When Danelle Umstead arrived in Park City in 2006, she was searching for adventure. What she found was transformation. Over the next two decades, Danelle blossomed into a four-time Paralympian skier, three-time Paralympic medalist, global motivational speaker, and in 2020, founder of the Sisters in Sports Foundation, one of Park City's most inspiring advocates for inclusion. Much of that journey is rooted in the Mountainkind spirit still inspiring her today.
 

“Park City has always been where people believe in possibility,” she says. “People here support one another. Dreams grow faster when you don't have to chase them alone.”

 

Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 13, Danelle gradually lost her vision. Later, after reaching the pinnacle of adaptive sports, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and faced the challenge of learning to walk again. “At every stage, I was faced with a choice: focus on what I had lost or focus on what was still possible.”
 

That philosophy inspired her to launch Sisters in Sports, a nonprofit providing athletic mentorship, leadership development, wellness and community for women and girls with disabilities. This year, six SIS athletes represented Team USA at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Italy. Danelle herself even appeared, all smiles, on “Dancing with the Stars.”
 

“Don't let someone else's expectations define your future,” she advises. “Find people who believe in you even before you fully believe in yourself and do what the strongest people do: keep showing up.”
 

“No one succeeds alone,” Danelle says cheerfully. “Park City has supported me from the beginning. Sisters in Sports wouldn't be where it is today without local businesses, donors, volunteers, athletes, and community leaders.”
 

She encourages individuals to learn by “inviting people in. Create opportunities. Ask questions. Be curious rather than assuming limitations.”
 

In Park City, Danelle found belonging. Through her work, she’s ensuring others do, too. “The mountains taught me resilience, and that the words ‘impossible’ is often just the starting line.”