Filip rides a snowboard with prosthesis

At age 11, I stood on a snowboard for the first time. I was sold immediately. Then, every Wednesday afternoon, my best friend and I biked to the indoor ski hall in Rucphen with a snowboard on the back. That love for snowboarding was one of the decisive reasons for me to choose amputation.

Before my surgery, I couldn't do anything for more than five years. My leg was broken. All that time I was in a wheelchair with an outstretched leg. That meant I stayed home when my family went hiking. When my family or friends went skiing or snowboarding, I stayed at the hotel. That frustrated me. When I realized I would be able to snowboard again if I had my leg amputated, the choice became a little easier: I chose amputation. A world opened up for me..

Purchasing the ski prosthesis

Yet there was still one obstacle: with a regular prosthesis you cannot ski, and the health insurance company does not reimburse ski prostheses. I therefore needed money, as much as 10,000 euros. A lot of money, especially for a prosthesis you can only ski with. But I went for it. My brother is an event organizer by profession. He was determined to set up an event to raise the amount for the prosthesis. Together we devised the approach. It became a great event, attended by 3,000 people. All to help me pay for my ski prosthesis. The result: 300 days after my amputation, I was back in the snow for the first time.

The first time in the snow
That first time was at the ski hall in Rucphen. My instrument maker was there to dot the 'i'. I decided to ski this first time: after all, with two poles and two 'loose' legs you have more stability. But it was disappointing. It worked, but it didn't go as well as I was used to from myself. A few weeks later I was in Switzerland. I saw the snowy mountain peaks and knew: I want to too. My wife - I could call her top snowboarder - pushed me to the elevator and said, "No bullshit. No kid slopes, but really all the way up." After my (for me) failed attempt on skis, I decided to try it now with my trusty snowboard. I came down without any problems. On my snowboard my feeling with the snow was back at once.

Helping others with winter sports
In recent years I have participated in two European Championships with the Dutch Paralympic team. As cool as I thought it was, I quit. If you snowboard professionally, you have to go for it 100%. I don't have that in return: for example, I like to drink a beer in the evening and I would have to give that up. My goal for now? To give Flemish young people with disabilities a push to get started as well. To guide them through the whole winter sports process: from support for the prosthesis to coaching.