Chris broke his back in a skiing accident on December 20, 1988 while a member of the Middlebury College ski team. He was 20 years old. After two months in the hospital he returned to Middlebury for the spring semester. Three days short of the accident's first anniversary, he started to ski in a monoski--okay, ski might be a bit of a stretch, he started to fall down in a monoski. Within two years, he was named to the US Disabled Ski Team.
During his career he won more Paralmypic skiing medals (12) than any man in history. In 1994, he swept all four (slalom, giant slalom, super G, and downhill) events at the Paralympics in Lillehammer, Norway. In all, Chris competed in four winter Paralympics (Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano, and Salt Lake City), yet he was also part of a select handful who competed in both the winter and summer Games, where he competed in three Paralympics (Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens). He won a silver medal in the 200 meters wheelchair racing in Sydney, and also won the 200 meters at the World Championships in Birmingham, England, joining a very elite group to win World Championships in a summer and winter sport.
In addition to his competition, Chris co-founded the Sarah Will and Chris Waddell Instructional Monoski Camp, which provided the starting ground for many future members of the US Disabled Ski Team, and others who just wanted to enjoy the sport more. He graduated from Middlebury with a degree in International Politics and Economics, acted in the soap opera "Loving," and was one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1998. He moved to Park City prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and Paralymics, though he grew up in Massachusetts.
