A year ago, Oliberth Reyes had never even heard of one-legged alpine skiing. Now he is training for a shot at the 2030 Winter Paralympics.

Reyes, 33, was born in Colombia without a left leg and said he never thought skiing was possible for him.

“I didn’t even think this sport was an option for me, or an activity that I would be able to do,” he said.

He was introduced to adaptive skiing at an event for para athletes last year and became fascinated by the sport. Paralympic development coaches quickly spotted his ability, and within weeks he was training with them at Perisher.

Reyes has since swapped his life in Sydney for Jindabyne as he works towards qualifying for the Winter Paralympics.

Competing in snow sports was unheard of for Reyes as a child growing up in the Colombian mountains, and he spent his younger years swimming. After moving to Australia in 2018, he took up climbing, rowing and wheelchair racing.

His first full run at Perisher left a mark.

“I remember the first day vividly. I must have fallen a thousand times,” Reyes said.

“That sense of fulfilment I felt towards the end of that first day is something that’s going to live in my mind forever.”

At the end of the 2025 season, Reyes returned to Sydney and was encouraged by Snow Sports Australia para development coach Tom Hodges to practise skiing by rollerblading.

“Rollerblading is probably one of the closest dryland equivalents you can do, so we definitely encouraged him to spend time rollerblading,” Mr Hodges said.

His team soon decided he needed more time on snow. In June, eight months after Reyes and his wife Sarah Mulcare welcomed baby Luka, the family moved to Jindabyne.

Reyes now trains five days a week with coaches from Snow Sports Australia and Paralympics Australia, while also working barista shifts at a cafe.

He became an Australian citizen in 2023 and hopes to represent Australia at the Winter Paralympics.

“Getting to represent your country doesn’t come easily and it’s not an opportunity afforded to every person,” Mr Hodges said.

“He is working very hard and he’s got his heart and mind set on it.

“It will be interesting how far he can go in such a short space of time. We are going to give him every opportunity to get to that point.”

Reyes is preparing for his first race later this season, with the potential to compete internationally next year.

“I’m just going to put it out there already,” Reyes said.

“I am going to bring the gold medals home.”

Read more from ABC – Australia.