Chris’s skiing career could have permanently ended when he met with an accident while skiing as a college freshman. The accident had left him paralyzed from the waist down but his athletic spirit helped redefine his career in the sport of monoskiing. Within two years of his accident, Chris earned a place on the US Disabled Ski Team and went on to become the most decorated male mono skier with twelve Paralympic medals. He also excelled in wheelchair track events with ten medals in Summer Paralympics and World Championships. Chris was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame as well as the Paralympics Hall of Fame. He reached new heights when he became the first nearly-unassisted paraplegic to conquer Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Chris is a strong advocate and with his foundation, One Revolution, he is changing the perception of disability. Chris and his work have been recognized by the likes of Dalia Lama, People magazine, Skiing magazine, NPR and his alma mater Middlebury College.

How and when did you decide to ski again after your accident?C: I knew that I would ski while I was lying in the hospital bed. I didn't know how, but I knew that I would ski. Toward the end of my hospital stay a friend asked if I would be in a documentary movie that a friend of his was doing on adaptive skiing. With that I had a plan, but it didn't all come together until I returned to college from summer vacation and my coach said that he wanted me to stay on the team and that the Friends of Middlebury Skiing would buy my first mono ski for me.

What has been your toughest sporting championship and why?C: Becoming the fastest mono skier in the world was the most difficult. I was in the most disabled of the three monoski classes, so I was supposed to be slower than the guys in the other classes, but I wanted it to be about skiing ability not disability. In Lillehammer, Norway I beat all the mono skiers in the world in the Downhill, the fastest event.

What inspired you to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? What kind of preparation helped you with a successful climb?C: Climbing Kilimanjaro gave me the platform to create change that I had lost when I retired from competitive sport, plus we are all climbing our proverbial mountain so it made the challenge universal. Preparation was all the things that had gone wrong in my life--knowing that things would go wrong and that I'd found solutions for most in the past so the likelihood was high that I could do it again. Specific training was a callousing effect. We'd go out for six to eight hours one day then six to eight the next day. Coming back from complete exhaustion to climb the next day gave me the confidence to attempt Kilimanjaro.

What challenges did you face after you met with an accident? How did you face those challenges?C:  Physical challenges were many. I had to relearn just how to get around and how to gain the strength to do what I wanted. The mental part was more challenging. Releasing myself from the assumption that other people thought I was less as a result of the accident was the most liberating.

You have received plenty of awards and recognition. Which award is closest to your heart and why?C: I think that first gold medal in the Downhill of the Paralympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Who is your inspiration?C:  I collect heroes everywhere I go. In skiing, Diana Golden and Jim Martinson were the heroes in whose footsteps I attempted to follow.

What is your favorite place that you would like to visit and why?C: I'd like to go to India.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?C: I think the suggestion for parents is the same for parents of disabled and able-bodied children--let them fail and learn from those failures.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to learn skiing?C: Find a good program and go do it. It's a great sport.

Any special message for our community?C: Have fun and live fully.