the shoes to fit the proportions, the size and to the specific driving behaviour, if you wish to do so. We want this to work for double-over-the-knee amputees, because we important things for snowboarding are missing; knees and feet are missing of great importance. Therefore we try to replicate this with the STR 2 and if we can have that built, it's gonna cost a lot of money. Once that is done, we can then have some measuring sensors inserted and know how much pressure goes through certain parts of the board and the person, to trigger, activate or do a rotation, whatever it is may be. Once we've done that, we can go back to the designer, to say, right, okay, that was successful, let's do it. And hopefully there will be a STR 3 after that and with a little luck we will be able to go towards a production model or something like a production model that Lee and I could probably test it to the breaking point and then maybe world and say: If you are double amputated above the knee and board you can come snowboarding with us. Come and join the group come and take part in the Paralympics and then we'll all go together.

You take care of Medals or are you completely unselfish?

To say that medals don't matter would be wrong. Medals we care, but you know what: "We get people to board and this is gold for us."

Isn't that easy the Olympic ideal? I mean, what greater goal could an athlete than to compete in the Olympics.

I once heard a British commentator said: Welcome to the greatest show on earth and this is it. It's the biggest Show of the world. The Olympic Games are it and the Paralympics are in in some ways even bigger than the Olympics, because more people see her. More people watch the Paralympics; this fantastic show of people with disabilities to see what can be achieved. I think it's extremely important and the medals really don't matter. What matters, are the people who participate. I know that sounds old-fashioned and a little archaic, maybe even Victorian, but it's true. It's... absolutely true, and it's about time, and I think many of the sponsors also think so, unfortunately, some of the organizers do not. But it would be nice to have people who could start equally in any sport and that is what Ludwig Guttmann did with the Paralympics many years ago, in the Hope that his dream will one day come true.

When I saw you on the first day on the glacier, I was totally overwhelmed because I realized when you really want something, when you really want to snowboard, then you can do it. Anything.

For me, this is the essence of snowboarding. We may get old, but we can still do it. I had a crash today, you had a crash today. So yeah, we do it because it defines us, but you know what? That's why we still stand up smiling. Yeah, we're in pain. But you know what you did wrong,you know you lost focus for a second or you misjudged something,you know what went wrong. You're still smiling. I am still smiling. That is the snowboarders' attitude.

I think that's the reason why we go through it until we get to a point where we physically can't drive anymore. Is that when you want us to stop? Our wives or our partners may tell us that it's hurting us, but we know it's not hurting us. It's just something they would rather not do, but snowboarding is freedom for me. I don't care who you are, what your disability is, how old or young you are. If you are able to reach the mountain, you can get to any mountain, then you can enjoy the stuff that you and I enjoy every single day throughout the season and beyond and that is priceless. Everyone should be given the opportunity. No one should be denied the opportunity to see what you and I get to see, to enjoy it day after day. Yes, we both fell and were both in pain, but we could stand on this mountain and look out over an amazing landscape and enjoy it. Breathed really good air and now we are sitting with a nice beer and you know life is not going to get much better. And I want everyone to have a chance to do that and my small part is to get other people with amputations just like me, to board. That's my goal, and I want that to happen. Yes, the Paralympics are in sight and I would like to go and do that in 2022, but if they want to deny me the chance to do that again, I would rather just go ahead and get other people to snowboard and maybe some younger people will have a chance in the future. If we break the ice here, maybe they can make it and come to the Paralympics in the future and that's enough for me. If that happens, I will be immensely proud of it.

I think that Problem today is that many people, even if they have such a day, are not able to enjoy it because they do not have the life experience to see that this is actually really great. They argue how: When I get home, I have to pay some bills, I have to go back to work and so on. But actually, that's the reality. When I see you, I remember that no matter what happens, you always nor snowboard, and it's not the end of the world.

A short episode on this topic. When the terrorists blew me up and I ended up in hospital, after about three weeks, all the nurses gave me a bath. A team of six or seven nurses picked me up, pushed me into my wheelchair in the bathroom, lifted me into the bathtub and washed me. Which is great, really fantastic. Six or seven nurses who bathe you. Everyone's gonna love this. Right? But suddenly I thought I had to start doing things for myself. I decided to go swimming by myself. So I asked the doctors, "Can I bathe alone, just once?" But could I bathe alone at all, because my hands were connected, my legs were connected, almost everything was broken, but I wanted to start to get some independence. That was the key word: "independence". Fortunately the doctors said: Yes, no problem, you can do it, but be careful, watch what you do. So I went into the bathroom and sat down in the bathtub. Then I rolled back into my wheelchair and looked for a towel. Until then, the door was always open so that all the nurses had enough room. Since there was now no one else in the room, the door was closed and on the back of it there was a full-length mirror. I turned around the room in my wheelchair to look for a towel, but suddenly I see myself. So I look at myself, naked with all the scars, all the stitches and staples and IVs going into my arms and all the scars, everything. I look at myself and I think what a fucking wreck I am. What the hell are you gonna do now? What the fuck am I gonna do? I sit there and look at myself and most people would probably have cried and felt sorry for themselves. Not me. I just sat there and stared at myself for about 20 minutes. And in the end, I figured that I had two choices now: I can wallow in self-pity and have all these nurses wipe my ass for the rest of my life, or I can pull myself together and get on with my life. That's exactly what I did. I don't want my ass wiped.

I think a lot of people come to the Point at which they have that choice. I don't know where this is coming from, how this happens, but at some point you wonder: Well, what am I doing here? Why do I want to do this? Where do I want to be? Do I want to sit, get fat, get old and die, or do I want to go out and experience some things? And I have decided that I wanted to move on and experience some things and that it's what I've done, and snowboarding is just one part of it. So, if I sometimes see people on the slope and they keep trying over and over again, I always give them the thumbs up and wish them well. I say to them, "Keep going, keep going, chin up, keep going." And I think that really embodies snowboarding. All you have to do is keep going, because Learning to snowboard is a pretty simple thing to do; skiing is not. To be a really good skier, you have to take a long time and years of training. You don't have to train that hard to be a good snowboarder to become. But the learning process is very painful. You're going to have to... and it will be embarrassing, especially if you were a good skier. You're not gonna like this. You're not gonna like the fact that you were You have been very good at snow sports and now you act like a beginner. On the piste you are at least a snowboarder, you might not be a very good snowboarder, but you are a snowboarder because you passed this point you have. You won't fall down every time you get up. You're falling down and to um. It's part of life. I think snowboarding is a fantastic Analogy for life. It's about those who try.

And we can be on the mountain. We can enjoy the view, that you and I saw today; we can do all that with our children enjoy. When my daughter is with me, I can enjoy taking us just sit down for a cup of coffee or just sit down and tell others to watch. We just enjoy watching it. And that's what should be accessible to everyone. Everything that you and I or anyone else does can go to the mountains to allow someone else less fortunate to be able to do that is just phenomenal. We have a kind of obligation to do this. It should be... not be the playground of the rich and talented. It should be there for everyone to be, to be and to enjoy. Perhaps, then, the world would be a little different if everyone could come and see what you and I see here ...you'll get. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

I understand your Point of view. Here is a very simple question: Are you happy? Don't you have bad feelings about what happened?

Right here, right now, I'm the luckiest person in the world. I'm having a great time. My way here as a snowboarder was quite adventurous, but my whole life was one long adventure for me. I mean, I'm almost 53 years old. And I've done quite a lot of things, some of it was good, some of it was not so good, especially one day was pretty bad (laughs). But I have bad days too, like everybody else, everybody has a bad day, you have a bad day when you get out of bed on the wrong foot or your wife is mad at you or the kids have pissed you off and you get up and you're grumpy and obnoxious in some way. You can even have a whole bad day where you even go to the office and come back and you're still grumpy and your wife at home thinks: God, what am I going to do with the devil, have a drink, shut up, go to bed. And there are days when I and other people like me who are physically disabled or mentally retarded are not doing so well. It's harder to deal with it and sometimes it gets more intense. You and I both get out of the same bed and you can have a bad day and I can have a bad day. My bad day is not worse than yours, it's just more intense because I have so many other things to do, like just shower, go to the toilet, enter a building, get in a car, get out of the car; all these things contribute to your bad day. You don't just get into the car, you have to get into the car in a certain way because you have a disability. And that's the only thing that really matters. We're just normal. Everything is normal, just a little bit more intense, just a little bit. And so sometimes it's up to me - for me anyway - how I deal with my PTSD. It sucks, but it's not that bad, because nobody is going to die and I've been in situations where people have died. That was then, this is now, and you just go on, just go on with life. It's hard, life is hard, nobody said life would be easy. Just enjoy your life the best you can. It's hard. It's definitely hard and some people have it harder than others. Do what you can to put a smile on your face, whatever it takes, put a smile on your face.

