Symister added a silver medal to New Zealand's haul of 16 medals won by the end of the third day of competition yesterday.
In his quest for gold, Symister lost a ski halfway through the course, but rather than stopping and being disqualified, he carried on with just one ski.
Although the misfortune of losing his ski may have cost the Otago Special Olympian a chance of taking home a gold medal, his courage and determination was rewarded.
Otago's Ben Blanche also competed yesterday, finishing seventh in the giant slalom division M7 competition.
The Otago pair also competed in the super giant slalom section of the alpine skiing events on Tuesday.
Symister finished fourth in the M11 section of the super giant slalom competition, while Blanche finished sixth in the M5 category.
A total of 2600 Special Olympics athletes from over 105 countries competed at the tournament, making it the largest sporting event held in 2017.
Dunedin's Brian Benn heads the delegation of New Zealand athletes who have travelled to Austria.
Dedication, like Symister showed to win his silver medal on one ski, was evident throughout the team, Benn said.
''The team has been absolutely inspiring and it is a privilege to be a part of such a courageous and dedicated team.''
''We set high goals for our athletes and really push them to achieve their personal bests, each and every athlete has responded to this and achieved far more than we could have hoped for.''
-By Jonny Turner
