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Help Oli Reach the International Start Gate

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Born without my left leg, I've gone from beginner to internationally ranked skier in one season. Help fund my first international training and racing block.

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Once upon a time, I was a little boy in Colombia dreaming of going to the Paralympics.Today, I have a clear path to get there. <h1>FROM FIRST TURNS TO THE INTERNATIONAL START GATE</h1>A year ago, I skied for the first time.Today, I&#39;m working towards representing Australia in the 2030 Winter Paralympics.Maybe that sounds slightly delusional.And, honestly, sometimes it feels delusional to me.But after a successful first season, I know this isn&#39;t just a crazy idea.I feel it in my heart that there is something here.The next step is international training and competition in America.But I cannot do it alone. <h3> </h3><h3>My unlikely beginning</h3>I was born in Colombia without my left leg.Growing up, I never thought of myself as someone who couldn&#39;t do things because of it. My dad taught me to swim when I was four, and I learnt to walk with a prosthetic leg when I was about 18 months old.I&#39;ve always loved sport. I swam competitively, and after moving to Australia in 2018, I discovered rowing, climbing, wheelchair racing and other sports.But skiing?I&#39;d never thought it was even an option!That changed in 2025.I tried adaptive skiing for the first time at Perisher and absolutely fell in love with it.I had no idea that one-legged alpine skiing was even a sport, let alone that it could potentially lead to the Paralympics.By the end of that first day, I&#39;d fallen an almost embarrassing number of times.But I also couldn&#39;t stop thinking about it.<h3> </h3><h3>The crazy decision</h3>At the beginning of 2026, my family and I decided to find out how far I could take this.The goal: Represent Australia in the 2030 Winter Paralympics.My wife, Sarah, and I decided to go all in.We packed up our lives in Sydney, rented out our home, and moved to Jindabyne with our baby, Luka, so I could spend the winter learning to ski properly.The original plan was simple:Train in the mornings, work when I could, train some more, look after our baby, and somehow make the whole thing work.Then reality arrived. <h3>Learning to actually ski</h3>At the beginning of the season, I wasn&#39;t even part of the team&#39;s plans.I&#39;d tried to register for development camps, but I was told I wasn&#39;t ready to train with the team yet and should spend time training independently to catch up.And, in hindsight, they had a point. I&#39;d only skied twice in my life!But early in the season, the coaches saw me skiing and realised I was ready to join them after all.So, I went from training on my own to suddenly being part of the team.From June through September, I trained intensely alongside them, learning what it actually takes to ski competitively.It was difficult. There were plenty of falls, frustrating days, and moments when I looked at the people around me and wondered what on earth I was doing.But I kept persisting and improving.<h3> </h3><h3>Then came racing</h3>This season, I competed in three inter-school Giant Slalom (GS) competitions: Regional, State, and National.Then came something even bigger: my first three FIS Slalom races.I was still learning the fundamentals and getting used to a racing environment.But I got through the races, earned my first FIS points, and became internationally ranked.I&#39;m under no illusion that I&#39;m a World Cup skier... yet.There&#39;s an enormous amount of work ahead of me.But something even more important happened this season.I showed the team that I have enough potential for them to keep investing in me.At the end of the season, I was formally invited to join Snow Australia&#39;s Emerging Talent Program (ETP).For someone who started the year without a pair of skis (yes, I need to buy the 2), that&#39;s pretty significant. <h3>Now the next step is international</h3>Snow Australia has identified an opportunity for me to undertake an international training and racing block in the United States in January 2027 to train and compete at Winter Park.This is where the dream gets expensive.The programme costs approximately $1,900 AUD per week for accommodation and coaching alone, before flights, insurance, food, equipment, and other expenses. A four-week trip could easily cost $15,000 or more.Until now, my family and I have funded this journey ourselves. However, covering the cost of this next step on our own simply isn&#39;t realistic.That&#39;s why I&#39;m asking for your help.I&#39;ve spent the past year learning, training, and racing to earn my place on this pathway. Now, with the opportunity to take my development overseas, I want to give myself the best possible chance to keep progressing.Your support could help make that next step possible. <h3>What your support can do</h3>Your donation will help cover the costs of <ul><li>4-week International training and competition (~$15,000 in total)<ul><li>Coaching &amp; Accommodation ($1,900 per week)</li><li>Meals (~$200 per week)</li><li>Travel (~$2,000 - $3,000 return international flights + Local transport)</li><li>Insurance (which happens to be significantly pricier for skiing than your average travel insurance ~$500-$1000 per week)</li><li>Equipment (racing boots range from ~$1,000 to $2,000 + FIS GS ski, which I&#39;ll try to get 2nd hand)</li><li>Other expenses associated with developing as a para-alpine skier (i.e. professional boot fitting ~$not cheap)</li></ul></li></ul>More importantly, it will help me access something I can&#39;t replicate at home:Time on snow, training, and racing against the best in the world.That&#39;s where I need to be to make this dream a reality.I know I&#39;ve got what it takes.<h3> </h3><h3>Join me</h3>If you&#39;ve followed this journey from the beginning, thank you.You&#39;ve seen the first falls, the crashes, the good days, the terrible days, the races, and the gradual improvement. You&#39;ve watched me go from learning to ski and rollerblade to competing on the racecourse.If you&#39;re new to the journey, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/oliberthreyes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">you can catch up on Instagram here</a>.Now, I&#39;d love you to be part of the next chapter. I&#39;ll continue to share regular updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and highlights from training and racing, so you can follow the progress, celebrate the milestones, and see firsthand what your support is helping make possible. If you can contribute, thank you.If you can&#39;t, sharing this campaign with someone who might be able to help is just as valuable. Every dollar helps. Every share expands the team around me. And every person who gets behind this journey helps me get one step closer to the start gate. I&#39;ve come this far. Help me find out how far I can go.