You said that you have a 16-year-old daughter. Are you married?

I'm divorced and my daughter's name is Isabel. She is great. She's a skier, but she wants to learn to snowboard. To be honest. she doesn't have a choice. But she also wants to snowboard, and that's great. And hopefully this season I'll get a chance to go somewhere with her to go out and board, possibly Christmas. She loves going to the mountains and we have a similar sense of humor and also a similar similar taste for pleasure. We both find some things equally pleasant to look at, for example, the mountains.

You also work as Actors?

I try to be an actor. I don't know if I'm really good, but I've been doing it for 20 years. I think the right Term is professional secondary artist for special roles. But I am also actor and have done stage work and stage productions in London's West End made. I have also appeared in various films. Sometimes I speak part of it, sometimes not. I'm very good at blowing up thanks to my practical experience. Because of my age, I now get the older roles, but I enjoy acting and the Thrills. It's intense sometimes, nerve-wracking, it's like a big Kicker you've never ridden before. To get up on stage and do a few lines to deliver is very scary, but it's fun.

You also form in the military?

Yes, even abroad, I don't think I'm ready for the Swiss Army was working. But for the Germans, the French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian. Myself and some other guys go there and get us blown up for them, show them how to use to someone who's lost his legs on the battlefield. At In essence, it is. We started doing this for the British Army and still do. It's like we're paying a little something back for the fact that they helped us survive. Now we can help other people to survive, and we have a lot of fun doing it. And the pay is pretty good; getting blown up can be profitable.

I suppose you get a pension?

Yeah, I got an Army pension. It's not great because is reduced again and again. That's how the British take care of you.

I've also heard, that while the British health care system is cheap, they are very much waiting long on treatments. Is that so?

For a retiree in the British Army, it's actually in Order because they care about you. We get preferential treatment, which may seem unfair to many people; but other people are the I think that's the way it should be. Through the NHS, the British will always and rightly so, because it has some shortcomings, but on the whole and Overall, the NHS has more advantages than disadvantages. It works and other countries try to copy it, it can't be that bad.

What I said in the interview is that when you're bored, you look for a new Challenge seeking. Don't you think that one day snowboarding will make you could bore you?

Not in the slightest, I'm nowhere near it. But I understand why you're asking this, I've been asked. What had happened before that bored me? How can you get bored skydiving? I wasn't really bored, I just didn't love it anymore. I didn't feel like would achieve what I wanted to achieve and I felt that there was still other things to do; snowboarding it was. I don't see I'm going to stop snowboarding, but obviously I'll have to start competing with competitive snowboarding stop. But I want to keep teaching other people how to deal of whatever handicap, snowboarding, but I don't know what is called next. I love going on expeditions to places where never been before and someone recently asked me: "Do you feel like Amazon in a canoe?". It's been done many times before, but this particular trip would be special and I think I'm likely to do. I'm not gonna stop snowboarding, though. I I also like speed-flying, but I don't know exactly how that works for me. would work with a snowboard, because on a snowboard I would be cannot turn in the direction of travel. I know from my experience in skydiving that if you twist the harness, the shape of the Umbrella cap changed. But you know what, I like a challenge and we will find a solution to this. That would be cool and everything Bergen is good for me. I feel healthier and better and cleaner when I'm up here in the Alps. Britain's great, but I live at sea level, and when you get right down to it, I'm actually living a few meters below sea level.

It's the same for me. I love escaping the city and going to the mountains. It is the fresh air, the sun and the foresight. You have the problem in Great Britain does not. A few mountains and hills also mean that you can get quite can see far.

I live in the Lake District, have the mountains behind me and right in front of me the sea. I enjoy being up in the mountains. I walk not often enough, but I enjoy just being high up and to have the opportunity to look down. But as an amputee or being a disabled person in this environment is in itself a challenge and especially in Europe to be in the mountains, is a still greater challenge. Twenty years ago here in Austria it was difficult. It but has improved massively and I have never seen a more inviting community than the inhabitants of the Alps. It's just fantastic and people are amazed that someone in a wheelchair, with short legs or has come to her place without legs to see the mountains. People go to Lee and me just to say hello. That's great. The ultimate But the goal is that in the future no one will care whether someone with or walks on the mountain with no legs.

I don't think so, that it's gonna happen soon.

Maybe you won't live to see this. But would it not a cool thing to do when no one really cares anymore, because it's natural? What's so strange about that? I would looking forward to that day if we ever get to see it.

