The Winter Paralympics is a chance to give people inspiration to change their lives

I was taught to ski by a guy called Bill Bowness. He has sadly passed away now, but he was an American Paralympian with this big beard and a proper chilled vibe. He took me up a slope at Lake Tahoe once in one of the early sit skis and I remember it to this day: a fibreglass bucket seat bolted to a frame on top of a ski. Even balancing on one of these things was hard enough. I was horror-struck, but there was Bill teaching me, cool as you like, and he was literally skiing down the mountain backwards as he did it.

Skiing is one of the most liberating sensations you can feel and that’s especially true for people with disabilities. You’re thinking if I do something wrong here then I’m toppling down a mountain at 50mph, but if I get down safely then I’ve played with death (or broken bones) and I’ve won the game.

As humans we like to feel like we’re in control and if you feel like you’re in control of danger, that’s really exhilarating. I almost feel like a psychopath talking about it in those terms, but that’s what I think of when the Winter Paralympics come around.

Sometimes I like to say that watching the Winter Paralympics is akin to some sort of futuristic Marvel movie. I know it sounds a little cliched, but you’ve got these athletes with limbs missing, spinal cord injuries, visual impairments, cerebral palsy and all sorts of levels of disability and they’re managing to conquer the toughest terrain we can face. Mountains. Snow. Ice. How many non-disabled people have gone on holiday, stood at the top of a black run and thought: ‘I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here?’ These athletes we’re talking about, they’re doing it with disabilities, at an elite level, and making it easy.

For those who haven’t watched alpine