'I started sit skiing after an industrial accident - and now I've got the bug'
So when a life-changing industrial accident ten years ago led to Martyn becoming a full-time wheelchair user, he was determined it wouldn’t mean an end to his involvement in amateur sport. Now he’s been skiing for nearly four years - and he’s encouraging others to give it a go.
“The freedom I feel going down the slope and the adrenaline it provides is amazing,” says the 49-year-old, from York. “Life can be quite monotonous in a wheelchair sometimes, so to have the opportunity to do something that’s different and challenging is really great.”
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Hide Ad"For the first few lessons, be prepared to sit on your bottom quite a bit and get wet,” he says, laughing. “But the freedom you can gain from skiing is second to none.”


As a teenager, Martyn represented Yorkshire at county-level cricket. He remained active into adulthood, as a builder and stonemason by day, and playing football and cricket in his free time.
Then, a decade ago, he was faced with adapting to a whole new way of living. An accident resulted in a compound fracture on his spine, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.
“Ever since it happened, myself and my wife have been very positive…We live equally as happy and positive lives as we did previously,” Martyn says. “Now I’m trying to do everything I possibly can - just sat down.”
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Hide AdNaturally, it was a big adjustment. “Our positivity has helped us a great deal. I know some people who have injuries that change their lives can’t always see that but eventually you start to think life is a short period and you have to try and utilise everything and make it as positive possible. It did change everything, obviously, but what can you do? You can’t look back. You work hard today to make tomorrow better.”


Martyn spent six months at a specialist spinal rehabilitation unit and then five years doing intensive physiotherapy. Still, hours of every week are spent doing rehabilitation exercises and Martyn has also turned back to sport too.
He says: “I wanted to commit to other activities and tried archery, water skiing, hand biking and swimming. Having spent most of my life playing team sports, I wanted to do something individually where the buck stopped with me.”
As a Manchester United season ticket holder, Martyn travels regularly to the city and started to take sit ski lessons at the Chill Factore, with adaptive ski charity Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK).
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Hide AdHe says: “After a few lessons, I fell in love with the sport. Being so low to the ground and moving at speed, it kind of feels like go karting. The support from the instructors has been fantastic – I try to ski two or three times a month. I’ve definitely got the bug.”


As well as challenging Martyn physically, it helps him to “concentrate the mind”. “I’m a big believer that everyone should have a challenge or a purpose in life when you wake up in a morning,” he says. “I guess the sportsman in me wants to perfect my technique, so it becomes really addictive in all the best ways.
“Skiing helps with other mindsets in life and helps with mental health. Being in a wheelchair, people can be tentative around you and often only talk about mundane things – but with skiing, it’s a real conversation starter. Since my football and cricket days, I’ve missed talking about something with passion, but skiing has given me that."
Now Martyn’s wife is also learning to ski and they’re hoping to get abroad on a ski slope in the near future. He continues to test himself, working to perfect his technique and take on new challenges like hitting freestyle features and going through race gates.
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Hide Ad"My natural character being a sportsman is to improve and get better and better,” he says. “I compete with myself all the time which I think is healthy.”
He’s made “huge progress”, according to John Lawson, regional snowsports manager for the North of England at DSUK. “It doesn’t matter he uses a wheelchair, he’s often one of the best skiers on the slope.”
- Disability Snowsport UK provides inclusive snowsport, regardless of disability, injury or experience. The next performance coaching session taking place with the charity at the Chill Factore is on December 16.