'Ultimate winter playground' created by Exeter University students to promote adaptive skiing

  • Students at Exeter University speak to ITV's Graham Lewis about accessibility in winter sports.

Part of the Exeter University campus has become the "ultimate winter playground" with the focus on making it accessible to everyone.

The event called ‘Chill Hill’ included an inter-university freestyle competition but the main focus was on adaptive skiing to make the sport inclusive.

It was created by students who are all part of Snowsports Exeter. They brought in 50 tonnes of snow from other ski slopes around the country.

Students creating the ski slope with 50 tonnes of snow.

Tilly Dyer, President at Snowsports Exeter, said: “At university it's all about getting involved and joining different sports teams.

"Sports access, to me, has been a crucial part of my university life.

"I want as many people to be able to experience the joy that skiing has brought me. So getting the whole range of campus involved is really important to me."

Connor Greenwood-Cribbin, Vice President at Snowsports Exeter, said: “You can't be good at academia and you can't enjoy your time at university without having a well-balanced life around it.

"And sports, as we all know, is an amazing way to get involved, make friends, really just push yourself to be the best you can be.”

Snowsports Exeter has created the first university adaptive ski team in the country, opening up the sport to people with disabilities.

Ollie Rudzinski on the slope.

One of those skiers, Ollie Rudzinski, said: “Really it's quite tough to begin with to get the balance right and get your arms figured out.

"After a while you kind of get the hang of it. It's such a cool piece of kit to be able to ski.”

The event also included plenty of après ski with live music, bars, and food stalls.

It was raising money for Disability Snowsports UK, which aims to promote adaptive skiing and make winter sports accessible to people with disabilities.