Breakpoints

No Retina
Retina
XS Screen (480px)
SM+ Screen
SM Screen (768px)
SM- Screen
MD+ Screen
MD Screen (992px)
MD- Screen
LG+ Screen
LG Screen (1200px)
LG- Screen
XL+ Screen (1600px)

2023-24 U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team Announced

By Ryan Odeja
October, 16 2023
Andrew Haraghey skis in a giant slalom race
Andrew Haraghey racing in the men's standing giant slalom at the 2023 FIS Para Alpine Ski World Championships in Espot, Spain. (Marcus Hartmann/U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 16, 2023) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced the 12 athletes who have accepted their nomination to the 2023-24 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, alongside seasoned athletes such as Andrew Haraghey and Jesse Keefe.

The 2023-24 FIS Para Alpine Ski World Cup season begins in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in December with a set of downhill races and the team will spend the majority of their season in Europe. Beyond World Cup races, the team will be back stateside for the Winter Park Open in January, the Huntsman Cup in February and National Championships in early April. 

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

You can find the finalized FIS World Cup schedule here.

2023-24 U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team

(Hometown; Club; College/University; Birthdate)

A Team

Women

  • Laurie Stephens (Wenham, MA; University of New Hampshire; 3/5/1984)

Men

  • Andrew Haraghey (Enfield, CT; National Ability Center; Westminster University; 12/16/1995)
  • Andrew Kurka (Palmer, AK; Alyeska Ski Club; Purdue University; 1/27/1992)
  • Jesse Keefe (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; University of Colorado Colorado Springs; 3/26/2004)
  • Spencer Wood (Pittsfield, VT; National Sports Center for the Disabled; University of Colorado Boulder; 1/17/1997)
B Team

Women

  • Allie Johnson (Chicago, IL; National Sports Center for the Disabled; Colorado State University; 12/23/1994)
  • Saylor O’Brien (Woodland, UT; National Ability Center; 4/28/2003)
  • Audrey Crowley (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/1/2007)

Men

  • Matthew Brewer (Huntington Beach, CA; National Ability Center; Saddleback Community College; 5/8/1975)
  • Connor Hogan (Foxborough, MA; National Sports Center for the Disabled; 6/6/1997)
  • Ravi Drugan (Eugene, OR; Oregon Adaptive Sports; 12/19/1989)
  • Patrick Halgren (Tolland, CT; National Sports Center for the Disabled; 6/24/1992)
COACHES AND STAFF
  • Anouk Patty - Chief of Sport
  • Erik Leirfallom - Para Sport Director
  • Ryan Pearl - Head Coach, Para Alpine
  • Lyndsay Strange - Assistant Coach, Para Alpine
  • Sawyer Mattsson, Assistant Coach, Para Alpine
  • Brian Neff - Athletic Development Coach, Para Alpine & Para Snowboard
  • Ryan Odeja - Para Press Officer
FOLLOW THE U.S. PARA ALPINE SKI TEAM

Instagram: @usparaskisnowboard
Facebook: U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team
Twitter: @usskiteam
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Threads @usskiteam 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Ryan Odeja - U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team Press Officer
ryan.odeja@usskiandsnowboard.org

Get The Latest

Check out the latest news, events, & videos from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams.
Audrey Crowley headshot image
Audrey Crowley
Audrey was born in small town Wisconsin and grew up skiing on a 196 vertical foot hill with her family.
Saylor O'Brien headshot image
Saylor O'Brien
Saylor grew up in Woodland, Utah, trying every sport she could. At age four, she found skiing and immediately fell in love. She met Picabo Street before deciding to attend her academy.
Jesse Keefe headshot image
Jesse Keefe
Having grown up in a passionate skiing family and an active ski town, Jesse found himself in skis at just two years old. Keefe was born without an ankle bone in his right leg; at 11 months old, he had his foot amputated.
Allie Johnson headshot image
Allie Johnson
Johnson has been skiing since she was four years old, when she started with her family in Winter Park, Colorado. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of skiing every day, but that was not quite a possibility while growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.
Connor Hogan headshot image
Connor Hogan
Hogan was born with cerebral palsy affecting his frontal lobe resulting in less than full range of motion on the right side of his body. Despite this, Connor began ski racing at the age of seven. Hogan made the U.S.
Matthew Brewer headshot image
Matthew Brewer
Matthew Brewer met Stephani Victor at a camp for bilateral above-knee amputees. After hearing her story of Paralympic success and being invited by her to learn to ski, he was all in.
Spencer Wood headshot image
Spencer Wood
Spencer started skiing very young and even started racing at age five.
Laurie Stephens headshot image
Laurie Stephens
Laurie Stephens was born and raised in New England and hails from Wenham, Massachusetts. Stephens was born with spina bifida and found skiing at age 12 when she joined a group of athletes with disabilities who skied at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire.
Andrew Kurka headshot image
Andrew Kurka
Kurka’s first Olympic dream wasn’t on the slopes but on the wrestling mat, as he was a six-time Alaskan state champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Andrew Haraghey headshot image
Andrew Haraghey
When Andrew was six months old, he contracted viral encephalitis, which resulted in cerebral palsy. This presents as severe muscle tension from the waist down. Andrew started skiing at seven and began racing a few years later.
Patrick Halgren headshot image
Patrick Halgren
Patrick Halgren’s favorite part about alpine skiing is the connection between technique and speed. “You can’t fake fast,” says Halgren.
Ravi Drugan headshot image
Ravi Drugan
Ravi Drugan was born in Treasure Island, Florida, before moving to Eugene, Oregon, with his family. In 2004, Ravi lost both of his legs after surviving being hit by a train.