#SnowStories: Audrey Crowley on embracing her disability and finding her place within Alpine Skiing

Before anything else in life, Audrey Crowley knew what it felt like to be seen by those closest to her. Born without her lower right arm, her parents never looked at her and wondered what limits she would endure. Instead, they saw a kid capable of anything and a future brimming with possibility.

That quiet, unwavering belief shaped the way she moved through the world. By two, she had already started skiing on tiny hills going directly to training after school, with family dinners often on site.

Audrey’s earliest memories on skis come in the form of races, beginning in Wisconsin when she was just five. Having shown real promise even at a young age, and with parents certain of her ability to do anything she set her mind to, the family made a move across the country to settle in Colorado and go all in.

For some, that kind of relocation may have brought a pressure to justify the sacrifice. But the 19-year-old took it in stride, looking back on that moment without any sense of burden.

“I think I had some expectations for myself just because I cared so much about skiing and I wanted to do well and really put my best foot forward,” she told FIS in an interview.

“But my family never really put pressure on me, the move started for my sister and my skiing, but I think my parents ended up really liking it in Colorado.

“My dad grew up coming to Vail, so it was a special place to him, too. So, there were other reasons that kind of allowed that to relieve the pressure. Even after a bad race, they just gave me so much support and wanted me to reach my dreams – I am always so lucky to have that.”

Not only did moving offer bigger mountains and a designated space to train and race, it also gave her the chance to be surrounded by people who – like Audrey – live and breathe skiing.

Despite trying other sports, both solo and as part of a team, nothing quite compared to the feeling of hitting the slopes. Freedom, excitement, and being challenged – all things she associates with flying down a mountain at speed.

“Skiing has always been my happy place because I started so young and it was so freeing to escape everything else,” she added. “I think that is what makes me continue to do it every day, I feel so free.

“It is so fun to have these big goals of racing super fast and performing well, and that all comes with just loving the sport. Moving to Vail is that moment of [committing to skiing] and saying that this is what I am going to do; I’m going to do it well and to the best of my ability. Every day since then has just been choosing skiing, choosing to work out, and choosing to put the effort in.”

Audrey Crowley: Between two worlds

Colorado gave Audrey the space to grow on and off the slopes, placing her at the intersection of two sporting worlds. Participating in sports was second nature to her, so racing alongside able-bodied skiers and matching their pace was very much her normal.

But as she moved deeper into skiing, onto higher levels and bigger races, the lines between her two worlds began to blur. At 13, she competed in her first Para race – “at first it was a little weird,” she quipped – with age groups merged, requiring somewhat of an adjustment period for the teenager.

Over the years the rules changed, leaving Audrey unable to compete in Para races until she was 16. So, for a while, she toed the line between these two worlds. Too young to fully enter the Para circuit, she continued racing with her able-bodied team, figuring out the kind of skier she wanted to be.

Being almost stuck in that middle ground left her in limbo, not quite feeling enough of one thing to really be a part of either team. She attempted to persist with two-pole skiing on the snow, while off it she made a conscious effort to angle herself in photos, so her disability wasn’t visible. It was more an uncertainty than an insecurity, a teenage girl quietly questioning where she belonged.

This began to shift upon her return to Para skiing as soon as she was eligible to, alongside athletes who looked like her, moved like her, and understood the nuances of competing with a limb difference.

“As I started to meet other people with the same disability, with other disabilities, I began to feel part of the Para circuit and make friends and really grow into myself.

“I think that was when I became more comfortable and started to be confident in myself, in my disability, and almost by not belonging in both groups it has made me feel the most like me.”

Audrey’s most authentic self was born in the challenges that came with walking that line between these two worlds. The merging of the two parts of her that exist on either side brings a wealth of knowledge even at her young age.

Perhaps the most important thing she has learned, something that is unique to any sport, is a willingness to fight and never give up. Even in the most challenging moments, where form can change in an instant and be dejecting, she takes everything as a lesson.

“I have learned to never give up and keep putting in the work, even in seasons where I have been behind my peers or I can’t finish a race,” she said, on what able-bodied skiing in particular has taught her.

“In Para skiing, I have learned to be okay not knowing everything. I think it is easy to think that you have to know everything and be ready, but sometimes not knowing and taking it from a learning standpoint helps you move forward.”

Community, confidence, and a Paralympic debut to remember

Becoming the best version of herself was not something Audrey was able to achieve alone. Friends and family, even coaches and teammates, all played their role in helping her find her place in skiing.

Her godmother, who also has a physical disability, was one of the first to really show her what it meant to feel like yourself: “I think having her and having all of the knowledge from her has helped me become my own self.

“My friends and family are my best supporters, and they are a reflection of who I am now. They have never told me that I cannot do something, so I have been super lucky with all of that.”

Then there are her national teammates, whether that is Andrew Kurka and his mentorship or Allie Johnson and her paving the way for a strong female team, Audrey found a place she truly felt like she belonged.

It became instrumental in not only how she viewed herself away from sport, but equally in how she would present on the snow. From skiing able-bodied and using a prosthetic device — “to look like my friends” — to one day just deciding that it is actually not the way in which she wishes to ski.

With that acceptance came confidence, feeling her best self on the snow and improving bit by bit as a result. She continued: “I think coming to that acceptance of I am going to look a little different on the slopes, I am going to train a little differently.

“But that is what makes me special and it allows me to do Para skiing and this sport in general. I should embrace it and love it and really try to be the best I can be and not do anything that is going to hold me back.”

A culmination of it all — leaning into herself, committing to Para skiing, and unwavering support from those around her — led Audrey to the Paralympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026. Her debut was encompassed within three unforgettable weeks.

From arriving in Italy until the very last day, with all the races in between, she went through every single emotion imaginable. It has given her an appetite for the next four years, aiming to improve and be competing for medals by the time the French Alps come around.

“It was surreal to make my debut because it was something I had been looking forward to for as long as I can remember… so to reach that goal, put myself out there and try my best was really cool and made me excited for the next one.”

The aim now is to continue progressing, build some momentum towards the World Championships, and be as consistent as possible so that in four years’ time, she is the best version of herself.

And more importantly, just as she would tell her younger self, she will continue to: “Trust myself. I know I am young, but I did get myself here. So, I trust myself, trust my training, my coaches, and my community — and I will use all of that to be my best self.”