Walker Wins First-Ever Mono Skier X
Jan 28 2007 / Aspen, CO Tyler Walker Races To Gold in The Debut of Mono Skier X at The Winter X Games 11Aspen, Colo. – In its debut as a medaled event at the 2007 Winter X Games, the Mono Skier X gold went to 20-year old Franconia, New Hampshire skier Tyler Walker. The 2006 World Cup Giant Slalom title holder lost his legs at age four from lumbar sacral agenesis.
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When asked to describe the experience of racing against other mono skiers, Walker said, “Imagine you’re in a car doing a buck twenty on a road made for thirty, and you’ve got a safety belt but no airbag.” He continued saying, “but racing down a course with huge jumps right next to somebody, I can’t compare to anything.”
The silver medal went to Mono Skier X newbie, Kevin Connolly, a 21-year old college student from Bozeman, Montana. “This is an opportunity I’ve never dreamed of,” he said. “To be part of the next step in disabled skiing is incredibly cool and I had so much fun.”
Third place went to Dutch 29-year old, Kees-Jan van der Klooster, who became paralyzed in 2001 from a snowboarding accident. He began training on his own for skiing in 2005.
“The X Games is sick,” van der Klooster said. “I’ts all about going fast. This is just my style and I’m so stoked.”
SKIING MONO SKIER X
Final Results from Aspen/Snowmass on Saturday, January 27, 2007
- Tyler Walker
- Kevin Connolly
- Kees-Jan van der Klooster
- Sarah Will
- Kevin Bramble
- Carl Burnett
- Chris Devlin-Young
- Scott Meyer
- Nick Catanzarite
- Glen Harrison
- Gerald Hayden
- Zach Broderick
- Bill Bowness
- Sam Ferguson
