For Oscar Burnham, a para-alpine skier, it’s “full speed ahead on the slopes to 2030!”

26-year-old Oscar Burnham, a recipient of the Banque Populaire National Foundation award, is one of the rising stars of the French Paralympic Ski Team. In 2026, his 4^rd place in the combined event at the Milan-Cortina Games, just 0.20 seconds short of the podium, was inevitably a source of disappointment while simultaneously pointing to a promising future.

Skiing is Oscar’s whole life – he was practically born with skis on his feet – but he had drifted away from competitions until fate brought him back “between the gates.” Fate, in his case, was a stupid accident, “a dumb mistake from my youth” as he puts it, when, on the night of his high school graduation, he was struck by an electric arc that burned his left hand. Not the type of person to wallow over his amputated limb, Oscar threw himself into para-sports. With a focus on para-skiing, of course, driven by the competitive spirit that had never left him.

Were you introduced to alpine skiing at a very young age?

My mom was a ski instructor in Tignes. She put me on skis as soon as I could walk. So I started competing very early on and joined a sports academy. At the same time, I always practiced different mountain sports: notably a lot of rock climbing, including competitions, along with mountaineering and paragliding.

Did you keep doing that for a long time?

I became a ski instructor and planned to become a mountain guide. But my accident put a stop to that. Although my disability doesn’t prevent me from working as a ski instructor, it rules out taking responsibility for people as a guide. But I still go mountaineering with friends.

When you had your accident, you nearly died but one of your friends saved your life by performing CPR on you. How does your friend feel about your career as a high-level athlete and your participation in the Paralympic Games?

He definitely saved my life. It’s thanks to him that I’m still here today. Pablo and I now live together as housemates. I think he’s pretty proud to see how my career has developed. But in his eyes, I’m still simply Oscar and not some high-level athlete. But he definitely played a part in what’s happened to me.

What level had you reached in skiing before your accident?

I competed in FIS events – i.e. events organized by the International Ski Federation – but I never made the French national team, and I ended up stopping.

There’s another person who played a role in your destiny. It’s the multi-medal-winning athlete Marie Bochet, who was also the head of the French team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games.

It was a time when I didn’t know which way to turn. My hand had been severely damaged by the electric arc. I had to decide whether to have my hand amputated or not. I had a week to think it over. This was in 2018, during the PyeongChang Paralympic Games. And I saw Marie win her four titles. As I watched her, I thought to myself, why not me? That played a role in my decision to have my hand amputated. It was my left hand… I’m right-handed.

So you jumped right into this adventure?

Yes. I had my accident in July and was back on skis by November. A few months later, I was competing on the national circuit and then in my first World Cups.

What’s the difference between skiing and para-skiing?

To see the differences, you have to look at the details of the performance. For example, when taking a run down a steep slope, if I want to shave off those crucial seconds without being able to lean on my left side, well… The important thing is to get down the slope as fast as you can!

It was ultimately your accident that brought you back into competitive sport, which you had given up on…

Yes, it was a life-changing experience that brought me back to competing. But I have that in me. I really love skiing, in all its different forms but it’s the need to compete that brings me “between the gates.”

Does sport play a different role in your life after your accident?

No. There isn’t any “before” and “after.” Sport was in me before and after the accident. It already played a central role in my life, and nothing has changed in that respect. And in fact, getting back into sport very quickly helped me get past that difficult moment. It’s somewhat of a paradox but my accident ultimately allowed me to make sport my life, and to make a living from my sport.

Skiers typically specialize in specific disciplines. You, on the other hand, do everything, from downhill to slalom… Why?

Because it suits me. Speed gives me an edge in the technical disciplines. And vice versa.

Downhill is a challenging sport, and every fall has consequences: how do you manage the fear of falling and the inherent risk?

I actually like feeling that fear at the start. In any case, I like taking risks. I’m into mountaineering… I’m used to that relationship with the slope. These are disciplines where you constantly put your body on the line.

Are there any athletes you particularly admire?

I really admire athletes who win and then manage to stay at the top of their game, like Teddy Riner. In my opinion, that’s the hardest thing to do.

If you had to pick one value that’s important to you in your sport?

It’s freedom in its broadest sense. The freedom to practice my sport in nature, but also the freedom to choose my own paths. Skiing offers a lot of freedom of expression.

What do you think about when you’re feeling unsure?

I think about what comes next. I never look back; it’s pointless. I focus on what I can do with what I have, and not on what I could have done.

A word about your participation in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games? What stands out for you? Specifically, your 4^th place in the combined event, both athletically and personally?

It’s true that I finished 4^th in the combined event, just 0.20 of a second short of a medal. That’s really nothing. I don’t want to say it’s a failure. But that’s the way it is; there are only three steps on the podium… I don’t know if the disappointment will fade with time; what I do know is that I’m going to use it to become even better.

Does this result mean that your training strategy was right?

It does. I didn’t finish 10^th, way behind the leaders. Here, I was up there with the best. 0.20 seconds – if I were to run the race again – represents just one or two sliding edges. But now, I have the advantage of knowing what works and what doesn’t.

But overall, the results for the French team didn’t quite live up to expectations. How can you explain that?

I think we met our goal. But sport isn’t an exact science. The French team is very good. Not everyone brought home the medals they were hoping for but we weren’t far off, like me, for example, who finished 4^th. That’s why this team is in a strong position leading up to the 2030 Paralympic Games.

What are your upcoming sporting events?

First of all, a little rest, a vacation, and then we’ll start training again in June. I do have a major event coming up next season, since the World Championships will be held right here at home, in Tignes. I know the Lognan slope where the events will be taking place like the back of my hand. I practically skied there before I could walk. It was on this very same slope that the 1992 Paralympic Games were held.

Are you already thinking about the 2030 Games in France?

That’s still a long way off. We’ll take it one season at a time but I really do want to be there.

You’re a member of the police force. How does that fit in with your sporting career?

I am indeed one of the elite athletes in the National Police force. I’m fortunate to be on full-time leave so I can dedicate myself to my sport. I represent the institution and the values of the police in national and international competitions.

Do you have any activities outside of sports? Do you have a dual career plan?

I completed a University Diploma in Marketing Techniques with a customized program at the IUT technical college in Annecy. Now I’m 100% focused to my athletic career, especially with the Games in France coming up in four years. But a career transition is in the back of my mind, and I know I’ll have plenty of opportunities… For now, until 2030, it’s “dré dans l’pentu” (“full speed ahead on the slopes”), as we say back home in Savoie.

How did you “discover” the Banque Populaire Corporate Foundation*?

I learned about its support for athletes – and, more specifically, its support for para-athletes – in conversations with some of them. I applied and was very happy to be among the 2026 recipients of the award. It’s a wonderful social initiative.

And what does their support mean to you?

It means a lot to me to be part of a community, a family, a group of people pursuing the same goals… Beyond the financial aspect, it’s personally inspiring to belong to a large group like this. It creates new opportunities for athletes like us.

* Since 1992, the Banque Populaire Corporate Foundation, the vehicle for the national patronage activities of the 14 Banques Populaires and their cooperative shareholders , has been promoting individual initiative and long-term support for the life projects of talented, creative people with the desire to undertake and a taste for innovation in three areas: Music, Disability and Arts and Crafts.