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Chris Waddell is one of the world’s most decorated mono-skiers, having won 12 Paralympic medals in Alpine Skiing before his retirement. A noted public speaker as well a TV host and model, he has helped change how people with disabilities are perceived. Read on for his story.
Why He’s Fearless
After a skiing accident in 1988 at the age of 20 while a sophomore at Middlebury College, he had a monumental moment lying there. He felt like he had a second chance, and was determined to get back to his regular life so his injury wouldn’t get the best of him. A year after his accident, Chris was back on the slopes, but this time he was using a mono-ski.
Chris learned quickly, going from a 6 year old level to pro level in months. After 2 years of skiing, he made the US Disabled Ski Team, and after winning several national championships, Chris went to his first Paralympics in 1994 in Lillehammer, winning his first Gold Medal. He went on to compete in the next 4 Winter Paralympics, winning 12 medals and becoming the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history.
During those years, he was able to make skiing his career, which is something that never would have happened before his injury (“My accident gave me to the opportunity to be the best at something,” Chris says in his motivational speeches). While he was a pro skier, he was a model for Eddie Bauer, was named People magazine’s One of The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1998 and was on Dateline, 20/20 and Oprah. Chris retired from skiing in 2005 at the age of 36.
Chris, always frustrated with the lack of mainstream coverage of the Paralympics, wanted to find a new way to draw attention to adaptive sport. While mountain biking after retiring, he had a light bulb moment to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. After two years of training and developing an adaptive mountain bike, Chris, a film crew and 61 locals (to help with the climb) scaled the mountain in 6 1/2 days. He did it all using his upper-body strength. A documentary was made on his climb, One Revolution.
What’s Next
Chris shares his spirit with others as a motivational speaker. He’s also been a TEDx speaker and received the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Hero of Compassion Award, given to individuals to honor them for their service to society. And during the pandemic he became a podcast host, hosting Chris Waddell Living It, where he interviews people who’ve dropped into a situation that forced them to confront everything they thought to be true.
— Official site of Chris Waddell
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