Mini-epiphanies characterize Lindsay Debou’s work in her new role as a racing guide for visually impaired skiers with the national Para-alpine ski team, including World Cup Crystal Globe winner Viviane Forest.

Debou, a Whistlerite who rose through the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) programs as a young racer, found herself using the phrase as she tried to describe the process of learning how to maintain the perfect distance between herself and the visually impaired skier who follows her at breakneck speeds through a race course.

“It’s kind of like you have mini-epiphanies every day,” Debou said in Whistler on Friday (March 20), one week after she and Forest sped down Debou’s home hill to win two gold and two silver medals at last week’s International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals.

Debou, who only became a guide for the national team last October, said she has quickly come to love guiding. Communicating through two-way radios with visually impaired racing partners such as Forest, who has about four per cent vision, Debou strives to maintain the ideal distance — close enough so that her partner can see her but not so close that they collide.

“I think when we’re having an on day and everything is perfect, it is an amazing feeling, when you nail that distance (and) you can feel the person behind you, you can hear them, you can sense them, and you know they’re not struggling,” Debou said.

“The minute that I’m too far away, they let me know. And if I can do a whole course with that distance, then I know I’ve done a good job.”

Debou found her way into her new role after fellow Whistlerite Matt Hallat, a long-time member of the national team, spotted her in her summer job at the Nicklaus North Golf Course and told her the team was looking for a guide.

Debou had taken some time away from ski racing, quitting when she was 18 and going on to study at the University of Victoria and travel through Australia and New Zealand. After graduating in 2006, she worked at the golf course and as a ski instructor while looking for a job related to her chosen field of psychology.

But when the chance to become a national team guide appeared, Debou couldn’t resist the opportunity to be involved with the Games in 2010, even though she was relatively unfamiliar with the world of visually impaired skiing.

“That’s what drew me to this whole opportunity, being a part of 2010. I knew I’d be some part of it, either volunteering (or) working, but skiing is obviously the best option, so I’m super ecstatic,” Debou said.

She said everything has fallen into place as she’s joined the national team, since she really loves skiing and guiding and has appreciated the support from her teammates.

Debou began the season racing with Ottawa’s Kathleen Forestell, who then suffered a knee injury at a World Cup race in La Molina, Spain. Debou teamed up with Forest for the first time at the IPC World Championships in Korea in February, after Forest’s guide left the circuit to have a baby.

At the championships, the new pair remarkably reached the podium in every event, capturing one gold and four silver medals.

“We just have really good communication with each other, and we work really well,” Debou said of skiing with Forest, a rookie on the World Cup circuit who has also won two Paralympic gold medals with the national goalball team. (Goalball is a team sport designed for visually impaired athletes.)

Debou said their key word is “hup”: when she starts a new turn, she says “hup,” so Forest knows to switch her edges. Debou also warns Forest if there are ruts, rollers or icy patches.

“If we’re going to get air, she needs to know,” Debou said. Visualizing the courses and planning their lines are other important parts of their racing strategy, she added.

It all worked beautifully in Whistler, where they shot through the course at more than 100 kilometres per hour in the downhill event. Forest “doesn’t have fear of speed,” Debou said.

Debou began skiing when she was three, coming up to Whistler from Vancouver “religiously every single weekend,” before moving here at age 11 after she had entered the local ski racing programs.

She said it was a delight to win World Cup medals, especially the downhill gold that was a particular highlight, on her home hill. She said she thinks the courses will host a strong Paralympics next year, thanks to the hard work from volunteers such as the Whistler Weasel Workers.

“It’s going to be the best event Whistler’s ever seen,” she said.

Debou and Forest continued their string of success at this week’s Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Championships at Sun Peaks, winning Monday’s (March 23) giant slalom event in the women’s visually impaired category. Vernon’s Josh Dueck topped the men’s sitting category, while Vancouver’s Karolina Wisniewska won the women’s standing category and Hallat finished second among men’s standing skiers.

The races continued Tuesday through Thursday (March 24 to 26).