Park City Paralympian Muffy Davis’ journey from the NAC to the IPC

Muffy Davis (third from the right on the bottom row) with her fellow Governing Board members of The International Paralympic Committee. Photo: International Paralympic Committee

BEIJING — On this International Women’s Day, arguably no one represents Park City more than Muffy Davis. Presently in Beijing handing out medals on podiums to Paralympic athletes, she’s a member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board.

No stranger to the podium, the seven-time Winter and Summer Paralympic medalist was a National Ability Center athlete in Park City where she met her husband Jeff. She was then inducted into Park City’s U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Davis is also on the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC)

After living in Park City, she and Jeff were raising their now teenage daughter in Salt Lake City which was where she got to light the cauldron in the Opening Ceremony of the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Games.

Residing in her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho now, last year Davis concluded her second of two terms as a legislator in the Idaho House of Representatives. She’s currently the County Commissioner representing the Sun Valley Ski Resort’s citizenry.

When she was a teenager, that was the location of a ski race accident that put her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. On the day of the accident, her father was the emergency room physician on duty as his daughter was rushed in an ambulance to his clinic straight from the ski resort. Davis still suffers continual medical setbacks.

Already working to make the world a better place for people with disabilities in the future, she is on the IPC Coordination Commission for Italy’s Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Personifying the Paralympic Movement for which she was appointed as an IPC Ambassador 15 years ago, it was at that point that I asked her about an upcoming trip on which she was embarking. Davis bought a Eurorail ticket and was off to experience global travel in her wheelchair. I asked her if she was going with anyone, she just smiled, ear to ear and her face lit up with curious, adventurous, excitement when she answered, “nope.”

I asked her if she knew anyone there, “nope.” If she had anywhere to stay, “nope.” Her monosyllabic replies had a sing-song quality that went up in tone. Do you, speak the language? “Nope.” Do you know if there are accessible wheelchair ramps or accessible hostel accommodations? “Nope.” She just giggled.

With a spirit like that, it’s safe to say that for Muffy Davis, every day is International Women’s Day.