LW11

LW11 skier Mark Soyer at the 2012 IPC NorAm Cup

LW11 is a para-alpine and para-Nordic sit skiing sport class, a classification defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC for people with paralysis in the lower extremities and people with cerebral palsy that affects the lower half of the body. Outside of skiing, the competitor in this class is unable to walk. For international competitions, classification is done through IPC Alpine Skiing or IPC Nordic Skiing. For sub-international competitions, classification is done by a national federation such as Alpine Canada.

In para-alpine skiing, the skier uses a mono-ski, while para-Nordic skiers use a two ski sit-ski. Skiers in this class use outriggers, and are required to wear special helmets for some para-alpine disciplines. In learning to ski, one of the first skills learned is getting into and out of the ski, and how to position the body in the ski in order to maintain balance. The skier then learns how to fall and to get up.

A factoring system is used in the sport to allow different classes to compete against each other when there are too few individual competitors in one class in a competition. The factoring for LW11 alpine skiing classification during the 2011/2012 skiing season was 0.785 for slalom, 0.8508 for giant slalom, 0.8324 for super-G and 0.8333 for downhill. The percentage for the 2012/2013 para-Nordic season was 94% and for LWXI.5 was 98%. This classification has been able to compete at different skiing competitions including the Paralympics, IPC Alpine World Championships and the IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships. Skiers in this class include Austrian Robert Frohle.