Sports: Para Alpine Skiing
Hometown: Palmer, Alaska
Currently Resides: Palmer, Alaska (trains in Winter Park, Colorado)
Birthdate: January 27, 1992
Social Media: Twitter: @Andrew_Kurka; Instagram: @andrewkurka; Facebook: USAdaptive
Toyota Vehicle: Toyota Tundra / Toyota Prius
Paralympic History: 2014, 2018

Competition Highlights

• Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, gold (downhill), silver (super-G), 7th (super combined)
• 5x World Championship medalist

About Andrew Kurka

Son of Amy Weideman and brother to Christian, Andrew Kurka’s first Olympic dream wasn’t on the slopes, but on the wrestling mat, as he was a six-time Alaskan state champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. However, his dream took a detour at age 13 after an ATV accident severely damaged three vertebrae in the middle of his spinal cord, leaving Kurka partially paralyzed from the waist down. Two years after his accident, Kurka tried the monoski for the first time on the encouragement from his physical therapist through a program called Challenge Alaska.

Since his discovery of mono-skiing, Kurka went on to make the U.S. Paralympic National Team in 2010 and made his international debut. He became the first person in a monoski to ski the Christmas Chute on the North Face of Mt. Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.

When he’s not on the slopes, Kurka works as a country music DJ and enjoys fishing, rock climbing, hunting, kayaking, outdoor adventures and spending time with family. He recently married Veronica Quezada and the two look forward to a larger celebration with family and friends in Mexico in summer 2022.