Road to Milano Cortina 2026: Chris Vos aiming for maiden Para snowboard gold

 For Chris Vos, Para sport has changed his life on and off the snowboard slopes. 

The Dutchman, preparing for his fourth Paralympic Winter Games and looking for a first gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026, says Para snowboard helped rebuild his confidence after an accident as a child left him with no feeling in one of his legs.

“Everything in my life changed. I was a kid who was a bit fat, I got bullied, I couldn’t do a lot of sports, I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t play with the other kids. When I started training I got better, I was doing a cool sport and that is not even thinking about competing, just the sport in general. 

“Being out in the mountains in nature really helped me develop my body and adapt to my disability. It made me really strong and in the end I achieved medals. 

“That wasn’t even a goal in the beginning but I’m a really competitive guy with everything. I want to fight for things I love to do.”

Curiously, though, it has led him to achieve dreams he had away from sport.

“If something doesn’t work immediately, there is always a way around it. It made me look at things and say ‘Hey, maybe I can do this’. One of the most impossible things I did was get my pilot’s licence. I thought it would never happen, but I started doing it through snowboarding; it is a mindset to achieve things. Sport in general can do a lot of great things.”

Discovering Para snowboard

When he was five, he was severely injured in an accident at home with a crane machine. His sustained injuries to his pelvis, and his right leg was paralysed as a result. 

His older brother was also hugely inspiring at a critical point in his life.

“When I had my accident in 2005, I was not able to walk for a long time and I was really young. My brother said ‘Hey, maybe skiing doesn’t work because one foot goes right and the other one goes straight, but snowboarding will because your feet are locked in’.

“We were trying and trying and in the end, I could snowboard a little bit and it was all fine. Later on, my brother started to do races; I wanted to do races and jumps. We grew up snowboarding and we progressed.”

More than 15 years since discovering Para snowboard, he is focused on building on the two silver medals won so far. With competition closer to home, he is looking forward to the action and being at his first Paralympics as a father.  After Beijing 2022, his partner, fellow Para snowboarder Lisa Bunschoten, gave birth to their daughter. 

“I really hope to get the best out of myself,” Vos said. 

“I’m looking for a medal in the slalom, boarder cross is a bit of a gamble. It is achievable but the slalom is more my thing. I’m going for a medal, otherwise I’m not doing it right.”

Snowboarding to the podium

Vos thinks he, and Dutch Para snowboarding, are ready for success after developing over the last 12 years since the sport joined the Paralympic programme at Sochi 2014. 

“In Sochi, I was really young and it was the first time Para snowboarding was on the agenda at the Games,” he says.

Vos, who was 16 at the time, finished 13th in the men’s Para snowboard cross standing race, won by Evan Strong of the USA. Bibian Mentel-Spee of the Netherlands won the women’s event.

“I had two really good races and I got a little bit lucky. I wasn’t going for medals. For me it was about the journey to get there. It just helped my career go further and we did really good as the Netherlands as well, we got a gold medal.” 

“It kickstarted our whole programme. At PyeongChang, we could really go for a medal with a professional four year cycle. It was a good start and an inspirational thing to do.”

Success in getting silvers in the snowboard cross and banked slalom at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 are among the proudest moments of Vos’ career. But his pride also transcends the competition; he is enjoying being part of something that is growing.

“Going to three Paralympics and medalling in two of them [is a great memory]. I’m also really proud that in Canada in 2017 I became double world champion. 

“I’m really proud of my journey from thinking I would never walk again to what I do now, and how the sport has developed with new athletes coming in, new countries, riders and teams getting more professional. I think that is one of the great things to see; it is a close family but it is a competitive sport.”

Enjoying the ride

Vos loves competition but it is clear his appreciation for the life it has given him goes much further than just winning.

“Racing is really nice and being able to have good competition, if you win or come back from a down moment. 

“The best part is the nature and the scenery around it. This is my office, in the snow, not many people can say that!”

Milano Cortina could be a beautiful moment for Vos, but whatever happens, he will enjoy the ride.

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org