One ski and one goal: glory.
During the Paralympic Winter Games, I’ve discovered sit-skiing, a type of skiing for athletes who have lower-limb disabilities. The FIS for the 2025/26 season listed their sit-skiing classifications (LW 10–12) which include criteria such as impairments related to spinal conditions and “minimal control of their upper abdominal muscles”.
Sit-skiiers use a special seat mounted to a monoski (a single ski, used at the Paralympic Winter Games) or dualski (two skis) meaning core strength and balance are paramount for success. Due to the engineering and precision required for sit skis, they can cost anywhere from $950 for a beginner’s seat to $10,000 for a state-of-the-art model.
The 1984 Innsbruck Paralympic Winter Games was the first to feature sit-skiing as a demonstration sport before returning to Innsbruck 4 years later as a full medal event.
The video above shows Josh Dueck, a 3-time Paralympic medalist, talking about his love for sit-skiing as he navigates the British Columbia snow. Other successful sit-skiers include:
- Martin Braxenthaler, who won 10 gold medals between 2002–2010
- Chris Waddell, winner of 12 medals between 1992–2002 (and a silver at the Summer Paralympic Games)
- Kuniko Obinata, winner of 10 medals between 1998–2010
- Anna Schaffelhuber, winner of 9 medals between 2010–2018, including a clean sweep of the alpine skiing events in Sochi 2014 (only the second athlete to do so)