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In short
Us and Them was created to showcase adaptive skiing from the perspective of the athletes within the sport. Through film and storytelling, the project aims to break down barriers, challenge perceptions, and inspire people of all abilities.
In long
We fell in love with adaptive skiing because it places us on the same playing field as our friends. It allows us to ride, explore, and compete alongside able-bodied skiers on terrain and mountains that would otherwise be inaccessible due to our disabilities.
However, we felt that adaptive skiing was not always portrayed in a way that reflected our experience. Much of the limited content available follows a similar narrative: “This was my life before my injury, this was my injury, and this is my life now.” While those stories spark curiosity, they often fail to truly showcase the sport itself.
We wanted to present adaptive skiing differently — to show it as dynamic, progressive, and full of style. Our goal was to create something that could reach the next person lying in a hospital bed and show them what is genuinely possible as a disabled athlete.
To portray adaptive skiing authentically, we knew we had to produce the entire film ourselves. That meant filming, riding, editing, and designing everything independently.
As first-time filmmakers, we were determined to do it properly — to do justice to our sport and tell our story through our own eyes.
Producing the film as disabled athletes came with a steep learning curve. Capturing a single shot required transporting camera equipment across the mountain — often one skier carrying the tripod and another carrying the camera bag. Once on location, the filmer would transfer out of their sit-ski, set up the equipment, frame the shot, and hope the angle worked. Then the rider had to perform — not only executing the line but showcasing their personal style.
It was hard work and, at times, frustrating. But it gave us full creative control and allowed us to present adaptive skiing exactly as we see it.
Producing the film as a disabled person was a pretty big learning curve. To get one shot it meant carting the camera bag to the spot. This was normally done ny one skier carrying the tripod and one carrying the camera bag. Once in location the filmer had to get out of their sitski, set up the camera, set up the shot and hope the angle will look good. Then the rider had to make sure they performed in front of camera and showcase their style of skiing.
All though it was hard work and frustrating at times, it meant that we could have full control of everything.