Imagine propelling yourself down a near-vertical mountain with just five per cent vision and knowing the fate of your safety lies purely in another human’s hands.

That’s what goes through the minds of Millie Knight and Menna Fitzpatrick each time they take to the para alpine skiing start gate, placing their trust in their guides whose responsibility it is to navigate their partners down the course safely and in the fastest time possible.

Knight and Fitzpatrick, both 23, captured the nation’s hearts at PyeongChang 2018 by bagging three and four medals apiece to haul ParalympicsGB to their greatest Winter Games for 34 years.

Both 19 at the time, the duo emerged as two of the unequivocal faces of the Games as they sparkled in the wide-ranging world of para alpine skiing in the slalom, Super Combined, giant slalom, Super-G and downhill events.

Their dexterity and bravery mark extraordinary feats of human achievement but Knight and Fitzpatrick - who are two of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding - are acutely aware it isn’t done alone.

Their guides, Brett Wild and Katie Guest, possess the astonishingly high-pressure task of coordinating with their visually-impaired athletes as they descend, communicating via a high-tech, cutting edge Bluetooth headset to disseminate information on the contours and direction of the course.

Both wear bright, fluorescent colours to maximise visibility but with both Knight and Fitzpatrick’s sight estimated at around one 20th of full vision, even with every precaution taken there remains a strong degree of risk.

And that’s a notion that has firmly manifested itself in the case of Knight, who suffered four severe concussions in the build-up to Beijing including one particularly threatening accident in Leogang, Austria, just over one year ago.

The unwavering trust, support and connection between skier and guide must be total and Knight knows she’s lucky to have a partner like Wild, 29, by her side.

She said: “Brett has been incredible, just incredible.

“There are very few people that would have stuck by me like he has. It’s been tough for him too - I’ve obviously not been in the right place, physically or mentally, and he’s never once snapped at me.

“He’s just been so unbelievably patient, very, very supportive and his whole family have been so supportive and understanding.”

For Fitzpatrick, the build-up to Beijing has been marred by similar complications.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Knight bagged a brilliant hat-trick of medals in PyeongChang four years agoKnight bagged a brilliant hat-trick of medals in PyeongChang four years ago

She claimed World Championship gold and silver in the slalom and Super Combined events in January to gear up for the Games in style but this week, Guest was forced to withdraw from Beijing after testing positive for Covid-19 before departing for China.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Phil Smith said he was ‘devastated’ by the news and the setback comes at the worst possible time for 2018 slalom champion Fitzpatrick.

She’ll now be partnered by new guide Gary Smith, who will hope to hit it off immediately with his new skier and develop an instant bond to maintain her status as a genuine medal hopeful.

Such is the life of a visually impaired alpine skier – as the thrill-seeking, risk-taking and breathtakingly brave British contingent hope to once again sparkle under the big stage Paralympic lights this weekend.

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes