Zach Williams of Madera, CA, is a newcomer to the Para alpine scene, skiing for the first time just six years ago. Williams is the newest member of the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team following an impressive 2023-24 season, during which he became the U.S. super-G champion. He found himself on the podium eight additional times last season, cementing himself as a name to remember on the circuit. 

We sat down to ask him about his background, most recent successes, and goals for the coming seasons. 

Q: What initially drew you to skiing?

Zach Williams: I saw an announcement for an adaptive ski event called “Ski-Able” at the Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, AZ.  I was curious to try out a new sport, and now we’re here.  

Q: When you were younger, getting into the sport, what were your goals?

ZW: I skied for the first time in my life at age 39. I was immediately hooked. Surfing has come close throughout my life, but nothing has ever let me move my body with the kind of freedom, speed, and control that skiing does. It wasn’t long before I started asking my adaptive instructors if the Paralympics were possible for me. They told me it would take a lot of work, but it was possible. 

Q: What is one thing that you’re most proud of in your career so far?/what is your biggest accomplishment so far?

ZW: I left a career as a Prosthetist/Orthotist and sold my home in California to train full-time to make the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team. That dream came true a few month ago when I got the call from coach Ryan Pearl inviting me onto the team. 

Q: What is your ultimate goal?

ZW: To be “the best skier on the mountain.” I want to see how far I can develop my abilities and ski against the best athletes in the world on the World Cup and the Paralympics.  

Q: Are there any moments that you’ve experienced in your career that didn’t seem real?

ZW: Becoming the super-G National Champion last season was a real surprise. GS is my favorite event, and I’m newer to the speed disciplines, but it all came together for me in that race.  

Q: Who were the athletes that you looked up to when you were younger, or who are they now?

ZW: I’m inspired by the other U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes. Seeing them day after day, week after week, working hard at the USANA Center of Excellence Powered by iFit to make gains and prepare for the upcoming season.  Their commitment to “the grind” helps motivate me to keep pushing. I’m also a big fan of Formula 1. I love the mindset of the drivers and teams looking for every little thing they can do to shave tenths and thousandths off a lap time in the pursuit of speed. I’m pulling for Williams Racing to work their way back to their former glory days.

Follow Zach on social media. 

PARK CITY, Utah (Sept. 16, 2024) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced 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. “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 TEAM 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

FOLLOW THE U.S. PARA ALPINE SKI TEAM

Instagram: @usparaskisnowboard 
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter/X: @usskiteam
Threads: @usskiteam 

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

Audrey Crowley is among the youngest members of any U.S. Ski & Snowboard team at only 17 years old, yet she has already made considerable progress in her athletic career. Growing up, Crowley has raced in both able-bodied and adaptive races across the country, being competitive in every race she starts. She was named to the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team for the first time last season and made her World Cup debut in January 2024, finishing just off the podium in her first start. Crowley’s accolades are already accumulating, earning Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy’s Athlete of the Year in 2019, becoming the super-G national champion in 2023, and taking home five national championship titles at the 2024 U.S. Para Alpine Championships.  

Audrey is one to keep an eye on. We sat down with her to talk about her journey and goals for the future. 

Q: What initially drew you to skiing?

Audrey Crowley: Growing up in Wisconsin, there was not much to do in the winter, so my family joined a ski club when I was two. We went every weekend. My sister started racing, and when I was old enough, I joined her in the gates. Skiing brings my family together, and for that, I will always be drawn to skiing. 

Q: When you were younger, getting into the sport, what were your goals?

AC: When I was younger, everything about skiing was fun; every time I went to practice or raced my goal was to have fun. As I got older I realized that winning is fun and pushing myself is fun. 

Q: What is one thing that you’re most proud of in your career so far?/what is your biggest accomplishment so far?

AC: Winning the able-bodied SYNC Championship super-G, making me the first Para athlete ever to win a SYNC race, is the one thing I’m most proud of to date. This win came after an especially tough season and proved to myself that even though racing able-body is hard, the struggle is worth it. 

Q: What is your ultimate goal?

AC: My ultimate goal is to get better every day. Pushing myself to reach new challenges is what makes me excited to ski. 

Q: Are there any moments that you’ve experienced in your career that didn’t seem real?

AC: Standing at the top of the Tofana Schuss about to start in my first FIS Para World Cup race still doesn’t feel real. After many years of watching the Cortina races, it felt dreamlike to be able to race it myself. I will never forget my teammates' support and the pure happiness I felt while racing down the first time.  

Q: Who were the athletes that you looked up to when you were younger, or who are they now?

AC: As a little girl from the U.S., I looked up to Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin. Of course, their racing was amazing, but their poise and determination were and are inspiring. I’m lucky to have such strong female role models to learn from. 

Follow Audrey on social media.