Anna Soens

Quick Facts

• Specialty: Para Alpine Skiing (Sitting) — LW12-1 Classification
• Wildlife biologist specializing in threatened species in Central Oregon
• Ambassador with Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) in Bend
• In 2018, became the first woman with paraplegia to summit Mt. Hood and completed the first sit-ski descent from the summit
• Hobbies include mountain biking, rafting, climbing and exploring the Oregon backcountry

Biographical Information

Anna Soens grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where outdoor recreation played a large role in her life. After studying wildlife biology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, Soens moved west and began picking up seasonal field jobs that required extensive camping and hiking. She became an avid rock climber, drawn to the challenge and freedom of remote landscapes.

In 2015, while at a climbing gym in Portland, Oregon, Soens accidentally fell more than 35 feet to the ground, breaking her lowest thoracic vertebra. She sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury that resulted in paralysis below the hips. She was able to regain some strength and movement in her upper legs, but lost muscle control in most of her lower extremities. The injury was sudden and the adjustment protracted. What did not change was her orientation toward the outdoors and toward challenge.

After two months in hospitals and the slow process of regaining independence, Soens found Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) in Bend through friends. The nonprofit became her gateway back to the outdoors. They introduced her to adaptive mountain biking, took her back to Smith Rock to climb, and progressed her from bunny hills to black diamond runs in a monoski (a molded seat mounted to a single ski). She now serves as an ambassador for OAS. In that role, she mentors and guides new athletes and shares knowledge and experiences to expand access to adaptive recreation.

In 2018, Soens accomplished something that had not been done before: she became the first woman with paraplegia to summit Mt. Hood, the 11,249-foot volcanic peak in northern Oregon's Cascade Range. She made the climb with her father, ascending the mountain's standard south side route, and then completed the first-ever sit-ski descent from the summit back to the valley. She went on to complete more groundbreaking adaptive mountaineering achievements including the first paraplegic ascent of Mt. Baker in 2019 and becoming the first adaptive female skier to complete a heli-ski descent in 2021.

In the 2025–26 season, after several years of world cup racing development, Soens earned a nomination to the U.S. Paralympic Team for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. She qualified to compete in all five alpine skiing events: downhill, super-G, alpine combined, giant slalom and slalom in her first Paralympic appearance.

Soens founded the Climb On Project to encourage athletes of all abilities to pursue big-mountain dreams and normalize adaptive athletic achievements, raising nearly $10,000 to help cover the prohibitive costs of adaptive equipment. She has been recognized by organizations including the Challenged Athletes Foundation and featured in films highlighting women and adaptive skiers. When she is not competing, Soens mountain bikes, rafts and returns to climbing via the adaptive techniques she has developed since her injury.