Roundup: The Search For Summer Snow Took U.S. Skiers To Sweden
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by Alex Abrams
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!
Skiers Get Back On Snow Inside Swedish Ski Tunnel
Some of the top American Para Nordic skiers recently had the opportunity to get back on snow, even as a heat wave swept through much of the country.
Members of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national and development teams traveled overseas this month to take part in a training camp inside an underground ski tunnel in Torsby, Sweden. The conditions inside the ski tunnel remain the same regardless of the temperatures outside.
The training camp was a much-needed change for the athletes, who have spent much of the offseason doing dryland training as they prepare for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in March. They used the time on snow to ski and work on their rifle shooting for the biathlon.
The group that trained in Torsby included Paralympians Aaron Pike and Erin Martin, as well as Paralympic hopefuls Ty Wiberg, Nicole Zaino and Michael Kneeland.
“Torsby tunnel camp was very busy and made me very excited for this coming season,” Zaino wrote on Instagram. “The feeling and joy of skiing on snow again will bring me through the rest of dryland season.”
Like Zaino, Pike shared a video on Instagram from his time training inside the ski tunnel. His video includes footage of him practicing for the biathlon by shooting at targets and then quickly getting onto his sit ski to race through the ski tunnel.
Oksana Masters Faces Another “Frustrating Setback”
Oksana Masters shared on Instagram that she’s facing another “frustrating setback” after recently undergoing surgery on her right hand — the same hand that she uses to pull the trigger on her rifle while competing in the biathlon.
Masters, a 19-time Paralympic medalist in Nordic skiing, cycling and rowing, was forced to miss this past Nordic skiing season after developing an infection in her leg. She wrote on Instagram that she had expected to return “stronger and healthier” this upcoming season before the latest surgery.
Masters shared several photos of herself lying in a hospital bed as she recovered from surgery.
“In this moment, it’s hard for me to see it now but I know I’m gaining something that I can’t see or understand just yet,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “But, I refuse to give up and I refuse to back down. I’m not going to quit trying until I’m forced to!”
Masters, a multi-sport star and the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time, still expects to compete in her eighth consecutive Paralympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games. She wrote that her focus is on “getting my body & my mind as healthy as I can with the time I have to be the best athlete I can be in 32 weeks at @milanocortina2026.”
A few days later, Masters shared another Instagram post featuring several photos of herself working out in a gym.
“I’ve been forced to re-learn how to rebuild my body, how to walk, and had to find new ways to use my hands multiple times throughout my life,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “I’ve been here before; I know this place far too well, that’s why I know I will get back to “me” again….to being strong again. I’m not done yet!”
Josh Sweeney Completes Ironman Race in Boise
Two-time Paralympian Josh Sweeney has signed up for several triathlons this summer, and he completed his latest one on July 26.
Sweeney took part in the IRONMAN 70.3 Boise, a 70.3-mile triathlon that ends in downtown Boise, Idaho — not far from his home in Nampa, Idaho. He crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 57.04 minutes.
“Finishing with a total time under 5 hours wasn’t the goal but thanks to my amazing coach/handler @coachshawna, all the athletes pushing themselves to their limits, the volunteers that were there to help us feel like we got this, and all the support from the community I felt compelled to go all in,” Sweeney wrote on Instagram.
Sweeney won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. sled hockey team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics. He made his debut as a sit skier at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, and he was recently named to the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team for the 2025-26 season.
Sweeney told USParaNordic.org that he’s focused on qualifying for the upcoming Winter Paralympics and competing more in the biathlon than in cross-country skiing like he did three years ago in Beijing.
He told the website that all three sports that make up the triathlon translate well to sit skiing. He also said he decided to compete in several triathlons this summer because he enjoys the challenge that comes with them.
“I just love competing, whether it’s against other people or myself, and doing challenges that I don’t know if I can actually accomplish,” Sweeney told USParaNordic.org.
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
