Now in its 48th year at Winter Park Resort, the Wells Fargo Ski Cup is the longest running professional ski race in the country. It’s also the National Sports Center for the Disabled’s signature fundraiser of the year.

Each year, the Ski Cup brings in more than $300,000 to support summer and winter programs for children and adults living with disabilities. The event will include four races – the Corporate Challenge, Kids Snowplow Sprint, AEC Challenge and World Disabled Invitational.

Professional adaptive athletes will participate in the race, including Noah Bury and John Papai.

---

---

Noah Bury

This is Noah Bury’s first season on the competition circuit, but he is no stranger to skiing. Bury has been naturally drawn to outdoor sports since a very young age.

“I like using nature as my canvas and I’m the medium – like I’m moving through it, seeing how far I can push myself mentally, physically and emotionally,” he said of his outdoor pursuits.

---

---

Bury was born with tibial hemimelia in his lower left leg, meaning that his foot would not grow normally. Doctors amputated his foot when he was 8 months old and fitted him a prosthetic. This was the best option to ensure he could be active on both legs.  

Bury has been progressing as an adaptive skier since he was 5, with the goal of becoming a professional racer. For his first competitive season, he has stayed busy. He recently participated in the Hartford Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, and is preparing for an upcoming competition in Kimberly, Canada.

Bury explained that racing is a great way to streamline his passion for skiing, and if he performs well, he can make a living out of it. But most importantly, he loves competing.

“That rush – it’s powerful for sure,” he said. “This is what I want to do.”

Bury currently lives in Fraser, where he trains with the National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park Resort. He’s originally from Utah, but feels that the Colorado Rockies is the place to be for snow sports, especially for adaptive athletes.

“There’s the most opportunities … and better infrastructure around here,” he said. “We’re in a pretty dang good spot.”

Winter Park is home of the National Sports Center for the Disabled, also known as NSCD, Breckenridge Resort has an adaptive ski program, and the U.S. Ski Team trains at Copper Mountain. Bury said living in Fraser is “a dream come true” as he trains for events like the Wells Fargo Ski Cup.

The adrenaline rush one gets from racing partly comes from its inherent riskiness. Bury explained that bravery doesn’t necessarily mean going into a competition without fear.

“The reality is, it really freaking terrifies me,” he said. “But it just means so much to me, intuitively, that I take the next step. I’m willing to take that chance of, you know, failing.”

Failing could mean more than simply losing the race – it could mean injury. Each time an athlete competes, they decide to confront fear and push through it, rather than giving into it, Bury explained.

“I could crash here – I could break every bone in my body and never walk again,” he said. “But that’s part of the risk. And the risk is what validates the reward.”

Bury has applied this principle to his second passion – rock climbing.

Bury feels that skiing and rock climbing are different pursuits, but similar in many ways. They both require the individual to perform their best in nature – from snowstorms to steep rock faces.

“(Skiing and rock climbing) kind of create a whole. They’re totally unique in their own way, but they fulfill the same beauty within me. It just feeds the soul,” he said. “Breathing in the air, living.”

John Papai

Returning for his sixth time to the Wells Fargo Ski Cup, John Papai is training to eventually reach Paralympics. The former U.S. marine had his left leg amputated after experiencing traumatic arthritis and multiple failed surgeries. He was first introduced to adaptive skiing at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass in 2019.

For him, the learning curve to become a professional three-track skier wasn’t steep. His former experiences in high school sports, then in the Marine Corps and law enforcement, prepared him for the intensity of competitions.

Last year, Papai won third place in the World Disabled Invitational, and he’s ready for this year’s race. He trains seven to eight months out of the year with the NSCD’s competition team. The athletes all have the goal of participating in international events.

“I believe that most of us are all ranked in the top 50 in the world,” Papai said, who is ranked 44th in slalom and 46th in Super G. “We race pretty much everywhere. Half of our team is over in Europe right now.”  

Papai himself trained in Chile for several months in 2022 – winning races like the Wells Fargo Ski Cup help fund these trips.

For half the year, he lives in Fraser so he can train with the NSCD. He educates new adaptive skiers as well, through the NSCD’s Bridge to Independence program.

“I help people that have learned how to ski with somebody, on how to do it on their own,” he said. “… The biggest thing is for them being able to get up, no matter where they’re at, without having to rely on anyone else.”

Some of these skiers in the bridge program may even go on to compete, as Papai does.

In the summer, he plays basketball with the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. He also has his sights set on making it on the U.S. Paralympic shooting team.

In Winter Park, the NSCD is best known for their skiing programs, but skiing is a just a small aspect of what the organization offers, Papai explained.

“It truly does give opportunities to individuals with any kind of disability, per se, to get involved and start being active again and learning to do new things,” he said.

About the Ski Cup

The first race that athletes compete in is the World Disabled Invitational on Thursday, Feb. 22. This is one of the few professional ski races where international athletes compete against others who have different adaptabilities than they do. Some athletes are former Paralympians.

“That’s our mission-focused race where people can actually watch our professional athletes,” Julie Taulman said, who is the CEO and president of NSCD. “A sit skier might race against a blind skier, who might race against an amputee, which doesn’t typically happen in Paralympic racing, so it’s unique.”

The other races are more friendly than competition. The AEC Challenge takes place on Feb. 22. Architects, engineers and contractors who are sponsors compete in this industry specific race, with the goal of winning the Outrigger Trophy. During the Corporate Challenge on Friday, Feb. 23, one professional athlete from the NSCD is chosen to join a team made up of employees of corporate sponsors. Young skiers can have fun during the Kids Snowplow Sprint, also taking place Feb. 23.

The whole event happens at the Lower Hughes trail beside the gondola – anyone at the base can enjoy watching the athletes. The Ski Cup typically brings in around 3,000 people every year. Anyone who is at the resort during the ski cup can purchase 50/50 raffle tickets. The raffle will take place by the racetrack on both Thursday and Friday. The winner receives 50% of the pot and NSCD uses the other 50% toward its fundraising goal.

Taulman explained that Winter Park Resort, home of the NSCD, donates its base area space for the event. There will also be a new event this year at the top of the resort. Attendees can don their best apres ski wear and take the gondola to Sunspot Lodge for the Snow Boot Soiree on the evening of Feb. 23. They can enjoy live music, food, drinks, dancing, and a live auction – all proceeds go to the NSCD.  

Paralympic athlete Allison Jones will also give an inspirational message at the soiree – Jones won second place at the World Disabled Invitational last year.

The event ends with a farewell breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 24. There will also be an online auction, visit NSCDauction.com to bid on items, including custom skis, snowboards or split boards, a trip to Royal Gorge Adventure Park, Denver Broncos tickets and more.

“The monies that are raised for from this event … keep our programs going. We’re not state or federally funded,” she said.

Thanks to the offerings like the soiree and auctions, program costs remain affordable to serve as many individuals as possible.

For more event details, please visit NSCD.org/Events/48th-Annual-Ski-Cup.