At 23, Noah Bury from Utah is set to compete in his first Winter Paralympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. Bury, a former patient at Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City, qualified for the slalom event and will serve as an alternate in both the giant slalom and super-G disciplines. He began para alpine skiing only three years ago.
Bury was born with tibial hemimelia and underwent a below-the-knee amputation at eight months old. He received care from Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City until he turned 21. Reflecting on his journey, Bury said, “I can remember Shriners Children’s as the first place I learned to adapt and innovate my approach to life. I had this unique part of me that not many people in the world could relate to. Shriners Children’s helped me figure it out and be creative with solutions. I remember creating a foot with my prosthetist for skiing that had never been done before. Shriners Children’s played a huge part in my athletic discovery. They never restricted access to anything. They made me lots of prosthetics that I could use for all my activities.”
After learning he made Team USA, Bury described feeling both exhilarated and relieved, saying he became emotional after receiving the news. He encouraged other patients facing challenges to take risks: “You are a powerful creator,” Bury said. “Seriously, whatever you want to do, go out and create something. Everybody struggles with stuff, and there’s always a reason not to do something. Limiting ourselves is the greatest way to quell our own lives. Do something crazy. Take a risk. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being at this level at the Paralympics. Taking one little risk, then one more risk, and a compounding effect of all those risks led me here.”
The 2026 Winter Paralympics begin March 6, with para alpine skiing events scheduled over seven days during the Games. Bury expressed enthusiasm about connecting with fellow athletes and making the most of his first Paralympic experience.
