Papară started snowboarding after a car accident. Snowboarding made his life more normal. It was more like life before his accident. He started using a new knee prosthesis in 2012. It was exhausting. He could have tried to go to the 2014 Winter Paralympics. He chose not to. Because he would not have been at his best, Papară thought it was not honorable to go. He also did not have much experience competing at snowboarding. By 2018, things had changed. Papară had participated in a lot more races. He had more experience. His fitness was better. He entered his first international snowboard race in November 2014. Before his first race, a little voice in his head said, "Wait, what you're doing, it's too risky, you're going to hurt yourself, give up!" The prosthetic he uses to snowboard costs . The Romania Olympic Committee assisted in paying for part of his prosthetic.