An Update on the Kelsey O’Driscoll Story, Home on the Mountain: Kelsey O’Driscoll’s Remarkable Return

By Jaime Collins, Communications Manager

Just two months ago I had the opportunity to interview Kelsey O’Driscoll and tell the story of her life, her accident, and her remarkable return to skiing at Gore Mountain. Much has happened since then, and now with the Paralympics just weeks away, I felt compelled to provide an update on her life and her ski racing accomplishments.

She was home only briefly during the holidays, visiting family and training at Gore Mountain, but I managed to talk with Kelsey again, this time virtually, as she continues her World Cup tour and her quest to reach the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.

Where are you now and where will you be going?

I’m currently in Winter Park, Colorado, but tomorrow I get on a plane to Europe. We’re headed to Saalbach, Austria first. Then we go to Matrei, Austria and then potentially Feldberg, Germany, although that one could be cancelled due to lack of snow. From there, we go to Meribel, France. All that’s before the Paralympics. It’ll be an amazing experience, and I’ll be home for a couple weeks in early February.

I’ve traveled a lot stateside. About 34 states. My goal is to get to all 50 states before I turn 50, but I’m not checking off any new states this year. I’m excited instead to be checking off new countries.

A lot has happened since we last talked in November, including your engagement. Congratulations! Tell us about that.

His name is Grant. He and I have been dating for about five and a half years. We had already talked about it together, and I thought it might happen when I was home for Christmas. But I didn’t know for sure. I thought he might make me wait until Italy.

The day it happened was December 27th, and it was an absolutely perfect day. That morning we got to ski all over Gore on fresh snow. I skied with my sister, which was amazing. It was all perfect, and we had such a blast. I got to see a couple friends. Then we went home, and my dad made homemade chicken parm. After that, my mom had this ruse that she wanted to go on a horse drawn sleigh ride and everyone had to dress up for a nice family picture. My sister said I had to shower and put on makeup, and I was wondering why a shower and makeup if we’re going out to see horses. So we all got dressed up and went to Circle B Ranch outside Chestertown, and it was absolutely gorgeous. There was even a little like Charlie Brown Christmas tree forest, which was insanely adorable. Then we had smores, which I love.

At that point, I was pretty sure I had marshmallow in my teeth, and I looked up at Grant and said, “That was so fun!” And he says, “Do you want to do something else fun?” That’s when he got down on one knee and asks, “Do you want to get married?” And I said, “Yes!” That’s how it happened.

We celebrated with a cocktail at the Crazy Loon in Chestertown and went to Beck’s in North Creek for some music. When we went home, my dad had made my favorite meal, roasted turkey with mashed potatoes and stuffing. The whole thing was really a perfect day.

Where have you raced recently, and what are the highlights for you?

Since I last talked to you, I raced in Steinach am Brenner, Austria, where I placed third in the Super G and fourth in the Alpine Combined, and on our last day in Steinach, I won the Super GI, which was my very first World Cup win at my very first stop on the World Cup circuit.  When I found out I had won, a teammate hugged me, and I started crying. I knew if I podiumed at a World Cup race, I’d probably go to the Games, and the fact I had just qualified to go to the Paralympics hit me all at once. Plus, I had just won a World Cup race, which I hadn’t even been sure I was capable of doing until it happened. From there I went right back up the chairlift and took a really nice fun lap just to take it all in.

After Austria, we went to Santa Caterina, Italy, where I got to ski my very first downhill race, and I podiumed there, too. Third place. That was also incredible for me because it was only my second day on my downhill skis. I literally got one training run in, and then I got third place in a World Cup and was over-the-moon excited.

But then also, still in Austria and before we went to St. Moritz in Switzerland, I broke a rib. That meant I was only allowed to race GS with the other favorites because my doctors knew taking slalom gates to your chest is not a great idea with a broken rib. Every day after that I would get to the bottom of the race and be catching my breath with it hurting so much. That was four weeks ago now, so it’s a lot better now.

The broken rib aside, with all these achievements and your engagement happening recently, how does it all make you feel?

Honestly, I’m super grateful more than anything. Extremely excited, too, but with all these different things going on, I’m beyond grateful to be having these experiences and getting these opportunities.

You seem to handle the intense pressure of travel and competition exceptionally well. What’s your secret?

I like to think my years of running track definitely helped. But more than anything, it’s all that happens in the hospital, like working to keep children alive. Or as a ski patroller, doing CPR on the mountain. Or transferring someone to a helicopter and making sure they stay alive from point A to point B. Or a 12 hour shift with say three really sick kids and being responsible for keeping them all stable. Nothing feels more high pressure than taking care of critically ill children. Doing the best you can in a ski race is a lot less pressure than keeping someone alive.

Still, I was definitely a little nervous going into the downhill race. But a very kind person once told me to just ski like you have to do CPR on someone at the bottom. That’s how fast you need to go. That’s maybe not standard ski racing advice, but it worked for me.

While you were home for the holidays, you mentioned returning to ski at Gore one morning. I know our staff there were really pleased to see you and to know about your racing achievements. What was that like being back there after your successes on the World Cup circuit?

Oh, it was magical. I was skiing all around Gore and got to ski Super G on Echo for the first time and loved it. It was really fun and special, but the coolest part was getting so many hugs and seeing everyone’s excitement and how proud everyone was. It was like coming home. Now, when I leave home, I feel like I’m taking my whole community along with me, and that’s definitely wonderful.

The last day I was there, I was training Super G on Echo. It was a weekend, so all the NYSEF [New York Ski Education Foundation] kids were around training. They were on the top of the head wall looking down at the course, and waving, so I went down and introduced myself. Some of them I’d trained with before, and it was really special to have them there watching. Talking with them was really rewarding. It was all really special for me. I already knew Gore is my favorite place in the world, and now we’ve definitely cemented that idea. There’s nowhere better.

Looking ahead, what’s your biggest challenge before the Paralympics?

I think it will be managing my time and finding a balance between training and competition and rest. Managing my leg fatigue is important specifically because they tire out quickly. Also making sure I stay healthy and don’t get the flu while traveling and being in airports. I’ll be taking precautions and doing what I can to stay healthy, eat well, and still have fun.

As we said our goodbyes, Kelsey was headed off to pick up her ski gear and get packed for her travels to Europe. As she heads off to more World Cup adventures, Kelsey knows her Gore Mountain family and the adaptive ski community are all travelling and skiing with her in their hearts as she pursues her Paralympic dreams.