A personal best time in the 15-kilometre cross-country sit skiing completed a remarkable journey from Westbury to Whistler for the former rowing world champion.

Speaking exclusively to The Examiner, the 49-year-old grandfather said: "It's an awesome experience and tremendous to be here.

"These really are once-in-a- lifetime opportunities and I've been given the gift of energy and health and you've got to have a crack at these things.

"It's been a 15-month grind but such a dream to have that opportunity."

Admitting he felt an awful long way from Westbury, he added: "I've had 13 days home in 15 months and I'm really craving my bed!"

Monypenny, who gave up his job as an industrial research chemist with Tasmanian Alkaloids to head for North America, finished 17th in a field of 30 in the first of his three events at the winter Paralympic Games.

He clocked 44min 55.7secs, four minutes behind Russian winner Irek Zaripov in a field dominated by Europeans, but pledged to improve when he contests the 10km sit ski on Thursday and the 1km sprint on Sunday.

"I didn't come all this way to finish 17th, that's not a podium finish."

English-born Monypenny is one of only five athletes to make the switch from summer to winter Paralympics having been a world champion rower who reached the final of his event at the Beijing Games in 2008.

"I must admit I don't know of any others, so it is a bit of an oddity," said the former Tasmanian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.

"Comparing summer and winter Games is like chalk and cheese. The scale of the winter Games is so much smaller, there are only really four disciplines that adoptive athletes can compete in so there are nothing like the 4000 athletes we had in Beijing.

"But they both have an amazing atmosphere and are obviously fantastically multicultural. So in that regard the flavour is the same and within my discipline they are actually exactly the same size.

"But obviously Vancouver is bitterly cold, freezing and wet all day long."

Monypenny plans to return to Launceston from Vancouver but admitted: "I fear coming home because I might have to get a job again!"