Roundup: Max Nelson ‘Blessed’ To Be Back On Skis After Cancer Treatment

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para Nordic skiing. Here’s what you missed!

Max Nelson Returns To Skiing After Battling Brain Cancer

Paralympian Max Nelson shared on Instagram that he has been battling brain cancer over the past few months, adding that he feels “grateful” and “blessed” for all the support he has gotten along the way.

Nelson, 21, is a visually impaired skier who’s a member of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team. He made his Winter Paralympic debut at the 2022 Being Games and earned his best finish when he placed ninth as a member of the U.S. 4x2-5-kilometer open relay team.

Nelson posted several photos of himself in the hospital and one of him ringing a bell, which cancer patients traditionally do when they complete their treatment. He also shared a short video of himself practicing cross-country skiing on a pair of roller skis.

“The last few months have been incredibly challenging to say the least,” Nelson wrote on Instagram. “Nothing could prepare me for what was to come: 8 hour brain surgery, 2 months of intense therapies, 30 sessions of radiation, and I’m still standing strong. … After months of hard work, I’m back to skiing, lifting, running, and doing everything I did before the surgery. Moving forward, I will stand strong and fight with all my strength trusting in God’s plan.”

Several of Nelson’s U.S. teammates posted comments to show their support for him.

“Love you so much Max and I’m so excited to see you up and moving and prepping for the Paralympics,” two-time Paralympian Dani Aravich posted.

“Back on the Rollerski, you’re an absolute monster brother,” Paralympic gold medalist Jake Adicoff wrote.

U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Announces Team Rosters

U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing recently announced the rosters for its national team and its development team as the athletes prepare for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in March. Find the full roster announcement here.

The national team will look the same as it did last season, with Paralympic gold medalists Dan Cnossen, Kendall Gretsch, Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson and Adicoff leading the way. They’ll be joined on the national team by Aravich and Aaron Pike, who have each competed in the Summer and Winter Paralympics as Nordic skiers and track-and-field athletes.

There are several new faces on the development team. 

Nelson, Jack Berry, Michael Kneeland and Nicole Zaino are returning to the lineup after showing potential as rising stars in the sport. Sit skiers Josh Sweeney and Ty Wiberg, as well as standing skier Zhenghong Schlechte, are new additions to the roster for the upcoming season.

Only a few days after the rosters were announced, Berry posted a video on Instagram explaining the “highs and lows of training” full time for Para Nordic skiing. In the video, he discusses the early morning workouts, the long runs and training in the offseason on roller skis.

“I’m not doing this to be comfortable,” Berry said in the video. “I’m doing this because I want to put everything I have into chasing my dreams, and I know that the only variable that we are truly able to control is the amount of effort and hard work that you put into what’s important.”

Pike And Masters Tour The Country 

The power couple of Masters and Pike have stayed busy doing quite a bit of traveling lately.

Pike, a multi-sport athlete who competes in track and field in the offseason, took part in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta on July 4. He placed second in the men’s wheelchair open division, crossing the finish line in 20 minutes, 7 seconds. See the full results here.

Two-time Paralympic gold medalist Daniel Romanchuk won the division when he completed the 10-kilometer race in 18:36.

While on the East Coast, Pike and Masters made a quick trip to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Masters shared several photos of their trip on Instagram, including one of herself standing on Main Street U.S.A. in Disney and another of her and Pike wearing big Mario Brothers hats. 

“No better way to reset than to live in the moment of magic,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “Escaped to Disney, explored new worlds at Universal, ate pizza, finally met toothless, created new memories, and still got some time for shopping on the most iconic, surprise, spontaneous trip.”

Masters and Pike weren’t done traveling, though. The couple also attended a 50th anniversary party for Oakley sunglasses, where they laughed and shared stories with Mikaela Shiffrin, a 

two-time Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing.

As a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan, Pike, who’s from Park Rapids, Minnesota, wrote on Instagram that he enjoyed meeting Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones at the Oakley party.

Missing Something?

Aravich admitted on Instagram that she was recently in a hurry to get to biathlon practice and forgot an important piece of equipment — her rifle.

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting, but without her rifle, Aravich joked that she had to improvise at the range. She placed her hand in the air as if she were lining up a shot and squeezed her finger like she was pulling the trigger on her rifle.

Based on some of the comments that other athletes left on Aravichs’s post, she’s not alone in accidentally showing up to biathlon practice without her rifle.

Lindsey Vonn Names Masters As The First Nordic Skier On Her Mind

Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, who’s one of the world’s most recognizable alpine skiers, was recently asked by Team USA to name the first athlete to come to mind in several sports.

After naming LeBron James for basketball and Simone Biles for gymnastics, Vonn was asked to name the first athlete to come to mind for cross-country skiing. She named Masters, who’s the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time.

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.