34
Leominster, MA
Bates College
Classification: LW6/8-1
Tyler McKenzie discovered skiing at age three, taken to the slopes by his father and brother. By his family's own account, once he caught the bug, his parents couldn't get him inside. Skiing became central to his identity. He competed in able-bodied alpine racing and eventually transitioned into coaching, working with skiers of various ages and abilities alongside his own athletic development. McKenzie attended Proctor Academy in New Hampshire where he continued racing, then went on to ski for Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, graduating in 2014.
In 2017, a biking accident changed the course of his athletic life. The crash caused a brachial plexus avulsion: a severe neurological injury in which the nerve roots on the left side of his spine were torn away from the spinal cord itself. The injury affects motor and sensory function in the entire left arm. Treatment required multiple nerve transfer surgeries and ultimately a left shoulder fusion to stabilize the joint and preserve functional use of the limb.
McKenzie returned to skiing as soon as he was able, first continuing to coach, then relearning to race. The transition into Para alpine competition was methodical. He worked his way through national-level competition in the LW6/8-1 classification, which covers standing athletes with upper limb impairments. In the 2021 U.S. national championships, he earned fourth in giant slalom. At the NorAm Cup, McKenzie won gold in giant slalom, silver in super-G and bronze in slalom. His consistency at the national level earned him a spot in the U.S. Para Alpine program and eventually selection for the 2025 FIS Para Alpine World Ski Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, where he competed in giant slalom in the men's standing division and finished 17th.
A graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, McKenzie brings the same analytical discipline he developed as a student to the technical demands of para alpine racing. Off the snow, he walks his dog, competes in bike racing and camps. He has continued to coach alongside competing, applying his experience as both an able-bodied and Para athlete to serve the next generation coming up through the sport.
At the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, para alpine and cross-country events will be held at the same venues as their Olympic cousins: the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val d...
Disability Pride Month is a time to recognize the history, achievements and experiences of people living with disabilities. It reminds us that disability is a natural part of human diversity, not a deficit or a condition that needs a fix.Team USA’s Par...
Paralympians Andrew Kurka, Patrick Halgren and Matthew Brewer cherished recent descents down Cortina d’Ampezzo’s revered Olympia delle Tofane race hill.Competing at the FIS Para Alpine World Cup in the Italian Dolomites ski resort, Jan. 30-Feb. 2, the ...
U.S. women (and one mixed team) shined in 2023 with world titles, record-breaking performances and some notable firsts.