The time will come show. Competitively, you don't do boardercross, but banked slalom. This is the, let's say nice, the more tame version.

Yeah, it's not as aggressive and murderous as snowboarding Cross SBX. Because SBX is fast, aggressive and vicious, but it's great.

SBX is great for the boys. But say for 40-plus, I prefer a nice banked Slalom.

Yeah, we think alike. I rode some SBX's and they're great. I'm up against six or five people and it's fun made. But you have to understand, I didn't have the spring bond. Some the jumps have poured quite a lot, I had serious accidents and some pretty violent crashes. The only time I'm competing in an SBX race if the jumps aren't too vicious. But I think I have a real chance I have something to gain. I love banked slalom; it's great. I am not brilliant at it and could be a lot faster. Banked Slalom are the the right way and in some respects more natural than SBX, because SBX only modern technology is possible. Whereas Banked Slalom is the pure essence of snowboarding. I really enjoy it Banded slalom and I recommend everyone to try it. It challenges you out.

I was in the '90s. competed my last boardercross in the ISF. When I looking at the pictures from the last Olympics, I don't think I could have made it through the course there.

You make a fantastic point there. I've been to Breckenridge, Colorado a few times and some of the greatest snowboarders in the world are there, like Shaun White over Travis Rice to Danny Davis. Everybody was there and sat in the same bar at night as we did. They saw me boarding during the day and were totally out of their minds that a guy with no legs was boarding. They thought it was cool and came over to our place and we started chatting. In fact, almost every single one of them says that they are tired of seeing all the big kickers and the big halfpipes with 7, 8 meter sidewalls. These are built as big as possible to impress, because the sponsors and TV people want to see someone die. They want to see someone break their fucking neck.

It's like the formula First of all, they only look there because of the accidents...

Yeah, right. I don't want to see that mentality anymore, it's... is stupid. Let's get some of those sponsorship CEOs and ad guys out here and send them out on a 25-foot halfpipe. Then these managers first... and then tell us it's a good thing. Of course they won't because they're not even boarders. They never will be, they would ...don't even dream of going to the mountains, especially if they don't have a mink coat ...to carry with you. I'm deliberately exaggerating, but you know what I mean. So why rule out potential talent? Okay, there are always a couple of kids upstairs, and some of them could even turn it into elite selection, but only the best kids will make it to the 7-meter high How many other kids would have made it if they had been able to do the halfpipe? ...would have just started on a 2, 3 or 4-meter halfpipe? What talents is that what we missed? You could have been very good at it, but you switched to another sport out of frustration. Maybe they wouldn't have... and just stuck to the fucking screen anyway. You know what I mean. and the top boarders have confirmed this to me when we had a drink together. She's picking up on it. They're gonna keep X-Games and so on, because they get a lot of money for it. But what they really do ...is to cheer on kids who ride a seven-foot halfpipe. An . Three-year-old who drives up a halfpipe. Now, we only allow those can drive a 6 or 7 meter pipe. And We are excluding people. Well, I agree with some of the to big boys. Although I'm not one of the "big guys." Let's just go to to come back to the roots. Let's get real. Let's be realistic. Let's bring some people in and get everybody to enjoy. Everyone should have a chance. I do it in Laax. There is a small 2 meter pipe and then there is the big 7 meter pipe. Yeah! My friends and I spend the whole day in the small pipe. But you know, we have fun and we get better and better. The majority of people rides in the little pipe. Somebody should be wondering why people aren't ...the big pipe that costs thousands every season to run...

You don't want to go to the Land the hospital.

Right. So we're in the little pipe all day and I'm kind of a real fan of that. Now I've forgotten because of all the talking, which was your question...

No problem. We talked about banked slalom and then SBX.

For me banked slalom is a nice little competition, which is more natural than maybe SBX. SBX is great and it's what brings us sponsors and the big money, banked slalom does not. The sponsors aren't really interested in it, and you know why? It's raw, so of course. Like canoeing, and I love canoes for the simple reason that use a natural route to get from A to B. In the banked slalom there's a ravine with some hairpin bends that you have to use to come down a little bit. And you do that on a piece of wood. How simple is that it?

I agree with you. And we know what most old pros do for fun these days. They drive. not giant slalom, slalom, SBX or in the big pipe. Well, in the pipe If they want to compete, they do it at the bank. Slalom.

What about Off-piste? Is it an issue for you too?

