Patrick Cooper in the USA

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 39, 11 March 1986, Page 8

Patrick Cooper in the USA

News of local skier Patrick Cooper, overseas with the New Zealand Disabled Ski Team, has come to hand from a letter to his mother on 24 February. Patrick is still in Winter Park, Colorado, where the temperature has varied between -26 degrees and +5 degrees Celsius. However he does not feel too bad because it is a very dry cold, unlike Turoa. He is still sharing a condominium with three other team members in Fraser at 8500 feet, six kms by free bus to the skifield at 1 1 ,200 feet. The skifield has a turbo quadruple chairlift, quite different to Turoa. They are training four days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, a cost of $490 for seven weeks which includes chairlifts and coaching. The team leaves for Sweden at the beginning of April after the US nationals. He commented on the horses and horse sleds which he had seen, as well as four-wheel-drive pick-ups with bulldozer blades clearing snow, and trains with three engines, presumably because of the mountains. Meantime they are working hard and enjoying life with eight TV channels, including one full-time sport, but getting electric shocks from the synthetic carpets in the condominium!