US team officials are expecting about 30 athletes to compete at the Soldier Hollow competition, taking place until January 10, as established stars and new faces will be aiming to impress and make the final squad of 17 that will travel to Russia to compete in the cross-country skiing and biathlon events at the Games.

Vancouver 2010 veterans Andy Soule - who won a biathlon bronze - and Sean Halsted are expected to lead the charge on the men's side.

Sit skier Dan Cnossen will also be looking to lay down a marker at the Nationals, following his four medal wins on the 2013 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup circuit.

Sean Halsted will be hoping to impress at Soldier Hollow to ensure a second appearance at a Winter Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

























London 2012 rowing bronze medal winner Oksana Masters, who made the switch from the water to the snow look easy after taking cross-country bronze at the World Cup last month, will also be eyeing up a Winter Paralympic appearance to go with her Summer Games outing.

She will be joined in the women's events by another star of London 2012 in the form of Tatyana McFadden, who is swapping the wheelchair for the sled as she looks to add to her three Paralympic gold medals.

McFadden had an outstanding 2013 after claiming six titles at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, while completing a historic clean sweep of wheelchair marathon wins after victories in London, Boston, Chicago and New York.

Fellow London 2012 wheelchair racer Aaron Pike is another making the switch to winter sport, and according to US Paralympics Nordic skiing high performance director John Farra, the focus for both athletes is to work on technique and specialist skills.

"Aaron and Tatyana both came in at a really high level of fitness, and we just need to continue to work on the technical side," he said.

"That's what this winter will be about for those two, just learning how to turn corners on slippery, icy white stuff."

Developing new skiing stars and encouraging more athletes to take up the sport is also an important part of the National Championships claims Farra, who says that running the event alongside the able-bodied Championships will help to grow Paralympic sport and skiing in particular.

Tatyana McFadden wants to add a Nordic skiing Paralympic medal to her impressive collection of titles ©AFP/Getty Images




























"If we can integrate our standing athletes into our able-bodied field and find a course that works for sit-ski athletes as well, then they can be a part of something bigger, which feels a lot more rewarding than racing two other people in a sit-ski race by themselves," he said.

"We've focused on making the National Championships the big event you need to go to if you're considering being a Nordic skier, because you get together as a community and because it's the biggest competition.

"We had 30 Americans last year at Nationals, and I hope to keep building upon that figure if we're really going to be an international power four to eight years from now."

The final US squad for the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games will be announced no later than January 31.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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