Paralympic Snowboarder Andre Barbieri Competes in the Sport That Cost Him His Leg

Paralympic Snowboarder Andre Barbieri Competes in the Sport that Cost Him His Leg

The Brazilian Athlete Is Unofficially Representing Santa Barbara

By John Zant | February 10, 2022

After his accident, Barbieri began training and competing in para triathlon and eventually mustered up the courage to try snowboarding again. | Credit: Andrew Jay

Andre Barbieri refers to March 11 as his “ampuversary” — celebrating the day in 2011 that a snowboarding accident cost him his left leg.

It has become an occasion to celebrate because so much goodness has blossomed from Barbieri’s misfortune. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he embraced a spirit of euphoria that has spread like a benign infection among many people who’ve gotten to know him.

The Banked Slalom competition event is one of Barbieri’s favorites. He says, “It’s like a video game.” | Credit: Simo Vihunen

Thanks to their support and his own athletic resilience, Barbieri will be going to Beijing next month to participate in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. He is a para-snowboarder for Brazil, his native country. Unofficially, he will be representing Santa Barbara, his adopted hometown for the last 15 years.