ovativeWelsh designerchangesthe faceofadaptiveskiing

AlfAlderson meetsOllyVaughan-Jones,the inspirationaldesigner behindthe pioneeringArcticFoxVixen adaptivesit-ski

mllyVaughan-Jones was in sparkling form when I dropped into his Pembrokeshire workshop to chat about his pioneering business venture ArcticFox. And well he might be, having just heard that he'd been selected for the Team England Adaptive Surf Squad.

This is a man who is obsessed with sliding around on water and snow, and his England team selection, plus the organised chaos of his workshop, were proof that a serious disability is nowhere near enough to prevent him indulging in his passion. By designing innovative sit-skis for adaptive skiers and snowboarders, Olly is also ensuring other disabled snowsports enthusiasts can get their kicks on the slopes.

Following several years of research and development, the ArcticFox Vixen adaptive sit-ski was introduced to the public at the National Ski Show in October 2022, and went on the market last month. The Vixen All-Mountain version is set to launch imminently.

The ingenious Vixen weighs in at just 13kg, is fully adjustable and semi-customised, and fits into a suitcase for easy transportation (Ollyregularly travels on public transport, in a wheelchair, with his sit-ski). Ideally suited for mono sit-ski learners, the Vixen can be used everywhere from indoor snow centres to pistes and pow, and can also be upgraded as the user progresses their skiing. The Vixen All-Mountain, as the name suggests, has various design tweaks that make it more suitable for more advanced skiers and freeride terrain (where, as Olly points out, face shots are far easier than on regular skis!).

The Vixen All-Mountain also comes with a 'lift assist' system, which allows the user to access chair lifts on their own rather than needing assistance from friends or lift operators. As well as significantly reducing arm fatigue and the strength required to get onto a chair lift, this facilitates increased independence whilst riding.

Olly, 38, not only brings award-winning design engineer credentials to the table with his ArcticFox designs, but also first-hand experience of using sitskis. Shortly after scooping the Gillette Innovation Award in 2008 while studying at Brunel University in the late noughties, Olly contracted serious myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).The virus resulted in Olly having to endure hospital, care homes and assisted living for many years, at one stage losing the ability to speak and having to be spoon-fed by his parents and sister, and ultimately being left wheelchair-bound.

A passionate snowboarder and skier, Olly had qualified as a snowboard instructor before starting university and spent several seasons in Chamonix and Mont Tremblant, ultimately hoping to work as a design engineer within the ski industry. As such, he seized the opportunity

TBydesigning innovativesit-skis, Ollyisensuringother disabledsnowsports enthusiastscanget theiron-slopekicks to take a sit-ski lesson at Tamworth SnowDome with Disability Snowsports UK in 2017."The instructors were great, but I was terrible!" Undeterred, he gave sit-skiing another go on a visit to Arinsal the following year, where he discovered the resort's Val Nord Adaptive Ski School, which has 13 dedicated sit-ski instructors.

Here, with the help of instructors Dave and Marcus, things started falling into place, and Olly made the life-changing discovery that, by using a lighter, more adjustable mono-ski he could once again enjoy sliding around on snow.

However, as a design engineer he was compelled to come up with a better, more practical and efficient alternative to the sit-skis he'd been offered at the ski school. ''I'd been looking for something technical and challenging that I could engage my brain with. Given my training as a design engineer, designing a better sit-ski was an obvious 'come back' project."

Setting up ArcticFox in 2019 (the name derives from Olly's childhood nickname, 'Foxy'), the design and development process not only involved time at the drawing board and in the workshop, but also site visits, including an enlightening trip to Winter Park in Colorado last winter at the invitation of the British Armed Forces Para Snowsports Team. The resort, says Olly, is: "The pinnacle of adaptive skiing, with an adaptive ski school and instructors that totally understand the issues faced by disabled skiers."

He was even taken out on backcountry adventures with his newly developed sit-ski by locals, accessing the 3,796m Jones Pass on snowmobiles.

"I felt like I was back in Cham in the old days, hitting deep powder and enjoying the wilderness of the winter backcountry. I finally realised that adaptive skiing could provide all the thrills I used to experience on the snow before my illness."

The combination of long hours of design work plus feedback from trips to the mountains and discussions with adaptive ski instructors and other sit-ski users has led to the development over the past three years of the two new ArcticFox Vixen sit-skis which, incidentally, are built using materials sourced within Wales and the wider UK wherever possible.

As ArcticFox hits the market this winter you can be sure that this is just the start for this enterprising one-man band. Thanks to Olly's engineering skills and passion for the mountains, his products make it as easy and practical as possible for adaptive riders to get out there and hit the piste, pow and park.

*FormoreinformationabouttheArcticfoxrange visitthewebsiteatarcticfoxadaptive.com