Meet Adaptive Athlete: Michelle Salt

Michelle Salt was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Growing up, she loved all sports and found a sense of confidence and identity on the playing field that she didn’t always feel elsewhere. She was drawn to challenges and the rewarding feeling of progress. At the age of 13, Michelle discovered snowboarding and immediately fell in love, pushing herself to become skilled and confident enough to ride advanced terrain, even in a sport where few girls participated at the time.

 

On June 27, 2011, Michelle’s life changed drastically after a severe motorcycle accident. Just two days later, she underwent an above-the-knee amputation of her right leg. The extent of her injuries was life-threatening - she spent seven days on a ventilator and five months in the hospital, narrowly surviving significant blood loss. Prior to her accident, Michelle had been a fitness model, and while her strong physical condition helped save her life, adjusting to her new reality brought immense physical and emotional challenges.

 

In the early stages of recovery, Michelle leaned on goal-setting as both motivation and distraction. It wasn’t until two years later that she began to fully process and grieve the life she had lost. Despite everything, she returned to snowboarding, the sport she loved most, determined to reclaim a piece of herself and continue pushing forward.

 

Through this program, Michelle is seeking to reset - physically, mentally, and emotionally. She hopes to rebuild healthy habits, rediscover her confidence, and ultimately create a more balanced, peaceful life where she can once again feel strong, capable, and at home in her body.