LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 25 From Patrol Cross to Paralympic Starting Gate: There are very few people in life who, to me, quali- fy as a true ray of sunshine. The kind of person whose smile enters a room moments before they do. Their vi- brancy and energy are there long before they are, and once they arrive, it's impossible not to feel it too. That's Kelsey O'Driscoll. For every ounce of positivity she carries, there's a metric ton of drive behind it. It shows everywhere she goes. We met on Ski Patrol at Gore Mountain. Kelsey offi- cially joined patrol in 2015, though she'd been skiing the mountain long before I had ever shown up. She started with a patrol number like everyone else, until she be- came #17. After that, it wasn't a number anymore. It was her. When Kelsey makes a call on the radio, she is heard, loud and clear. She knew what she was talking about, and she made it loud and clear. She had that je ne sais quoi on patrol. She was always in the right place at the most chaotic moment, and above it all, she had fangs on the field. She was well-trained in what she was talking about. I'll say with complete con- fidence that those teeth have carried her through the last few tumultuous years. Kelsey is, at her core, selfless. She has always redi- rected the power of her presence toward the people around her. I genuinely believe she has gained energy straight from the Adirondacks — from the very moun- tains themselves — through their weather, the work they provide, and skiing at Gore. Most of all, she has found her drive in the people she could rely on when things got real. Her light shines brightly within this community. One of the most subtle and beautiful things she did on patrol was to leave hand-drawn motivational notes behind for the next person to find. Little reminders tucked away in front of the radio or hidden somewhere on the wall. They'd say, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend," or "Who runs the world? Girls!!" It was always something meant to lift the women on patrol. She always wanted to remind us of our strength. Raised by the mountains The Adirondacks entered Kelsey's life early. She was four or five when her stepdad Scott, a forester by trade, first brought her into this beautiful park. Summers and winters unfolded in Indian Lake. She spent her time hiking, camping, and paddling, but the best part was skiing. She learned this landscape by living and moving through it from a young age. "The Adirondacks taught me how to explore my wild side," she says. "Test limits, and see what I was capable of — with the safety of having my dad by my side." Her parents always encouraged curiosity. She climbed trees and scrambled over boulders. She jumped into deep, dark waters and problem-solved her way up and down steep trails. "If I fell," she says, "they just scooped me up, brushed me off, and allowed me to try again." Kelsey learned to never stop. These mountains taught her how to fall and how to get back up again. They also taught her how to calcu- late risk. She aspired to learn and respect the terrain. By the time her sister was three and Kelsey was ten, her parents trusted her to roam the woods with her. She was completely in charge. "Her safety became my responsibility," she says. "And I took it seriously." That feeling — the wilderness paired with care — brought her directly into the hands of the Ski Patrol at Gore Mountain. Long before she wore the cross, she admired it. A family friend on patrol used to bring her to the moun- tain early, and she spent countless days skiing behind him. "I thought it was the coolest job ever," she says. "I had the utmost respect for ski patrollers." When the opportunity arose for her to join the patrol, she jumped at it. "It was probably the best decision I have ever made." Patrol is just as fun as it is serious. Kelsey is the perfect balance of both. Patrol became a second family to her — one built on trust, skill, and on showing up when things are the hardest. The work is demanding and often thankless, but it's deeply meaningful. "It is truly a gift to take care Raised in the woods of Indian Lake and forged on the slopes of Gore Mountain, Kelsey O'Driscoll's journey is one of grit, grace, and unshakable community. After a life-altering spinal cord injury, the former ski patroller returned to the mountain not just to stand again, but to race. Now, with the Adirondacks at her back, she's headed to the 2026 Winter Paralympics, carrying the strength of her hometown all the way to the starting gate. Kelsey O'Driscoll's Adirondack Ascent By Siobhan Monahan

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