Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — After becoming paralyzed in a rappelling accident, a Utah woman took up a new sport and took second in the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing Nationals and Noram Cross Country sprint competition.
Brittany Fisher ran cross-country and track at Utah State University until she was injured in a rappelling accident in 2012. Fisher was rappelling in St. George during spring break when she fell around 80 feet. She said she landed on her feet, which resulted in a break in her spine.
Fisher became paralyzed from the waist down, ending her running career. She said she began doing physical therapy with a doctor at the University of Utah Hospital and was introduced to the director for the University of Utah Therapeutic Recreation & Independent Lifestyles (TRAILS) program. As a result, Fisher became interested in paralympic nordic skiing.
“After the first time out with (my coach,) I loved it and I knew it was something I wanted to do,” she said. “I’d rather be running, but I like skiing, so it works out.”
Fisher began doing adaptive nordic skiing during the summer of 2014 and had her first session with snow in December. Her coach told her about the paralympic nordic skiing race series that was held in Utah in January, and she decided to compete.
“It was literally my second or third time on snow with skis, ever,” she said. “I jumped into racing.”
The U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing Nationals and Noram Cross Country sprint competition was held at Soldier Hollow in Midway Jan. 4-7, and during the 1,000 meter race on Sunday, Fisher finished in second place.
Fisher said she uses physical activities as an outlet to help her cope with stress, and she plans to continue competing in paralympic nordic skiing.
“I relied on running to deal with everything,” she said. “It was my go-to to cope with life and emotions. … So the injury has been really hard to deal with because not only did it take away my legs and my ability to walk, but it kind of took away that ability to cope with things. … So the physical aspect is huge for me. … (Skiing) is definitely something I want to continue to do.”