Yeah, but I went a little overboard in Tahoe. Powder quantities and I had a little too much fun. It took forever I had dug myself out of the powder. I love off-piste skiing. Yeah, but only when I can just get back to the slopes, otherwise I have a Problem. Digging out with those feet is a nightmare. That's why I like Places like Val D'isere, where you can ski off-piste at any time. One day I would like to heliboard, but maybe not the big peaks with the big avalanches. I think this is beyond my capabilities, but more importantly, I'm not sure I enjoy this kind of thing would. However, to do a few things that are possible in the pristine outback would really interest me. But I understand. security problem. I'm not worried about me at all. I mean for... the people who might have to save me. I don't want anyone to get me out of a tricky situation that I would have if only I'd been sensible. So I'm waiting for it, that the time will come when I'll be truly competent enough to do so, without going to too much trouble. I'm not sure if I'm there yet, but I love it off-piste. Yeah, I know there's always been discussion about to off-piste skiing. But I enjoy it and I have also Switzerland when I was riding a little off the track in Laax. I had a fantastic time.

In which places Have you been snowboarding?

Well, in 2017 I was very lucky. Because of sponsoring and the Paralympic cause. I actually went around the world on a snowboard I drove. That was awesome. We started here in Europe, then we went we went to Korea, then to Canada / America and finally I ended up in New Zealand. I considered it a success that I travel the world on a snowboard could.

Where would you recommend snowboarding as a handicapped person?

If you were a disabled person and you asked me where to go, I'd probably say that you're going States. Yeah, because they're equipped. They have the ability to accommodate us and give us easy access to the slopes, depending on Your disability. Europe is much more difficult and we are lagging behind here. We are behind, and there's not much we can do about it right now, but I'm a big supporter of resorts where at least every hotel has or offer several wheelchair accessible rooms for people with disabilities can. Today it is already a massive improvement over 20+ years, and I'll give you an example as a kind of horror story, when I was Sölden was. It was 1992 or 93 in Sölden and we had to use the "Liftler" to slow down the nacelle so we can share it could. Actually, we asked if they could stop the gondola from entering but they said no; so we gave them two hundred cigarettes and a bottle of scotch. But told us that if we couldn't get in then that was it. You're not going up the mountain. That was Sölden, a pretty big resort. Hmm, you have to imagine. But we are all came up, but the whole resort didn't want us there. It was... obviously, we were frowned upon in the bars and restaurants once we came in. You could see it in the people, because they had to make room wheelchairs, but fortunately that's long gone now. Austria has changed. I have been all over Austria and that has changed enormously. But there is much more to do, accessibility, accommodation, part of the access to the slopes could be accessible to people in wheelchairs or disabilities, as well as for the blind, are made easier, so there are a lot more to do. In America and Canada they did it years ago. Europe is catching up, but Scotland is worse. There you think, "My God, this is another century". Everything is just so outdated. It I'm so sorry, but it really is. It's a long way to go, but I... knows we can do it. I know we can get the Norwegians with Lillehammer have. The Scandinavians are always forward thinking people. And I know, that the Austrians and the Swiss are definitely like that, France is all right, some of the resorts are good, but not brilliant. There must be more work is done when they reach customers with disabilities and it is a growing business, because people with Disabilities are becoming more and more adventurous, just like me. You don't want to be... only in skiing, but also in snow sports, and when companies organisations and accommodations support this, they receive their share of Euro, Pound or Swiss Franc, whatever we want to call it.

Today I would recommend North America to some of the best places I've been. Breckenridge is my absolute favorite. But lately, from my own experience, I've been allowed Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand. It is absolutely fantastic. You have a great landscape. They call it the Southern Alps and it is the equal to the Alps; different, not so big, but absolutely a fantastic Place to live with really nice people. The resorts may not be as advanced as here, but they're good, and you could have some great take trips, and I would recommend going there. And I have to go to Lake Tahoe. Here in Europe I would say Stubai and I'm probably obliged to tell Laax. You'll probably beat me for that, but for I have a small weakness for Verbier, but it is so incredibly expensive.

That's okay. The British love Verbier, they're all up there.

Yeah, the rich. That's why I don't like it. What What I like about Verbier, which may sound decadent, are the seats. But it's not as beautiful as Crans Montana, which is quiet, beautiful, just fine. La Plagne in France, not because it is pretty, but it has something for everyone no matter what his skills are and for any family size. The list goes on further, I could recommend almost everywhere to go boarding.

