Paul Thacker’s story is one of resilience: after a lifechanging accident rendered him paraplegic, Thacker did everything he could to get back to his career as a professional snowmobiler. Now a practicing athlete again, Thacker founded the Paul Thacker Spinal Cord Recovery Foundation to inspire others who are impacted by lifechanging injuries to return to their passions.

Hailing from Alaska, Thacker grew up riding his snowmobile in backcountry before eventually exploring freestyle and becoming a seasoned competitor at the Winter X-Games. During the height of his career, he set several world distance-jump records in the sport, including being the first to bring a snowmobile over 300 feet in the air during a jump. But his career came to a halt in 2010 when a winter training session led to a spinal cord injury.

But Thacker did not give up hope. He stayed close to the sport by avidly working as a brand ambassador for his original sponsors such as Slednecks, Monster Energy, and a dozen other companies, and also provided commentary on televised games. All the while, he collaborated with Ekso Bionics on a robotic suit that assists him with standing and walking, and even teamed up with his sponsor, Polaris, to manufacture a custom-made seat that allowed him to get back on the snowmobile and race again. Since, he’s appeared in the Mystik Lubricants’ Terracross Championship, and he’s become a regular face in the Aspen X Games in the adaptive athletes category, and more recently, the Para Snow BikeCross. He always scores in the top ten, and once achieved a second place finish at the 2016 Aspen X Games.

As for his charity, Thacker raises money for rehabilitation equipment, research, and medical bills for adaptive athletes and wounded veterans.