After a difficult Nor-Am in Colorado in December, para-Alpine skier Pramod “Promo” Thapa is ready to come back next season and enter all the Western Canadian Nor-Am races.
He spent this season building up his legs to handle the regulation 185 centimetre GS skis, and 165 cm slalom skis on which he’s required to ski, as per FIS rules.
“The kid’s 100 pounds and five foot,” explains Jim Knowles, Thapa’s coach. “To try to get a stiff, men’s 185 to work, to bend that ski, you need muscle, you need weight. So what we’re working on now is building up his legs so he can handle these skis. He does fairly well on them, he’s come a long way this year, I’m really happy with where he is.”
Presently, Thapa is dry land training twice per week, and looking forward to spending more time on his bike.
“He’ll be doing the Gran Fondo Highwood Pass in Alberta in the beginning of July, which is 157 kilometre, 7,000 foot climb,” says Knowles. “This year we’re taking a Sun Peaks team—Alain Cordonier, Blair Jones wheelchair athlete, and Promo. Our training rides consist of Kamloops to Logan Lake and back.”
The Gran Fondo Highwood Pass race takes place on Canada’s highest paved road, between Longview and Morley, Alberta, on July 7.
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