Which places are on your wish list?

Friends of mine went to South America, to Argentina and there is a big open area they love and I would love to go there. I have never been to South America and I would love to go somewhere where no one has been before or where very few people go, like Iran. Or what about China? Of course everybody went to Japan because of the powder and I would like to do that one day, but before that I would like to go to Iran or China or Uzbekistan or somewhere where people don't usually go. I will introduce the idea of boarding to this country, not only boarding, but boarding without legs. That would be a great thing. Kilimanjaro would be cool too, but I don't know if there will be enough snow up there like 20 years ago. But Kilimanjaro is dead now, everybody has been up there, but maybe some other mountains. I know that Mt. McKinley in Alaska has been climbed, but that would be a great thing. I've driven in Alaska and just for fun in the city, actually in Anchorage. Hawaii, would be great too, there is only a little bit of snow on a hill for a ride of about five minutes, but wouldn't that be great to board there. I love expeditions. I love expeditions. So I often thought about something in the Arctic or Antarctic. I know people have done it before with kites and they have done it on skis, I am not sure if anyone has done it on a snowboard. I think it would be a pretty interesting thing to board to the South Pole or North Pole and it is already pretty hard for a man with legs. And yes, it would be a real challenge. I was a dog handler in the military. So huskies and stuff would be no problem. I was wondering if there would be a guy who would like to ride with a team of huskies and skis and me with my snowboard and a kite and we would help each other to get there. Something like that. If there's any white stuff on the ground, I'll give it a try. All within reason.

Do you have another Dog?

Not right now, because my last dog died recently is. And so I no longer have Kibby. But the dog that got up in the air with me Troy, a German shepherd, died over 15 years ago. He finally died of old age because he let me blow up. He got hurt when he was in his cage. He recovered, but he was able can no longer be used for work. So my boss asked if we could just want to keep it. I said yes, and so he came to me and he lived 12 years with me. He's buried in my garden. Troy was my boy.

What was it used for? trained?

As a sniffer dog. We were tracking people. When I got blown up, the guy who died was Geordie, from AES - Arms Explosive Search. He and his dog were looking for bombs and guns, and then Troy and I would find the people who put them there. That was the principle. It didn't always work that way. So Troy was a people sniffer dog and he was looking for people and we were pretty good at it. He was a good German shepherd. I don't want a German Shepherd dog anymore and I won't have another one because if I had one I would always wish that it was the same as before and that would be unfair to that dog and unfair to me. Troy was Troy. And that's over. I'm doing something different now.

That sounds right on.

There's a lot to do out there. There are many others Things to discover in acting, that's what I always want but I want to keep snowboarding. Right now I'm pretty much successful in keeping both my jobs. If I can make money to earn acting money, I have to neglect snowboarding when I want to be more successful in snowboarding, I have to take up acting so there's a little problem, but that's a luxury problem. Latest update I'm working on the possibility of participating in the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing am. I'd like to think that I could participate. If I can I imagine that I could train someone to be there be. And if that doesn't happen; well, so be it and that's fine. But you know what? Then I tried everything.

You will now open the possibility of more people, but I don't know if anyone outside of the United Kingdom or even within the United Kingdom knows that you exist and what you do. You were even on the cover of Access Magazine (Disability Without Limits), but it also has a limited readership.

Well, for me I do everything possible to promote my popularity, but for me it was more important that Lee started boarding. With this he confirmed that I am not just an idiot with a big nose and a crazy idea who can snowboard, and the fact that I was able to teach him is real. And that was a great success for me. It made me feel a lot better that I'm not just this guy who's just trying to do this stupid, crazy idea of snowboarding. It really validated something. If I don't make the Paralympics, if I don't make it there and there is a chance, I shouldn't say that too loudly. But I don't care as long as someone else could make it there in the future because of my pioneering work. I think that's why we have children; you want to leave something behind. You want to have made a difference. Maybe we all want to think that we could make a difference by going away. I'd like to think that the last thought will be that I made a difference. And I think it'll all come back to that moment in front of the mirror in the hospital where I had a choice, I didn't have to do anything and someone would have wiped my ass for the rest of my life or keep going to achieve something and maybe that's it. Maybe that's what it is. I don't know, but I'm a happy man right now in that moment. I have a good life and I enjoy life to the fullest.

We'll be hearing more from Swifty. He will regularly write something about his way to Beijing, to his buddies or snowboarding in general in a separate column. We can be curious.