Alex Hackel

Alex Hackel is an X Games medalist skier from Boston. He worked his way on to the United States Ski Team and later shifted his focus to making ski films. In 2020, Alex received an X Games Real Ski bronze medal. He followed this up with an X Games Silver Medal in 2021. Currently he is the co-owner of 1000 Skis. Alex shares a small part of his story below.

I was used to people judging me on the surface. I was used to people seeing my test scores and writing me off. And I wasn’t afraid to know that I had something deeper in myself to give. That I had talents and that if an authority figure doubted me and told me I couldn’t be a professional free skier, well, that wasn’t going to stand in my way. I wanted to find a community that was going to embrace me and let my passion and hard work really take me through all those experiences of being dyslexic. I learned quickly if somebody doubts you, you don’t have to listen to them.

Going back to this idea, the curriculum’s not for you. I saw with my skiing that I could think about things differently. And I was used to failure. I was also used to the idea: how can I look at this differently? Or how can I adapt? And I was a lot grittier than my peers. I really think that dyslexia taught me critical thinking on the fly. How do I feel about it so I can understand it? That is the wonderful gift of dyslexia. And then I begged, and I begged, and I begged. Finally, in the 10th grade, I went to Windells Academy, now called Wy’East Mountain Academy.

I got to take all those dyslexic advantages and all the knowledge I was building. Then, it was put into this positive structure of wins: you get to go skiing every day. You get coaches; you have these amazing training facilities, trampolines, and airbags. I mean, it was heaven. I met Mike Hanley, and he was my coach. This guy, he believed in me. I took everything inside me to this place in the mountains that could lead to becoming a professional skier. And through this coach who believed in me, I really hit my stride.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and I said, hey, why am I here? I want to be a professional free skier. Okay. If Mike can get me to that point, then I’ll do anything. I’ll listen to him. And like that day, I learned three tricks. Then we went skiing again, and two days later, I learned five more tricks. One of the great things about sports is for the most part, a level playing field and being dyslexic doesn’t matter.