Applications for 'Fred & Jimbo Fan Club' open as duo set sights on 2030

While the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites provide the most striking sight in Cortina D’Ampezzo, a burgeoning posse of bright yellow hats hollering their support at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre run a close second.

It is a group that have come out in their numbers in support of Fred Warburton, with a red ‘Fred’ emblazoned on the front of their hats demarking membership of the ‘Fred & Jimbo Fan Club’.

Growing requests for admission are no surprise, as Warburton, along with guide James Hannan, have charted a rise every bit as remarkable as it is captivating.

The 31-year-old visually impaired Para alpine skier participated in his first competitive race just over one year ago, on the 22nd February 2025, and a year later he has earned his Paralympic debut.

It was a journey that first found its roots seven years ago, when Warburton was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal condition (Retinitis Pigmentosa).

“For me, I’m not much of a poker player, but you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt,” he said.

“Anyone can get a bad hand or a great hand. I’ve been dealt a tricky hand, but I’ve tried to play it to the best of my ability. 

“I knew that I was losing my vision around seven years ago, and I decided to put my best foot forward and just absolutely attack it.

“I take that thought process every single day. Try and enjoy it. Try and make the most of it, because you can end up in a crazy situation like this. 

“I would have never thought this would have been possible five or six years ago. I didn’t know where my life was going.”

Remarkably, prior to deciding to ski competitively, Warburton had only ever taken to the slopes as a tourist.

Childhood holidays to the mountains every few years were about the extent of his experience on skis before meeting his Italian wife.

“I originally started skiing more seriously just to impress my Italian family. My father-in-law, in particular. He ski raced back in the day,” admitted Warburton.

“I ended up moving to the mountains in Italy. My work has supported me so much to relocate me to the Italian Alps.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and a rapid experience to get from a tourist skier to here.”

It was a year and a half ago that Warburton, who is originally from Winteringham, first partnered with James Hannan, and the dream to reach the Winter Paralympics began.

Initially, the aim was to make it to French Alps 2030, which remains the long-term goal for the duo.

But after Hannan, from Edinburgh, moved into Warburton’s spare room, what had once firmly lived in the realms of fantasy quickly became a tangible possibility.

And while Warburton might claim he is “nothing special”, that rapid rise did not happen as simply as it might have done in the dreams that once occupied Warburton’s mind.

“What a lot of people don’t see is the absolute grind that me and Jimbo have been doing for the last year,” he said.

“We’ve been living hand-in-hand. I’ve seen him more than my own wife and my own family, to be honest. I got him a TV in the spare room, so he’s happy.

“We’re training most days, getting up before work starts, getting on the hill, doing three hours of training through gates with my team in Italy, and then jumping back on the desk and working all day. 

“There are the little tasks, whether that be sourcing equipment, getting funding to get us on the hill, to get ski passes.

“They aren’t often the sexiest or the greatest things to think about when you see us flying down the hill, but they’re the most important to get us on the hill and to get training.”

But it is effort that has proved its worth in Cortina D’Ampezzo, where he has done nothing by halves.

The Brit had the opportunity to compete in his first-ever downhill race at the Paralympics, having only started training in it a week before.

It was a decision every bit as chaotic as it was befitting his whirlwind rise to the pinnacle of the sport and he achieved a seventh-place finish to boot.

A 12th-placed finish in the Super-G followed, before a fall in the first run of super combined ended his hopes in that event.

But Warburton and Hannan have already surpassed expectations to make it this far, and the Alps that lie on the horizon to the west remain the long-term goal.

“We got the qualification and we got here. It was a race within a race for us really,” he said.

“The big goal is 2030 and building towards that and getting this experience and driving towards that bigger goal.”

Warburton still retains another chance to claim a fastest finish in his AS4 category in the giant slalom on Friday, and most importantly he has also achieved another goal.

Among those yellow hats that gather in their numbers at the bottom of the Tofane course stands his father-in-law who must be impressed and then some with his son-in-law’s efforts.

And applications to join the ‘Fred & Jimbo Fan Club’ remain firmly open ahead of 2030.

“He’s come out to watch the Super-G. They’re all super proud of me, I know that. All my family are here,” he said.

“It means so, so much that we’ve taken on this five-year mission, we’re in year one right now and I’ve got so many people out here supporting us.

“James’ family is here as well. They’re now very much part of the Fred and Jimbo fan club they’re getting involved. It’s amazing.

“We’re going to do a little manufacture to order job and put a link in the Instagram bio @Fredwabz. We’ll have them available for everyone. I’ve had a few requests.”