Para Snowsport

Para Alpine and Para Nordic competition accommodates male and female athletes with a physical impairment or vision impairment. Both Para Alpine and Para Nordic  athletes compete in three categories, Standing Visually impaired (B1-3), Standing Physical impairments (LW1-9) and Seated categories (LW10-12).  Based on the athlete's functional ability a time factoring system allows athletes with different impairments to compete against fairly each other within their categories. 

Para Snowboard  competition accommodates male and female athletes with a physical impairment.  Athletes compete in three categories based on their functional ability – lower-limb impairments (SB-LL1 & SB-LL2) and for upper-limb impaired athletes (SB-UL). Snowboarders can use equipment that is adapted to their needs including snowboards and orthopaedic aids as well as specialised prosthetics. Note that vision impairments are not a recognised class within Para-Snowboard. 

Intellectual Impairments are not a recognised class within the FIS Para Alpine, Para Snowboard, or Para Nordic.   For more information on programs available for these athletes please head to Disabled Wintersports Australia. 

Snow Australia , Paralympics Australia and Disabled Wintersports Australia work collaboratively to maximise the potential of Australia’s athletes at future Winter Paralympic Games. Snow Australia is responsibility for the planning, coordination and delivery of the Australian Para Snowsport program, while Paralympics Australia provides ongoing support with classification, and talent identification, and Disabled Wintersports Australia remains the grass roots participation provider for people with disabilities within snowsports.

Find out more about each discipline below:

Para Nordic picture of Lincoln Budge and Paralympian James Millar, IMAGE courtesy of DWA 

 (Disabled Wintersport Australia DWA | Adaptive Skiing & Snowsports)