Danelle Umstead: Blind Paralympian
Danelle Umstead is a three-time Paralympic bronze medalist and one of the most inspiring figures in adaptive sports.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- Three-time Paralympic bronze medalist, alpine skiing
- First husband-and-wife visually impaired ski team to medal for Team USA
- World Cup Overall and Super-G Champion
- Competed on Dancing With the Stars (Season 27)
- Advocate for disability inclusion and accessibility
- Formats: Keynote speaker (45–60 min), panelist, interactive workshops, corporate inspiration sessions
- Audiences: Corporate teams, leadership conferences, associations, educators, non-profits
- Outcomes:
- Unlock the power of trust and teamwork to achieve ambitious goals
- Build resilience by reframing obstacles into opportunities
- Champion diversity and inclusion as a path to stronger organizations
- Travels from: Park City, UT
- **Fee range: $10,001 - $20,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
HOW TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE EVERY DAY
Danelle travels the world with her husband, Rob, as a ski racing team and motivational speaker. In her speech, How to do the Impossible Every Day, she reveals the 4 secrets to leading and empowering teams to overcome obstacles and go for the gold.
Talent Short Bio
Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition, Danelle refused to let blindness define her. She and Rob have competed at the highest levels of international ski racing, medaling at the Paralympic Games and capturing multiple World Cup titles.
Off the slopes, Danelle is a sought-after keynote speaker who shares her story of resilience, teamwork, and determination. Her presentations empower audiences to embrace challenges, lead with courage, and create more inclusive environments.
Read Full Bio
Talent Videos
Meet Danelle Umstead – Paralympic Alpine Ski Racer
Danelle Umstead shares how trust, vision, and resilience drive her journey as a blind Paralympic ski racer.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this short feature, Danelle Umstead introduces herself as a Paralympic alpine ski racer. She describes her limited vision, seeing only bright lights and contrasting colors when conditions align. Her husband and guide, Rob, skis ahead in bright clothing so she can detect his outline as they race down the slopes together.
Danelle shares her mindset at the start of each run: trust in training, let go, and focus only on the bond between her and Rob. The clip underscores the essence of her journey—courage, teamwork, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Key Moments
00:00 – Danelle introduces herself as a Paralympic alpine ski racer
00:07 – Explanation of her visual impairment
00:20 – Rob describes his guiding role with high-visibility clothing
00:32 – Danelle shares her mental focus at the race start: trust and let go
00:45 – Closing reflection on skiing as one with her guide
Danelle Umstead, Three Time U.S. Paralympic Medalist
A 1:46 emotional short that shows how Danelle Umstead skis the world by sound, guided by her husband Rob, turning loss into freedom and high-performance teamwork.
Video Summary & Key Moments
This 1 minute 46 second film is a poetic portrait of Paralympic alpine skier Danelle Umstead. She explains that sound is how she experiences the world: it paints a picture, gives rhythm, and guides her down the mountain. Danelle describes losing her mother, her usable vision, and her will to live, and then discovering an unexpected freedom when she first skied. Her husband and guide Rob provides vocal commands that direct her racing line.
The piece intercuts brief audio cues of Rob shouting prompts and the announcer calling Danelle at the finish, culminating in the sound of the national anthem. The final moments frame skiing as a shared dance between Danelle and Rob and as “the sound of living the impossible.” The film emphasizes trust, sensory adaptation, resilience, and the emotional payoff of elite performance.
Key Moments
00:00 Opening line: “Sound is how I see the world.”
00:08 Sound as a sensory map: painting, rhythm, and guidance.
00:20 Contrast: Danelle does not see the slopes the way others do.
00:28 Racing audio: Rob calls commands “Up! Move!” and guides her down.
00:38 First-time memory: fear after losing her mom and vision.
00:50 Turning point: discovering freedom and joy on skis.
01:05 Intimate view of the partnership: “He’s my husband… my everything.”
01:18 Finish-line moment: announcer calls Danelle and Rob; crowd and anthem.
01:36 Closing line: hearing those sounds is “the sound of living the impossible.”
First Person: Blind Skier's Quest for Gold
A 1:56 first-person profile of Paralympic alpine skier Danelle Umstead describing how skiing, trust, and adaptive communication rebuilt her life and aim for gold.
Video Summary & Key Moments
Danelle Umstead introduces herself as a Paralympic alpine ski racer who competes with her husband as guide. She explains her visual impairment, retinitis pigmentosa, and how she can perceive shapes only at very short distances. After losing her mother and much of her vision, Danelle says she lost her will to live—until she tried skiing. The film captures the immediate freedom she felt on her first run with her father guiding her, a moment that reignited purpose and joy.
Danelle then demonstrates the helmet communication system (Cardo) they use: two speakers, a microphone, and a Bluetooth pack that lets Rob give live instructions. She describes the minimal, high-trust commands they use—essentially wait or go—and how that teamwork pushes them to pursue gold rather than bronze. The piece closes on a determined note: they are training toward the 2014 Sochi Paralympics with gold as the goal.
Key Moments
00:00 Opening: Danelle identifies as a Paralympic alpine ski racer.
00:10 Explains visual impairment caused by retinitis pigmentosa; limited usable sight.
00:24 Personal low point: losing her mother, vision, and will to live.
00:36 Turning point: first run with her father guiding—instant freedom and joy.
00:52 Description of equipment: Cardo helmet comms, speakers, microphone, Bluetooth battery pack.
01:06 How the guide-athlete communication works: Rob gives concise commands; Danelle trusts and responds.
01:22 Mindset: pushing for speed and performance together; trust as the foundation.
01:36 Closing ambition: aiming for gold at the 2014 Sochi Paralympics.
01:52 End.
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