World's Best Para Nordic Team Joins U.S. Ski & Snowboard

The most successful Para nordic ski team on the planet just got a major boost.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially integrated the U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team into its program this month, expanding the organization to 11 total teams. The move, made in partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, brings world-class athletes with physical disabilities who compete in cross country skiing and biathlon under the same roof as alpine, freestyle, and snowboard teams.

The timing couldn't be better. Team USA just dominated at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games, securing 10 gold medals in nordic skiing. That's the most ever for the U.S. in the sport, and part of a stunning 15-medal haul overall.

The roster reads like a Paralympic Hall of Fame. Oksana Masters leads the team as the most decorated winter Paralympian in history with 24 Paralympic medals, including 13 gold across both Summer and Winter Games. She added four more gold medals in Milano Cortina alone.

She's joined by Jake Adicoff with eight Paralympic medals, Sydney Peterson with seven medals (four from Milano Cortina), and Kendall Gretsch with 11 medals who, like Masters, competes in both Summer and Winter Paralympics.

The Ripple Effect

The integration means more than just a new organizational chart. Para nordic athletes will now have year-round access to U.S. Ski & Snowboard's world-class staff, resources, and infrastructure that have helped build championship programs across multiple disciplines.

"As we look ahead to joining U.S. Ski & Snowboard, it's exciting to think about the future and the added visibility and resources that can come with it," Masters said. The team had been managed separately by the USOPC since 2014, but this new structure puts Paralympic athletes on equal footing with their Olympic counterparts.

Sophie Goldschmidt, President & CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, emphasized that the Para nordic team will be "fully integrated" into the organization's structure. For a program already at the top of the world, that support could mean pushing boundaries even further.

The move also sends a powerful message about the future of Paralympic sport in America: champions deserve champion-level support, period.