Special Olympics Unified Skiing and Snowboarding Returns to X Games Aspen 2023
Special Olympics Athletes are Paired with their Unified Sports partners for a Live Streamed Unified Race at X Games Aspen 2023
Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts and pro snowboarder Mons Røisland receive the gold medal at the 2022 X Games in Aspen, Colorado.
Photo by Ben Solomon
WHAT: This year, Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding is returning for its eighth year at X Games Aspen and Unified Skiing is returning for the third year. Teams will be comprised of one professional action sports athlete, including X Games and Olympic medalists, and one Special Olympics athlete for a total of twelve, two-person teams competing in snowboarding and skiing.
Each of the team members will take one run on each of the two competition courses, with the professional athletes racing against one another and the Special Olympics athletes racing one another. The combined best times of each team will determine the results.
Special Olympics Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Since 2013, X Games’ broadcast partner - ESPN - has been the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports and supports unified activation around the world.
WHEN: Friday, January 27th at 1:30 p.m. MT
WHERE: The Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding and Skiing course is located above the start of the Big Air course at X Games Aspen
WATCH: The event will be streamed live on @XGames, YouTube and Twitch channels, more information at XGames.com
WHO: 12 Special Olympics athletes and 12 of the world’s top action sports athletes and personalities.
Special Olympics Athletes
Unified Partners
Catherine Darrow (Lyons, Colo.)
Elizabeth Hosking (Quebec, Canada)
Attends Front Range College and volunteers for the Autism Society of Boulder County
A dedicated student athlete, she has participated in Special Olympics for seven years
Second X Games appearance
Second X Games appearance
2nd place at 2022 World Cup in Copper
Two-time Olympian in snowboard pipe
Youngest athlete on Team Canada for 2018 Olympics at 16-years-old
William Ethridge (Kingston Springs, Tenn.)
Jack Mitrani (Long Island, N.Y.)
First X Games appearance
Competed in basketball, volleyball, flag football, and of course, snowboarding
Lives with his sister and two pigs in Cheatham County, TN where he works as a life skills assistant at the high school he graduated from
Host of X Games since 2016
Spent 12 years as a competitive snowboarder
Cody Field (Centennial, Colo.)
Craig McMorris (Saskatchewan, Canada)
Won three gold medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Pyeongchang 2013 and was named Special Olympics Colorado Male Athlete of the Year
Works for United Airlines at Denver International Airport as a Special Olympics Ambassador helping passengers find their way
X Games medalist and snowboard analyst since 2015
Created the McMorris Foundation with his brother, to help increase sport participation in children
Ion Adrian Frantsi (Lahti, Finland)
Queralt Castellet (Barcelona, Spain)
First X Games appearance
A multi-sport athlete in snowboarding, cross-country skiing, golf, and floorball. Competed at the Finland National Games
Three-time X Games SuperPipe medalist, including gold in 2020.
Silver medalist at 2022 Olympics in Halfpipe
Has appeared in five Olympic Games
Henry Meece (Portland, Oreg.)
Chris Klug (Aspen, Colo.)
Placed first in Unified Snowboarding at X Games Aspen four times (2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019)
Represented Special Olympics USA at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Austria 2017
Received the 2017 Special Olympics Oregon Lou Burge Athlete of the Year Award presented at the Oregon Sports Awards
After receiving a liver transplant in 2000, he went on to compete in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games and won a bronze medal in Parallel Giant Slalom
Won a bronze medal and lit the torch at the 2002 National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games
Daina Shilts (Neillsville, Wisc.)
Mons Røisland (Høvik, Norway)
Was part of the Special Olympics USA Games 2018 TV talent team for ESPN, as the first female with an intellectual disability to serve as an analyst
Medaled five times in Unified Snowboarding at X Games Aspen (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020)
Won back-to-back X Games Snowboard Slopestyle silver in 2020 and 2021
Added Big Air bronze in 2021
Silver medalist in Big Air at the 2022 Beijing Olympics
Confirmed Special Olympics and professional action sports athletes competing in Unified Skiing include:
Special Olympics Athletes
Unified Partners
Oceane Gendre (Sion, Switzerland)
Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.)
Bronze medalist at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria
Océane likes to travel, dance, meet new people and listen to music; she competes in swimming and skiing with Special Olympics
This is her first X Games
Five-time X Games medalist
Three-time Olympian in halfpipe, including winning a bronze medal in 2018
Tanner Jadwin (Glenwood Springs, Colo.)
Aaron Blunk (Crested Butte, Colo)
Began skiing at 20 years old
Participated in regional and state skiing competitions for Special Olympics
Second X Games Appearance
X Games SuperPipe Gold medalist in 2017
Competed in the 2014 Olympics
Palmer Lyons (Parker, Colo.)
Victoria Arlen (Exeter, N.H.)
A member of the Alpine race team at Colorado Mesa University where he is working on a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education
Black belt in Karate
Won gold at X Games Unified Ski (2021 and 2022)
Made her ESPN debut as a features venue reporter at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles
Overcame Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Paralympic gold medalist and three-time silver medalist in swimming
Haldan Pranger (Lakewood, Colo.)
Hanna Faulhaber (Basalt, Colo.)
Competes in 13 different sports with Special Olympics, but is most passionate about alpine skiing
Part of the Athlete Leadership Program and a Fitness Captain with Special Olympics Colorado
Won silver at X Games Unified Ski (2021 and 2022)
Second X Games appearance
Competed in the Beijing Olympics
Jacqueline Trudeau (Manitoba, Canada)
Tom Wallisch (Pittsburgh, Penn.)
First time at the X Games
Gold medalist in the super giant slalom at Special Olympics Canada National Games
Gold medalist at 2012 X Games
Current X Games ski analyst
Luca Vergnano (Pianezze, Italy)
Nico Porteous (Hamilton, NZ)
Competed in Special Olympics for more than ten years.
Participated in Summer and Winter National Games, participating in skiing and tennis.
First X Games appearance
X Games Aspen gold medalist in 2021 and 2022
2022 Olympic Halfpipe Champion
About Special Olympics
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With more than six million athletes and Unified Sports partners and one million coaches and volunteers in over 200 accredited Programs, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 games and competitions every year. Engage with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedInand our blog on Medium. Learn more at www.SpecialOlympics.org.
