Even before she was born, Paige VanArsdale faced – and overcame – obstacles.

“Like clockwork, Paige used to toss and turn in utero shortly after midnight,” says Melissa, Paige’s mother. The morning of Nov. 2, 1999, Melissa woke up at 2 a.m. But this time was different. “Paige wasn’t moving, and my belly felt hard as a rock,” Melissa says. While she wasn’t convinced it was an emergency, Melissa went to the emergency room just to be safe.

Paige’s fetal heart rate was 50 beats per minute – significantly lower than the standard 110-160. The doctor, alarmed, said Paige needed to come out immediately via emergency C-section and Derek, Melissa’s husband and Paige’s father, rushed to the hospital.

Paige’s umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around her neck, which likely would have killed her if Melissa hadn’t trusted her gut and gone to the ER. Unwrapping the cord helped her breathe temporarily, but Paige turned blue again moments later and had to be rushed to a newborn intensive care unit in Denver. Neither Melissa nor Derek could travel with Paige, due to space constraints in the helicopter and Melissa’s need to recover after surgery. “That first week in the hospital was heartbreaking, as I listened to other babies crying,” Melissa says. A week later, when Melissa and Derek were able to reunite with Paige, a neurologist said she detected a small spot on Paige’s brain. She added that it was probably fine; abnormalities are common on these tests and not always reason to worry.

– Article "Unstoppable" in Steamboat Magazine

25 years later:

Hi, I'm para-alpine ski racer Paige VanArsdale. Para-alpine racers are like our peers except we have physical disabilities. I have cerebral palsy: hemiplegia on my right side. My muscles are hypertonic: abnormally high muscle tone that are very tight and stiff even when at rest. This causes my muscles to be weak. It also restricts my movement making it harder for me to perform fast muscle twitches needed for ski racing.

I represent my hometown of Steamboat Springs and the U.S. in multiple North American para-skiing events against international competitors. I’ve become a role model for young athletes with and without disabilities.

I train during the winter months in Park City, Utah with my adaptive ski team, the High-Performance Team. My goal is to be a Paralympian in the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Cortina, Italy. I’ve come close over the years, but I’ve had setbacks too including a concussion following a seizure on the ski slopes and bipolar diagnosis in 2017 that caused an abrupt stop to my competition. I was hospitalized for a month. It took my brain over two years to regain memory and relearn how to ski. Finally, in 2020 I competed in my first para-alpine race since my accident. But it was my last race when the season was cut short by the Covid pandemic cancelling Nationals. Racing resumed fully in 2021-22. And I was 70 points from making the 2022 U.S. Winter Paralympic team in Beijing. Nationals followed the Paralympic games a month later where I medaled in all six events against many of the Paralympians from the U.S. and other countries. Training and competition were going smoothly until I broke my tibia plateau during a downhill race in Canada in the 2023-24 season. It was the second of two downhill races. The first race (which was my very first time competing in downhill) I placed fifth. The second race my timing was much faster, but I caught an edge causing me to wipe out. I was non weight baring for six weeks. My season ended before it began. I spent time regaining muscle strength and confidence upon returning to racing during the 2024-25 season. This summer I started getting Botox injections in my leg to help relax the muscles. I suffered a type of syncope after my first Botox session, but I’m okay. And I’ll begin physical therapy this week to help expand my range of motion on my right side. I hope it helps build my strength and increase my flexibility.

In the meantime, I am working hard to be in great condition for this upcoming 2025-26 race season leading up to the Winter Paralympic games in Italy. I know I have a lot of ground to cover because of my setbacks. But I have the motivation to compete and the dream to represent the U.S.A. I hope you’ll consider helping me achieve my goals by contributing to my para-alpine ski race season. Thank you and you can google my name to read articles about my achievements and hardships.

"Ability is what you are capable of.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it."

–Lou Holtz