U.S. Skiers Are Ready for a Long Winter Season, With All Eyes on Milano Cortina

Dani Aravich knows every Para Nordic skiing season is a grind, and a season like this one that includes a Paralympic Games offers some additional challenges. 

As a two-time Paralympian, Aravich is prepared for this season to be filled with media interviews, meetings with corporate sponsors and another long stay in Europe. That’s in addition to the full slate of races and training sessions that typically take up much of her time after the new year. 

With the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 set to begin in less than 100 days, Aravich realizes everything she does over the next few months will be to get ready to compete on the world’s largest stage in March. 

She’s not new to this, which is why she’s not too concerned if her results at the first few world cup events of the season aren’t her fastest times. 

“The goal is to peak in March, so you know that (with) some of these races in December or early January you might not be quite where you want to be, and that’s OK,” Aravich said. “You have to accept your results might not be the best because you’re hoping for March to really be that peak time.” 

The top American Para Nordic skiers prepared for the start of the season in the same way that they’ve done it over the past few years. They got together for a training camp that U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing hosts every November in Canmore, Alberta. 

And in the same way that the NFL’s Detroit Lions can count on playing a game every Thanksgiving, the members of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national and development teams can anticipate opening the season every December by competing at a world cup in Canmore. 

They’ll be among the 120 athletes from 19 countries who are expected to race on Thursday through Sunday at the FIS Para Cross-Country Skiing World Cup at the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park. 

“These athletes have endured so much, and their collective strength is unlike anything I’ve seen,” said Nick Michaud, a coach with U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing. “Every time they line up, I want them to remember they’ve already done the hard part. They’ve earned the right to trust themselves. We believe deeply in every athlete on this team, and our goal is for them to feel that same belief in themselves when they race.” 

The Americans will compete in back-to-back world cups in Canmore. They’ll start with this week’s cross-country skiing world cup, followed by a biathlon world cup from Dec. 11-14. 

The upcoming Winter Paralympics will be by far the biggest storyline heading into the season, but there will be other stories for fans of the sport to pay attention to over the next few months. 

Oksana Masters, the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time, is back after missing last season because a serious hand injury. She has been working her way back into shape in the hopes of adding to her medal count — which stands at 19 medals across three sports — at Milano Cortina.

Aravich said her one of her goals this season is to finish in the top three in the International Biathlon Union standings. She reached a career milestone last season when she medaled for the first time ever at an international event with a bronze at an IBU World Cup in Torsby, Sweden. 

Meanwhile, Nicole Zaino, who’s a member of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team, is looking to do enough this season to qualify for her first Winter Paralympics and earn a spot on Team USA. 

“I’m really excited,” Zaino said. “I’m trying to zoom out more this year and look back on where I’ve come from and how quickly I have progressed in the sport in the last few years and just being grateful for where I’m at. 

“But then also I’m a super competitive person, and I get excited and I get nervous. I’m trying to focus on what I do each day. What can I do today to best prepare me? And sometimes that’s just doing an easy ski, following my training plan and trying to trust the process.” 

Shortly after wrapping up the second world cup in Canmore, the Americans will travel overseas for the European leg of the season. They’re scheduled to race at three world cups in January — one in Finsterau, Germany, followed by two world cups in Jakuszyce, Poland. 

Instead of heading back to the U.S., the athletes will then stay in Europe and train there until they compete at the Winter Paralympics in Italy. 

“Milan honestly seems so far away because we have a lot of races to do prior to that,” Aravich said. 

Michaud said the U.S. coaches are being especially cautious this season. They want the skiers to get in enough races to remain sharp throughout the winter without overworking them, leading to them feeling “flat” by the time the Winter Games begin. 

“Too many events can drain energy; too few can undermine confidence,” Michaud said. “For American athletes, the added challenge is travel. Getting home from Europe midseason isn’t easy. We’ll individualize schedules, so each athlete can focus on key races, train effectively and arrive in March ready to perform.” 

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.