Sun Valley Hosts pre-Paralympic Training Camp

Sun Valley Resort is thrilled to be hosting the U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing national team for a camp through February 21st just prior to the teams departure for the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing. 

Eight athletes who are participating in intensive training on Bald Mountain this week were named to the U.S. Para Alpine Paralympic Team including the community's very own Jesse Keefe (pictured above), the 17 year old Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation's alpine skiing para-athlete. Keefe was born without an ankle bone in his right leg and his foot was amputated at 11 months old. Keefe is the 2021 U.S. National Giant Slalom champion in the standing category, and this will be his first Paralympics.

Other athletes at the training camp in Sun Valley who will be competing for the U.S. in the 2022 Paralympic Games include sitting skiers Ravi Drugan (Eugene, OR), Andrew Kurka (Palmer, AK), Laurie Stephens (Wenham, MA) and standing skiers Andrew Haraghey (Enfield, CT), Connor Hogan (Foxborough, MA), Thomas Walsh (Vail, CO) and Spencer Wood (Pittsfield, VT). This year’s team is made up of veterans and rookies alike. First-time Paralympians Keefe and Drugan will be joined by many veterans including seven-time medalist Stephens who is participating in her fifth Paralympics and Kurka who will be competing in his third games.

Paralympians are divided into three categories depending on their disability: vision-impaired, sitting, or standing. Athletes compete in ski events that require speed and agility including downhill, super-G, slalom, and giant slalom. Para alpine skiing was developed when injured ex-servicemen returned from World War II. Para alpine skiing was included in the first Paralympic Winter Games in 1976 in Sweden.

The U.S. is the most decorated country in Para Alpine Skiing, with 96 gold medals, 91 silvers and 70 bronze. This year's Paralympic Games will take place in Beijing from March 4-13.

 More details can be found in Team USA’s announcement of the 2022 Para Alpine Team.

Media Contacts: 

Sun Valley: Jenna Vagias | jvagias@sunvalley.com | 406.224.7312

Sun Valley: Jess Fiaschetti | Jess@OutsidePR.com | 415.565.9530

Para Internal NGB Press Officer | kristen.gowdy@usopc.org | 719.505.0901

About Sun Valley Resort

Sun Valley Resort was founded in 1936 as America’s first destination ski resort. Located in the Idaho mountains, it is truly a four-season resort with a wide array of activities. Outdoor adventure enthusiasts enjoy world-class skiing, snowboarding, skating, hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, shooting, concerts, shopping, restaurants, and conferences, and special event space. Sun Valley is a member of The Grand America Hotels and Resorts family. Sister properties include Snowbasin Ski Resort, The Grand America Hotel, Little America Hotel (all Salt Lake City, Utah); The Westgate Hotel, San Diego, Calif.; Little America Flagstaff, Ariz.; Little America, Wyo., and Little America, Cheyenne, Wyo.  

 

Sun Valley is served by Hailey's Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN). The airport is located 14 miles from the resort and is easily accessed from six major cities: San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Los Angeles (LAX), Salt Lake City (SLC), Denver (DEN), and Chicago (ORD). All Sun Valley Resort guests receive complimentary roundtrip airport transportation.

 

www.sunvalley.com | 800.786.8259 | @sunvalley | #sunvalley