Top Nordic Skiers Stay Close To Home For Offseason Training

Six of the top American Para Nordic skiers spent the month of June training in Bozeman, Montana, working on their technique and preparing for the upcoming season.

Nick Michaud, a coach with U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing, said the block of training in June was intentionally held in Bozeman, where Dani Aravich, Ty Wiberg, Nicole Zaino and other top Para Nordic skiers live during the year.

“The majority of structured team sessions were in the greater Bozeman area, so everyone could get into a rhythm of feeling like they are home,” Michaud said. “This helps offset the travel they do during the winter and brings more connection to them with people in the Bozeman community.”

The skiers had meetings on Mondays, went roller skiing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and took part in target practice throughout the week. With no team workouts scheduled for the weekend, the athletes were free to go on adventures around Montana and take in the scenery.

Paralympian Max Nelson went hiking with friends in Yellowstone National Park, while Paralympic hopefuls Wiberg and Zaino explored the dirt roads around Livingston, Montana, on their mountainboards.

Meanwhile, Michael Kneeland competed in the Missoula Marathon in a racing wheelchair with his free time. Aravich, a former collegiate runner who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics as a sprinter, ran the Broken Arrow Skyrace at Palisades Tahoe in California.

The small group of sit skiers and standing skiers continued its offseason training by participating in a monthlong block of workouts in Bozeman. Nelson was the lone visually impaired skier in the group.

The workouts started soon after many of the same athletes wrapped up a training camp hosted by U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing in Bend, Oregon.

“Between our Bend camp in May and the block of training in June, everyone built a really solid base for training,” Michaud said. “There is a strong understanding of what to work on technically, as well as a solid base to handle a lot of training in the coming months. … They’ll leave June with confidence and more knowledge in their work process and about their abilities.”

The camp in Bend kicked off the offseason training program for many top American Para Nordic skiers. It also gave athletes one more opportunity to ski while there was still snow on the ground.

They were then able to focus on dryland training during their time in Bozeman, where U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing is based.

The group in Bozeman included a mix of Paralympians (Nelson, Aravich and three-time Paralympic medalist Sydney Peterson), promising sit skiers in Wiberg, Zaino and Kneeland and a pair of personal guides for visually impaired skiers.

Aravich and Peterson were recently named to the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national team for the 2024-25 season, while Nelson, Zaino and Kneeland were included on the U.S. development team for next season.

Michaud said the U.S. coaches met with the athletes following this past Para Nordic skiing season to come up with areas where each of them needed to improve technically.

“We then started in May to build new habits around these goals,” Michaud said.

The athletes who trained in Bozeman will likely be among a select group of Para Nordic skiers who’ll look to qualify for the Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 in less than two years. Nelson, Aravich and Peterson each made their Winter Paralympic debuts two years ago in Beijing.

Michaud said the athletes benefitted from training together for the entire month of June in Bozeman. In addition to roller skiing alongside each other, they had the opportunity to work as a group on their precision shooting and simulate a biathlon race together.

“When we train together, I design many workouts to promote multidirectional learning. For example, Dani might benefit from Michael’s attack mindset on downhills, and Michael might benefit from her professionalism,” Michaud said. “If we can put them in the same space while they’re working on their processes, then they learn from each other’s strengths.

“Explaining to each other how they built these proficiencies solidifies their skills and confidence. And in this design, the staff then learn a lot also. I know I do.”

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.