Park City, UT – Four-time Paralympian and three-time Paralympian medalist Monte Meier of Park City, Utah, has announced his retirement with the U.S. Adaptive Alpine Team following the 2009-10 winter season. Meier was an integral part of the ski team for 16 years.n”Being on the team as long as I have, it was really cool to see how the adaptive world in skiing and how the sport has evolved,” expressed Meier.

After losing his leg at the young age of eight, Meier’s first question to his parents was “Will I still be able to run?” Keeping the same strong mentality, he picked up the sport of skiing a year after his accident. Taking second to wrestling in high school, Meier put skiing on the front of his mind when he joined the Afton Alps racing program in Minnesota post graduation, taking his own advice to heart.

“Treat every day like it’s your last,” said Meier. “You’ll get a lot more out of it that way.”

Meier’s first notable success came when he won three medals at the 1992 Canadian Nationals, earning a coveted spot on the 1993 U.S. Adaptive Ski Team. The following year, as a rookie, he won bronze in the 1994 Lillehammer Paralympic Games. Four years later, Meier raced his way to the top, winning gold in Nagano, Japan.

“Obviously for me, my highlight was winning the gold medal in the 1998 Nagano Paralympics,” said Meier.

Meier’s career kept surging. Over the course of his 16-year tenure with the Team, he totaled three Paralympic and World Championships medals, a 2005 gold at The Hartford Championships, a 2005 World Cup win, and several top-three World Cup finishes.

“When I first started 19 years ago, people were doing the sport as more of hobby than a full time gig. It has got to the point now, if you don’t take this seriously on a full time basis you aren’t going to be competitive on the world circuit,” explained Meier. “That was pretty cool to see that change.”

Meier is ready to start a new chapter in his life, after leaving everything on the hill.

“Well, I definitely left it all out on the table, so there are no regrets about retirement. I’m looking forward to the next chapter and whatever that may be,” said Meier. “I don’t have anything set, but that’s kind of exciting as well.”