3 National Ability athletes make the ’24/’25 Para Alpine National Ski Team

2024 Huntsman Cup at Park City Mountain hosted by the National Ability Center. Photo: @steven_kornreich // @usskiteam

PARK CITY, Utah — U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced on Monday the 12 athletes who have accepted their nomination to the 2024-25 U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team across all classifications and disciplines.

The team is highlighted by multi-time Paralympic medalists Laurie Stephens and Andrew Kurka, who also had podium finishes on the World Cup last season. Two-time Paralympian and Paralympic silver medalist Thomas Walsh and exciting up-and-comers Jesse Keefe and Audrey Crowley join them. New to the team this year is sit-skier Zach Williams from Medera, California, who earned the 2024 super-G national championship title. 

The 2024-25 FIS Para Alpine Ski World Cup season begins in Steinach am Brenner, Austria in mid-December with three super-G and one alpine combined race. The team will spend most of the season in Europe, with stops in the States for the Huntsman Cup and U.S. Championships.

“I am confident that the team will bring home some great results this season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Para Sport Director Erik Leirfallom in a statement. “This team had a productive off-season with a month-long speed camp in Chile and two strength testing sessions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, so I’m excited to see their hard work pay off.” 

The finalized FIS World Cup schedule can be found here.

2024-25 U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team

(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate)

Women

• Audrey Crowley (Grafton, WI; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/1/2007)
• Allie Johnson (Chicago, IL; National Sports Center for the Disabled; Colorado State University; 12/23/1994)
• Laurie Stephens (Wenham, MA; University of New Hampshire; 3/5/1984)

Men

• Matthew Brewer (Huntington Beach, CA; National Ability Center; Saddleback Community College; 5/8/1975)
• Ravi Drugan (Eugene, OR; Oregon Adaptive Sports; 12/19/1989)
• Patrick Halgren (Tolland, CT; National Sports Center for the Disabled; 6/24/1992)
• Andrew Haraghey (Enfield, CT; National Ability Center; Westminster University; 12/16/1995)
• Jesse Keefe (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; University of Colorado Colorado Springs; 3/26/2004)
• Andrew Kurka (Palmer, AK; Alyeska Ski Club; 1/27/1992)
• Thomas Walsh (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Green Mountain Valley School; Savannah College of Art and Design/DeVry University; 1/30/1995)
• Zach Williams (Madera, CA; National Ability Center; John Brown University/California State University Dominquez Hills; 7/26/1979)
• Spencer Wood (Pittsfield, VT; Killington Mountain School; University of Colorado Boulder; 1/17/1997)

2024-25 Para Alpine Ski Coaches and Staff

Anouk Patty – Chief of Sport
Erik Leirfallom – Para Sport Director
Ryan Pearl – Head Coach
Lyndsay Strange – Assistant Coach
Sawyer Mattsson, Assistant Coach
Brian Neff – Athletic Development Coach, Para Alpine & Para Snowboard
Ryan Odeja – Para Press Officer