Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Preview: Para Snowboarding

At the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, para snowboarding will be held at the Cortina Para Snowboard Park, set in the heart of the Dolomites. Cortina d’Ampezzo will also host para alpine skiing and wheelchair curling events and was home to the 1956 Olympics.



Snowboarding is a relatively new addition to the Paralympic Winter Games with snowboard cross debuting in 2014 and banked slalom being added in 2018. The competition in Italy will feature 8 medal events: 6 for men, and 2 for women. The two disciplines contested will be Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom.



Since snowboarding became an official Paralympic sport in 2014, the U.S. has racked up more medals than any other country. The country that has come closest is China, with 10 medals against Team USA’s 21.



Men: Most of the team’s medals have come from the men, led by Mike Schultz with three. That adds up to an impressive 13 men’s medals over the past three Games. However, with eight earned in 2018 as opposed to two at the last Games, Team USA will be aiming to boost that total in Milan.


Women: The remaining eight medals have been won thanks to three women: Brenna Huckaby (four – two golds in 2018 and a gold and bronze in 2022), Amy Purdy (three – bronze in 2014 and a silver and a bronze in 2018), and Brittani Coury (silver in PyeongChang 2018).



Keith Gabel, a 12-year team veteran heading into his fourth Paralympic Games, is a two-time medalist specializing in snowboard cross. He helped bring the sport into the Paralympic Winter Games and won bronze in its debut at Sochi 2014 as part of a historic U.S. sweep. Gabel followed that with a silver medal at PyeongChang 2018 and became snowboard cross world champion the next year. At Beijing 2022, his third Games, he capped his on-snow legacy by serving as Team USA’s Closing Ceremony flag bearer.


Noah Elliott is a two-time Paralympian and two-time medalist who won gold in banked slalom during his debut at the PyeongChang 2018 Games. He went on to become a world champion in both banked slalom and snowboard cross. Although he missed the podium at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics with fourth- and sixth-place finishes while competing on an unhealed residual-limb wound, he remains determined to return stronger. Last season, he dominated the World Cup circuit with five wins and three additional podiums.

Schultz is a two-time Paralympian who has earned three Paralympic medals and three world championship medals in the past decade. His success on the snow has established him as one of the most decorated adaptive snowboarders in the world. He is also well-known off the snow. Inspired by the need for better high-impact prosthetics, he founded BioDapt in 2010. His equipment is now used by more than 100 active amputees, including many top adaptive athletes who will be competing in Italy.

On the women’s side, Huckaby is a two-time Paralympian with four medals to her name, three of which are gold. The 30-year-old and five-time World Champion has become a prominent disability advocate, fighting for her right to compete in 2022 after reclassification rules excluded her. During the 2024-25 season, Huckaby claimed six podium finishes in World Cup events. 


Competition for both men and women takes place over three days beginning on March 7. Medal runs take place on March 8 and 14.