The 37th annual Huntsman Cup is February 3-6 at Park City Mountain. It features four days of alpine ski racing for athletes with Paralympic aspirations – and this year, the competition will be the first in the country to welcome elite skiers with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome and autism.
National Ability Center Chief Programming and Education Officer Tracy Meier said nine athletes will shatter that glass ceiling at Park City Mountain next week.
“We’re partnering with Athletes Without Limits, and we will have nine athletes here who are categorized in intellectual disabilities, who compete at an elite level,” she said. “They’ve had the opportunity to do this all over the world, but not in the U.S.”
Athletes Without Limits is an Oregon-based nonprofit that connects athletes with training and competition opportunities.
This year’s Huntsman Cup is also sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and Virtus, the global governing organization for elite athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Meier said skiers will travel to the cup from around the country, Puerto Rico and Canada – plus the Wasatch Back’s own local talent. The competition will include around 40 athletes and features categories for competitors who are visually impaired, as well as both sitting and standing skiers.
Meier said it’s exciting to see greater inclusion in winter sports.
“I think it’s important for us to recognize that when someone has a disability, whether they’re born or acquired with that, there are dreams and goals that come along with us, with being part of the recreation and the competitive world,” she said. “And so, at the National Ability Center, for us to be able to, one, be a place that people can train to pursue those goals and dreams, and two, to host an event here in the U.S., is something that we feel is deserved and should be part of the lives of people with disability.”
Meier said members of the public are welcome to watch the Huntsman Cup from the Eagle Race Arena at Park City Mountain’s Mountain Village base. Monday and Tuesday feature giant slalom events, followed by slalom races on Wednesday and Thursday.
More information about the Huntsman Cup is available on the NAC's website.
