Earlier this month, 17-year-old Cole Carper traveled over 1,000 miles across the country from his home in Arkansas to the wintry mountain town of Breckenridge, Colorado, to take part in the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes’ (USABA) Winter Ski Festival.
Each year, blind and visually impaired skiers and snowboarders head to the slopes for three days of fun in the snow. This year, the festival took place from March 3 to March 5.
Carper, a visually impaired Little Rock Catholic High student, said he first started skiing when he was 11 or 12 years old. This was his third time traveling to Breckenridge for the ski festival.
“[I love] that there’s guides that can help me specifically; instead of just my dad, who is good at skiing, but he doesn’t know how to help people who can’t see,” Carper said.
On his first day at the festival this year, Carper said he worked on his technique and got to ski a couple of peaks. The next day, he said he did the same thing but also improved his carving skills and how he uses his poles. But on the third day, Carper made it his mission to ski all five peaks at Breckenridge.
“I’ve already done six, seven, eight and nine, so this afternoon is ten,” Carper explained on his final day at the event. “That’s all that’s left. And that’s the hardest one, so it’s kinda intimidating, but I’m gonna do it.”
And with that determination, Carper’s snow-filled weekend ended in success.
You can see Carper in action in the video below: