William Bostadløkken has been seriously injured. © Social Media

Sad news: Freestyler paralyzed from the waist down

The Steamboat World Cup ended in tragedy for a Norwegian freestyle skier. William Bostadløkken is paralyzed from the waist down after a training accident.

28 December 2025

From: sn

The Freestyle World Cup stopped in Steamboat just over two weeks ago. Even before the competitions began, a serious training accident occurred. The extent of the damage only became clear on Saturday when the victim, William Bostadløkken, spoke out himself on social media.

“Writing this breaks my heart,” the 20-year-old begins his post. “On the first day of training, I twisted my foot during takeoff, lost my bearings, and hit my head and back on the flat area between takeoff and landing.” He broke numerous ribs, his shoulder, and two vertebrae. “I was taken to the hospital in Denver, where I had surgery the next day. The procedure was successful, but I am paralyzed from the point of injury (fifth and sixth thoracic vertebrae) down.”

The focus is on the future.

Despite this devastating diagnosis, Bostadløkken hasn't lost hope or faith. "Now I'm back in Norway and ready to give it my all in rehab. I dream of being able to ski again one day. Skiing is truly what I love most in this world – it's what I live for. I will do everything in my power to come back and experience that incredible feeling again," the 20-year-old writes. "It definitely won't be easy. It will be the toughest challenge I've ever faced. There's no guarantee it's possible, but I will never give up and will keep fighting."

William Bostadløkken was flown to Denver immediately after the accident. © Social Media

In closing, Bostadløkken, who has competed in seven World Cup events and started the season with a European Cup victory, thanked his family, the national team, and his girlfriend. "You helped me so incredibly much during this time, you have no idea. Thank you for everything you've done for me. It means so much to me," said the Norwegian. Numerous freestyle skiers offered their support to the injured skier in the comments section of the post – including Rene Monteleone from South Tyrol and Olympic champion Birk Ruud.