Pushing his hair back and tilting his head down, U.S. para snowboarder Noah Elliott placed a black cowboy hat on his head while walking to the podium Wednesday in Steamboat Square, part of the Para Snowboard World Cup finale. 

Elliott wanted to pay respect to where his snowboarding career began — Steamboat Springs. 

Donning his finest Western attire, courtesy of F.M. Light and Son’s, Elliott was awarded the Men’s LL1 World Cup Overall Crystal Globe, solidifying him as the best men’s para snowboarder on the planet. 

At age 15, Elliott was diagnosed with osteosarcoma bone cancer in his left leg. During treatment, the Missouri native was offered a chance to visit Steamboat Springs through the Sunshine Kids Foundation. 

“I came here as a kid with cancer, my first time ever seeing the mountains,” Elliott said. “I fell in love with the community and got the opportunity to come back after I got my amputation. From that point on, I was able to begin my snowboarding. My first days on snow were here. From my day one to me getting the overall is a full circle moment for me.”

Elliott is a two-time Paralympian, winning banked slalom gold and snowboard cross bronze in 2018. Following his medal runs, he decided it was time to give back to the community that gave his career a jumpstart, returning to the Yampa Valley that same year and staying until 2022. 

He worked at Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports in town, helping others learn how to “skateboard the mountains.” Now 27, Elliott resides in the Colorado Springs area.

World Cup cancellations earlier this season in Europe called for an additional stop on the snowboard cross schedule. The opportunity ultimately fell in the hands of Steamboat Resort to host the first Para Snowboard World Cup event in the United States since 2017. 

“It was a full energetic recharge,” Elliott said of learning the World Cup circuit was headed to Steamboat. “The seasons can get long, especially when every trip we are going on you show up, you’re jet lagged, you have a great time but it can be tiring. As soon as I got the news, it got me right back where I needed my attitude to be and gave me momentum to keep the season going.”

Elliott had a great showing on home snow, taking a silver medal on both World Cup days — Tuesday and Wednesday on Bashor at Steamboat Resort. Best of all, he was surprised by his mother and daughter at the finish line of his time trial on Wednesday morning. 

Elliott’s daughter, Skylar, was ecstatic to watch her father compete for the very first time. The 12-year-old was in awe of her hero. 

“It meant a lot because I know this is where he first started snowboarding, so it was fun,” Skylar said. 

Elliott typically does not get back on snow to start the season as early as many of his other competitors. Still, he attacks each race with maximum effort and was thrilled to earn his second career Crystal Globe, which Elliott described as “the big daddy.” 

“It was heavy,” Skylar said of the 16.3-pound globe.