Gallery

Alana Nichols made tight turns down the steep runs of Silverton Mountain. She said recent training in a canoe helped build enough shoulder strength to accomplish the feat. Courtesy of Todd Bove

Supported my an enthusiastic team, Alana Nichols was all smiles after making the first sit-ski descent of Silverton Mountain. Courtesy of Todd Bove

Two-time Paralympic alpine skier Alana Nichols, originally from Farmington, made history last weekend when she became the first adaptive skier to make a descent down Silverton Mountain on a sit-ski. Courtesy of Todd Bove

Alana Nichols is no stranger to adversity. A big crash at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, hasn’t deterred her desire to see how far she can push herself in a wide variety of sports. Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press file photo

Alana Nichols is a world-class wheelchair basketball star and made two Paralympic appearances with the United States in 2012. Victoria Will/Associated Press file photo

Alana Nichols’ accomplishments in the Paralympics have put her in lofty company, and she shared a moment at the White House in 2010 alongside Paralympian alpine sit skier Heath Calhoun, second from left, Olympic speed skater Katherine Reutter, center, and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Susan Walsh/Associated Press file photo

Alana Nichols, right, helped the 2008 U.S. Paralympic women’s wheelchair basketball team earn the gold medal in Beijing. Ng Han/Guan/Associated Press file photo

After winning a gold medal in wheelchair basketball in 2014, then gold and silver in sit-skiing, Nichols is on to her next endeavor – sprint kayak racing, which will make its debut at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press file photo