“The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

While 2022 has already proven to be another challenging year, there are also plenty of stories to be shared that highlight our collective humanity and inspire us to move forward with courage, strength, and hope for the future.

One such story is that of Trevor Kennison, a young man from Winter Park, Colorado. While snowboarding in the Vail backcountry on November 15, 2014, Kennison suffered a burst fracture of his T-11 and T-12 vertebrae and punctured his spinal cord after catching an edge off a 10 foot kicker he built with his buddies. The injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was 22 years old when the accident occurred.

Fast forward to January 2022 when Kennison became the first adaptive athlete to hit the X Games Big Air jump. The jump is 70 feet lip to knuckle and 80 feet to the sweet spot. You can see the video of the X Games here. https:// snowbrains.com/video-trevor-kennisonis first-adaptive-skier-to-hit-x-gamesbig air-jump/

On the morning that Kennison made skiing history at the X games, I was feeling pretty blue and discouraged and uncharacteristically decided to check out what was on the tube. My husband suggested the X Games since we both enjoy watching skiing/boarding competitions. Our timing in tuning in was impeccable as the attention had turned to Kennison and his story. Within a few minutes, I was fighting back tears as this young man’s story unfolded. Then we watched his jump and as he was soaring in the sky, my mood elevated to one of hope as I imagined endless possibilities and positive endings. I was no longer blue. In fact, I was inspired to not waste one more minute in despair.

Kennison’s positive attitude, courage, and strength in the face of injuries that forever changed his life illustrates the human potential to overcome adversity. His belief in his physical strength and potential, his joy in living, and his commitment to personal goals, all despite his paralysis, resulted in his remarkable achievements over the past eight years.

January 4, 2020, was the first day that Kennison headed into the backcountry as an adaptive athlete. Filmmaker Josh Berman had reached out to Kennison and the two were beginning production for a documentary film that would tell Kennison’s story. They began filming for this project on January 4 and the video is well worth a watch, especially if you are need of a pick-me-up. https://snowbrains.com/sit-skier-trevor-kennison-returnsbackcountry/

The award-winning short film, titled “Day 1” has screened at dozens of film festivals around the globe. The feature documentary film “Full Circle” which shares more of Kennison’s story is slated for release in the Fall of 2022.

Last winter numerous videos of monoskiers pushing the boundaries went viral. Kennison was one of these athletes, and his incredible send over Corbet’s Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, during the second annual Kings & Queens event quickly went viral. https://snowbrains.com/trevorkennison sends-it-corbets/

Kennison has consistently inspired skiers and non-skiers around the globe, even before Corbet’s jump that made him famous in the skiing community. Now he is pushing the limits on Sit-Skiing and changing the landscape for other athletes with disabilities as he continues to break boundaries and inspire us all to live our lives fully and let go of fear and despair, no matter what challenges and disappointment we face.

As Kennison said so simply, “I could be sitting in my wheelchair in my house, or I could be out living my life. I’m going to go and live my life.”