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“I guess we’re going to be a snow family.”
It was a thought that crossed Sarah Mulcare’s mind as she watched her husband ski for the first time.
Twelve months later, that prediction has become reality.
The Reyes-Mulcare family has rented out their Sydney home and relocated to Jindabyne for the winter season, allowing Oliberth Reyes to maximise his time on snow after discovering a passion he simply couldn’t ignore.
Just a year ago, the 33-year-old had never skied. Today, he’s chasing a Paralympic dream that began with a single weekend on the slopes.
As Snow Australia’s Adaptive Festivals return for another winter – supported by Paralympics Australia, Disability Wintersport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport – Reyes’ story stands as a powerful reminder of what can happen when someone simply decides to give something new a try.
Four Adaptive Festivals will be held this winter, providing people with disability the opportunity to experience adaptive skiing and snowboarding in a supportive environment.
Last year, Reyes was one of 20 participants who attended the inaugural festival at Perisher. Now, he has relocated his young family to the Snowy Mountains in pursuit of a place at the 2030 Paralympic Winter Games.
“Stories like Oli’s show how powerful these opportunities can be,” said Bobbi Kelly, Snow Australia’s Para Pathway Manager.
“For some, it might be a great weekend. For others, like Oli, it can open a completely new pathway.”
Born in Colombia without his left leg, Reyes arrived in Australia in 2018 on a scholarship to complete an MBA. Now an Australian citizen, husband and father to eight-month-old Luka, he has spent much of his life embracing new challenges.
“I was brought up with the mindset of showing the world that I can do anything I put my mind to,” he said.
Despite that mindset, skiing never felt particularly accessible.
“I didn’t think that skiing was a possibility for me.”
That changed in late 2024 when Reyes attended a Para sport come and try day at Sydney Olympic Park. During conversations with members of Australia’s Para snow sport community, he learned that standing skiing with one leg was not only possible but encouraged.
So, when an invitation arrived for Snow Australia’s inaugural Adaptive Festival, the decision was a no-brainer.
“I had to go,” he said.
What he remembers most about his first day on snow was that he “fell a thousand times,” but towards the end of the day, he was connecting turns and getting the hang of it.
“Something I thought was impossible was becoming very possible almost immediately.”
Asked when skiing clicked, Reyes didn’t hesitate.
“It was love at first fall.”
After attending two Adaptive Festivals and receiving positive feedback from coaches, Reyes began rollerblading to develop transferable skills and accelerate his progression on snow.
At the same time, he decided to stop spreading himself across multiple sports and commit fully to one.
“I could not afford to keep practising several sports and focusing on none,” he said.
Together with his wife, they assessed the various Para sports available to him, before fully committing to skiing.
“We picked a lane, as a family, and made the decision to make the 2030 Paralympic Winter Games our North Star,” he said.
The challenge was obvious: skiing requires access to snow.
What began as a light-hearted ‘what-if’ conversation soon evolved into a plan to relocate to Jindabyne and maximise every possible day on snow.
“As the season approached, it became clearer that time on the snow was my best ally, and that the best way to maximise it would be to move down to Jindabyne,”Reyes said.
The move has asked a lot of the family. Sarah is running her business remotely while the family spends winter in the Snowy Mountains, leaving behind friends, routines and familiar comforts.
For Reyes, it has meant putting his professional career in finance temporarily on hold and working as a barista while dedicating as much time as possible to training.
“We’ve always given a lot of weight to our careers and professions, so taking a step back professionally to fully focus on training and being a barista during the snow season was not the most straightforward story to tell,” he said.
Yet neither views it as a burden.
“We have always cheered each other on and been partners in everything,” Sarah said.
“I’ve had to make some changes, sure, but it feels very worth it to me.”
Looking back, she still remembers that first day on snow.
“The way his face lit up, the way he would shout with delight, the way he would get up determinedly every time he fell, I knew immediately this was going to be more than just a hobby,” she said.
“I remember thinking within the first 10 minutes of watching him on the snow, ‘I guess we’re going to be a snow family.'”
Kelly, who guided alpine skier Mel Perrine at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in the women’s VI class, said the festivals were designed to remove barriers.
“It is about giving participants a positive first experience and helping them discover whether skiing or snowboarding is something they enjoy,” Kelly said.
“For many people, the biggest impact is the sense of freedom, community and connection that comes with being on snow.
“If someone’s first experience is positive, safe and fun, they are far more likely to want to come back. That is the real win.”
Reyes hopes to be competition ready by the end of the season, with international competition and ultimately the 2030 Winter Paralympic Games firmly in his sights.
But regardless of where the journey leads, he knows exactly where it began.
“The Adaptive Festivals I attended last year literally changed my life,” he said.
“If you’re in doubt as to whether this is for you, or whether you’re able to do it, I’d highly recommend attending and giving it a go.”
Kelly’s message to prospective participants is similarly simple.
“You do not need to know if snow sports are for you before you arrive, that is the whole point of the festival,” she said.
“Come with an open mind, meet the community, try something new and see how it feels. You might surprise yourself.”
If you’d like to keep up to date with Oli’s journey, you can follow him on his Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/oliberthreyes/
2026 Adaptive Festivals
- Thredbo, Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 June 2026
- Falls Creek, Friday 17 July – Sunday 19 Jul 2026
- Buller, Friday 14 August – Sunday 16 August 2026
- Perisher, Friday 11 Sep – Sunday 13 Sep 2026
For more information visit: www.snow.org.au
Or contact: Bobbi Kelly, Snow Australia Para Pathway Manager: [email protected]
By Ashley Gillespie, Paralympics Australia.
Published 15 June, 2026.
