The United States Deaf Ski and Snowboard Association will be holding biannual conferences here in Telluride beginning Sunday. Alpine and Snowboard racing tryouts for the USDSSA team for the 2007 Winter Deaflympics will also be held at the Telluride Ski Resort next week. As of Wednesday, 185 skiers and snowboarders had registered for the conference and tryouts, with 250 expected to attend.

"The important thing is that the community is aware they are here, and we make it as easy as possible for them," said Tom Watkinson, group sales manager for the Telluride Ski Resort. "People in town need to be aware, to be sensitive, of the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community."

Olympic qualifying events to be held include Alpine GS, SL and Dual SL and Snowboard GS, SL and half pipe competitions. U.S. Deaf Alpine and Snowboard Ski Teams announcements will be made on Saturday.

"We're very excited they're coming, and the snow is coming for them," said Watkinson. "Let's make them feel welcome and show them a great time." A number of events outside of the Olympic qualifying races are planned for the group, both on and off the mountain, including an historical tour of Telluride, a barbecue, snowshoeing and Nordic skiing.

One of the highlights of next week's conference will be a screening of Warren Miller's movie Higher Grounds at the Michael D. Palm Theatre, Friday, March 17, shown for the first time in closed captioning.

Watkinson and Colleen Trout of the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program both recommend that people working in guest services, retail and restaurants have pads of paper and pens available at registers.

"They're not looking for special treatment or to be recognized," said Watkinson. "But we want them to go away with the feeling that Telluride knew they were here."

"The general skiing public should be aware there will be a lot of deaf skiers on the mountain next week," added Trout. "Saying things like 'on your left' and 'on your right' may not register."

She also said it is important for emergency personnel to be aware of the number of deaf skiers coming to town. "People may get hurt on the mountain. It's good to be prepared."

While some in the deaf community can read lips, "Not everyone who is deaf can," said Trout. "That would be an assumption.

"You can also do a lot with visual communication in terms of demonstrating what is needed."

Any American Sign Language interpreters interested in helping with next week's activities are encouraged to call Trout at 728-7537.

"We've been trying to get the word out to interpreters that we can use their services if they're available this week," she said. "The trick for us, in our programs the interpreters need to be as good a skier as the deaf or hearing-impaired skiers. Some of the kids can out-ski the interpreters."

The 2007 Winter Deaflympics are slated to be held in Salt Lake City next February, where athletic and cultural events will draw more than 400 deaf athletes and 4,000 fans from at least 24 countries.

The Deaflympics, which is under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, began in Paris in 1924. It is the second oldest multi-sport and cultural event in the world.

A separate international sports competition is held for the deaf and hard-of-hearing because the athletes are able-bodied under Olympic rules and cannot participate in the Paralympics. However, communication barriers, such as sound-based starting devices and verbal officiating, keep many deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes from participating in the Olympics. In the Deaflympics, rules and procedures are similar to those in Olympic competitions, except flashing lights and hand signals or flags are used instead of starting guns or whistles.

The 16th winter games will include five individual and team events: alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, ice hockey, and curling. Snowboarding and alpine skiing will take place at Park City Mountain Resort and Nordic skiing will be at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.

USDSSA is responsible for selecting members of the U.S. Deaf Alpine Ski Team, U.S. Deaf Snowboard Team and U.S. Deaf Cross-Country Ski Team, all of which compete in the Winter Deaflympics. The USDSSA is a non-profit recreational and competitive organization of deaf and hard-of-hearing skiers and snowboarders, founded in 1968, and is a National Sports Organization member of the U.S.A. Deaf Sports Federation and recognized by U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

For more information, visit www.deafski.com and www.usdssa.org.