My name is Andrew “Patto” Patterson and I am in a wheelchair

I never thought I would be back in the mountains.

Not just visiting…

Not just watching…

But skiing again.

For years, that part of my life felt over.

Not on hold.

Not waiting.

Finished.

So now, every single turn I make on the snow feels emotional.

It feels borrowed.

It feels like a gift I never expected to receive again.

It reminds me that life doesn’t have to keep getting smaller just because your body changes.

The only reason I’m back on the mountain at all is because my daughter saved up and bought me sit-ski lessons as a Christmas present.

She believed I still belonged there, even when I wasn’t sure I did.

And last season, one person changed everything for me.

Lizzie Putman didn’t just help me ski.

She gave me safety when I was scared.

Confidence when I doubted myself.

And something I thought I had lost forever:

a sense that I still belonged in the mountains.

Lizzie is already a qualified ski instructor.

Now she wants to train in disability skiing so she can help others like me — people who think their body has taken something away from them forever.

Here’s what makes this even more powerful…

She works in Alpendorf — a resort that currently has no accessible skiing at all.

None.

No sit-skis.

No trained instructors.

No pathway for disabled people to take part.

If Lizzie qualifies, she wouldn’t just be helping a few individuals.

She would be creating access where there is currently nothing.

She would be opening a door that doesn’t exist yet.

And that matters more than I can put into words.

But the reality is this:

The course and the costs around it will be around £2,000.

And she simply cannot afford that on her own.

This is the part I really want people to hear…Every single bit of help moves this forward.

Because I know what this would mean.

I know what it feels like when your world gets bigger instead of smaller.

I know what it feels like when someone believes your life should still include adventure.

The more instructors trained in disability skiing:

• the more accessible it becomes

• the more affordable it becomes

• and the more people get their lives back, instead of feeling limited

So this is me asking — not lightly and not casually:

Please help Lizzie qualify

You wouldn’t just be paying for a course.

You would be helping build something that doesn’t exist yet.

You would be giving disabled people the chance to feel capable, included, and alive again.

And that is worth everything.

Patto