By Jordan Parker

Sit skier Anneka Siegel has gained large recognition in sit skiing, even going viral for her tutorial TikToks.  

She just started last January but is already blazing her own trail after only a year on the slopes in this capacity.   

“I’ve been doing some work at monoski, which is a type of sit skiing. I was a skier before my disability, and this has allowed me to continue something I love,” she said.  

As she climbs the ranks in monoskiing, she’s finding a comfortability, and she went to her first monoski-specific camp in January.  

“I went to Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Monoski Camp. It was amazing to do this with other adaptive skiers,” she said.  

For Siegel, it was a rare chance to be around others who love the sport.  

“It was nice to be with 35 others and just really enjoy myself,” she said.  

Siegel first found interest in sit skiing through the documentary Full Circle, a Netflix film following professional athlete Trevor Kennison on his journey learning about sit-skiing.  

Now she’s begun moving toward instructing as a way to get more athletes in Nova Scotia involved in the sport.  

“There’s a lot of value in sit skiers learning from others instead of able-bodied instructors. You need to go through that process of learning yourself. I just wanted to find a way to give back to the community,” she said.  

Sport Nova Scotia’s Parasport Coordinator Zach Dickson is happy to see her finding a love of sit-skiing.  

“It’s awesome to see her find this. She was a skier before the injury. To see the smile on her face, it’s amazing to see her back on the hill and get back to the joy of skiing,” he said.  

To have a young ambassador for the sport can help others become interested, and the fact Siegel now takes an interest in instructing is a good sign.  

“In the past year she’s involved, the interest has gone up. People realize it’s an option, and her taking the instructor course is such an asset. She has so much lived experience and knowledge,” he said.  

“For her to be able to help others apply their skills is amazing. It’s a huge asset for us to have her teach the next generation.”  

Siegel began posting on social media when she began her journey with the sport, and it caught on. She went viral as she shared her story, and people have reacted favourably to what she’s doing.  

“It’s definitely an asset to have those videos out there. It didn’t exist before, and Anneka used to get questions. She began making them herself, and it was great for awareness. Athletes across the country have noticed and the sport is gaining interest,” he said.  

“People ask her questions on the hill and she’s amazing at being an ambassador and teaching people about the sport.”  

Siegel felt it was important to chronicle her experience on social media and gained a lot of support doing so.  

“People just want to see it. I wanted to spread awareness and teach people about sit skiing. It’s been really cool. When I learned, I was scouring for a page like mine that does educational videos and couldn’t find one, so I made it myself,” she said.  

She’s been invited to and attended high-performance camps in Whistler, B.C., and is scheduled for Vermont and Utah later this year.  

“It’s been amazing to travel, and I’m super excited for Utah. I haven’t ever spent time out there, so skiing, traveling and seeing new people and areas will be amazing,” she said.  

As she moves forward as an athlete, she’s also intent on teaching more to get involve in sit skiing and wants people to become engaged in the sport.  

“There’s a gap where sit skiers aren’t being brought from beginner to independent. I want to make a pathway for people who want to move up and possibly do high-performance,” she said.