Tim Farr, Paralympian Skier & Businessman
I was born in London in 1982, the youngest of three siblings. My parents divorced when I was young and I have a full brother and sister, 2 younger half-siblings and 2 older step-siblings. Our household was lively and bustling, filled with the sounds of playful competition and shared adventures. My brother and I were inseparable rivals, constantly pushing each other in rugby, and other sports. I always enjoyed the adventure sports and adrenalin of skiing, waterskiing, windsurfing and sailing.
My father was a dedicated lawyer and my mother balanced her role as a health visitor with raising us. Their unwavering work ethic and zest for life left an indelible mark on me. They taught me the importance of hard work and the joy of embracing life’s adventures.
I loved travelling and discovering new places, something I also got from my father. Before diving into university life, I took a gap year to travel across South Africa. And after my first year of university I travelled through Mexico with friends. We immersed ourselves in the vibrant culture, explored new places. This journey deepened my love for exploration and the great outdoors.
In 2002, I enrolled at the University of Exeter to study politics and sociology. During my second year at Exeter, in early 2004, I joined friends on the university ski trip to the French Alps. One fateful day, while navigating a poorly marked ski park, I approached a jump with excessive speed. I overshot the landing and crashed violently, resulting in a severe spinal injury. Airlifted to Grenoble Hospital, I was confronted with devastating news: a broken back and the likelihood of never walking again. At 21, my world had been irrevocably altered in an instant.
I underwent surgery in France to insert a metal rod into my spine. After stabilizing, I was flown back to the UK where I did 3 months of intensive rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Tasks once taken for granted—sitting up, dressing, manoeuvring a wheelchair, curbs, steps—became daily challenges. Yet, with each small victory, my determination grew stronger. I didn’t know what my life would look like as a disabled person but I took 1 day at a time. I think this time was almost harder for my family who worried and thought about what I would be able to do in the future.
Returning to university in late 2004 was both a relief and a challenge. The familiar surroundings were comforting, but they also highlighted the stark changes in my life. Simple activities like accessing certain buildings, pubs and clubs, underscored the new obstacles I faced. Despite these challenges, I was resolute in completing my degree, drawing strength from supportive friends and family.
In 2005, during my rehabilitation, I was introduced to adaptive sports through a charity called Back Up. They organized a ski camp in Colorado for individuals with spinal injuries. Sceptical yet hopeful, I attended. That’s when I discovered sit-skiing. I’d always loved skiing before my accident and I wasn’t ready to give it up. Sit-skiing involves using a specially adapted seat mounted on a single ski with handheld outriggers. It was scary at first—completely different from what I was used to—but it gave me back something; the experience and exhilaration of skiing once more, the sensation of gliding down the slopes reignited a passion I thought I’d lost – freedom!
Determined to push my limits, I immersed myself in adaptive skiing. I started training, slowly at first. I had to learn how to balance, how to carve turns, how to crash safely—and trust me, there were plenty of crashes. But I loved the challenge. Skiing again gave me purpose, adrenaline and joy. It also gave me a goal.
At the beginning, I had to fund all my ski training myself. I continued working during the off season and looked for sponsorship. Every penny I earned went toward ski lessons, equipment, travel and race entry fees. I had to make lots of sacrifices along the way missing friends’ birthdays, stags and weddings.
Training became my focus and by 2009, my dedication bore fruit. I earned a spot on the British Paralympic team and competed in the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada. Representing my country on such a prestigious platform was an honour beyond words. Standing at the top of a racecourse in Canada, wearing my GB race suit, with family in the crowd was one of the proudest moments of my life. The journey from a hospital bed to the Paralympic slopes was a testament to resilience and the transformative power of sport. To go from being told I would never walk again to racing on the world’s biggest stage was surreal.
Skiing took me around the world racing and training in America, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Korea. Along the way, I met other disabled athletes who shared that same passion. We trained together, competed together, and supported each other. It was more than just sport—it was a new community.
After Vancouver, I decided to commit to another 4 years and go for Sochi 2014. A broken femur in 2010 kept me off the slopes for a year but I took this time to train harder, become stronger and use it as an advantage. I learned more and became more strategic about my racing. Unfortunately, despite some good results at world cups more injuries meant I wasn’t selected for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. I was devastated after putting everything I had into it.
However, I got the chance to be a TV pundit during the Sochi games and this is where I met my amazing wife who was assistant floor manager during the games. We got married in 2019 and together we’ve been blessed with 3 incredible children, all girls including a set of twins and they remain the centre of my world.
While training and competing, I’d met so many others with disabilities who had gained so much from taking part in adaptive adventure sports and those who wanted to experience the outdoors but didn’t have access to the same opportunities. There were limited adaptive programs in the UK, and we knew we could do better.
In 2015, I co-founded Access Adventures with 2 friends, a team-mate Jane Sowerby and physio friend Clare Williams—both had first-hand experience and seen the impact and transformative power adventure sports can have. We wanted to create a charity that offered life-changing experiences for people with disabilities, helping them rediscover confidence, community and purpose through sport.
At first we started small. We offered adaptive ski trips and wakeboarding camps, building a network of instructors, volunteers and participants. We applied for grants, launched crowdfunding campaigns, and leaned on our own experience to make it all happen. We all had our own jobs and did Access Adventures on the side.
Over the years, Access Adventures has grown into a powerful force for change. We took over the running of Heron Lake and Edge Adaptive Sport Centre in 2020 and have helped hundreds of people rediscover a sense of adventure, freedom and belonging. Whether it’s someone getting on a sit-ski for the first time, or flying down a mountain bike trail in a specially adapted chair, the look on their faces says it all. It’s about showing people what they can do and we now support almost 500 people each year.
We moved to Ewhurst in 2021 with my wife and children, just after the twins were born. Our home has been the foundation for everything, late-night Zoom calls for the charity and school runs wedged between fundraising meetings. My family has been an incredible support system and I’ve tried to show my children that resilience, hard work and kindness can take you a long way.
Now, in 2025, I’m still very much involved in both Access Adventures and the broader adaptive sports community. We continue to grow the charity’s reach, run more camps and support more people than ever before. Our programs include water skiing, wakeboarding, alpine skiing, mountain biking, and kayaking, kiting and more — and we’re always exploring what else we can offer.
This year is Access Adventures 10th anniversary and its 21 years since my injury at the age of 21. I’m taking on a personal challenge to help raise funds for Access Adventures: a fundraising cycle from our base in Staines to Amsterdam, a 5-day hand-cycle ride to try to raise £5000. It’s going to be a tough ride—physically and mentally—but I’m excited. It’s another chance to push myself, raise awareness and support the cause that has given so much to me and others. www.justgiving.com/page/tim-farr
Looking back, it’s hard to believe how far I’ve come. From a life-changing accident in 2004 to competing at a Paralympic Games, founding a charity and continuing to inspire others through sport—it’s been quite a ride. And it’s not over yet.
I often get asked what keeps me motivated. The answer is simple: possibility. The possibility that someone newly injured might find hope again. That a person who’s never left their wheelchair might find freedom on a mountain. That we can build a more inclusive world—one adventure at a time!
Access Adventures is a registered charity delivering life-changing adaptive sports. Our services are designed to challenge expectations and build self-confidence for people with disabilities.
Contact us at:
www.accessadventures.co.uk
