Milano Cortina 2026: How skiers with vision impairment and guides form a dream team
Trust and communication are a vital part of the relationship between skiers with vision impairment and their guides 12 Feb 2026
Italian Para alpine skiing star Giacomo Bertagnolli and his guide Andrea Ravelli not only share goals and frequent victories on the slopes but also the same birthday.
Ravelli and Bertagnolli were born on the same day, 18 January, seven years apart and that has helped the pair cement a special bond.
The milestone falls in the middle of the competition season, and the duo often give themselves the best birthday presents of all – gold in World Cup races.
Bertagnolli, 27, a four-time Paralympic gold medallist, was in electric form at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and also earned four medals in China four years ago – two gold and two silver.
The duo hopes to put on performances of a lifetime in front of a home crowd at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre when Italy hosts the Winter Paralympics for a second time.
“The beautiful part of Milano Cortina 2026 will be the people – the Italian people will watch the race and cheer,” Ravelli said.
Giacomo Bertagnolli and Andrea Ravelli: Overcoming problems and winning together
As they hurtle down mountains at 100 kilometres per hour, they talk to each other with a communication system built into their helmets.
The battery-powered system has a Bluetooth connection and built-in microphones and headphones.
“It helps us a lot to do a very good performance,” Bertagnolli said.
Ravelli added, “When we ski, we speak. I tell him right, left, jump, go faster, you can push!”
The athlete-guide relationship is full of highs and lows.
“The most beautiful thing about being a guide is sharing victories with your athlete. However, along the journey, there are many defeats, many tough moments to go through together, and you have to work to solve certain problems that may be due to technique or to the athlete’s state of mind at that moment,” Ravelli said.
“But when you manage to overcome the difficulties and achieve the desired results — like a victory or a World Championship — they are truly rewarding. And that is the best part: overcoming problems together and winning.”
He said being a guide requires a high level of fitness.
“You need a lot of patience, a lot of passion, and good skiing skills because the level is becoming very high,” Ravelli said. “He’s very fast and skiing in front of Giacomo is very hard.”
Inkki Inola and Arttu Kaario: Being one skier on the track
As well as Para alpine skiing, guides also compete with athletes with vision impairment in Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing.
Spectators at these events are asked to be quiet during races so the athletes can hear their guides.
For Finnish Para cross-country skier Inkki Inola and his guide Arttu Kaario, building a partnership not only happens on the snow, but year-round – at various training camps.
“We train in the summer, we run and roller ski together as much as possible,” Kaario said.
“We aim to be one skier on the track.”
Kaario said the guide sets the pace and the pair aimed to keep a short, consistent distance between themselves during races.
“The closer the better, I think... if it’s over three metres it is too much,” he said.
“I’m always looking behind to where he is.”
During the race, Kaario must warn Inola if someone has fallen on the track or if they are overtaking another competitor.
“It’s important for the guide to be on top of the situation,” Inola said. “Our rhythm has to be similar.”
Kalle Eriksson and Sierra Smith: Learning and having fun together
For Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and his guide Sierra Smith, who have been competing together for three seasons, good communication is one key to success on the slopes.
“The biggest part is communication, just telling him what I’m seeing... if there are different turns (coming up),” she said. “I try to motivate him to go faster. Any coaching cues that he is working on, I remind him of those.”
Eriksson said building trust is also a critical factor in podium appearances.
“I trust a lot in her to get me down fast and safely,” he said.
“From day one skiing together, it has worked really well. We’ve had immediate trust in one another. It’s the name of the game in what we are doing,” Smith said.
The pair also say that it’s important that an athlete-guide relationship has a strong friendship and fun.
“With Kalle, I’m his first guide. We were learning on the run together, neither of us had any idea, so we talked to some other athletes with vision impairment and guides and kind of learned along the way,” she said.
Retired Canadian Para alpine skier Mac Marcoux and his guide Tristan Rogers gave the pair some pointers.
“(Tristan) just told me to say everything I could think of and... to look back and make sure that he was still there behind me,” Smith said.
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
