Skiing: This is one guy who doesn't mind if the snow keeps falling

Lewis Rahil, 15, from Goldenacre, is among an elite group of junior Scottish skiers currently racing on the international circuit and hopes to round off a successful year by gaining a medal in Scandinavia.

Already this year, he has achieved two gold medals at the Scottish Children's Championships at Cairngorm, as well as many more podium finishes in national and regional events throughout Scotland.

The next couple of years, he admits, are critical to his ambition of becoming a professional racer, however he appears to have the drive and focus to continue his success.

"I put pressure on myself - I want to do well," he said. "I have to get really psyched up before a race, and it's quite rare that I'll get to the bottom of the slope and say, 'that was a great run'. I always feel there are things I could have done better."

Rahil hopes to be in the Scotland team by the time he reaches the age of 18, but lists a career in ski coaching or in geophysics or engineering as his fallback plans. Currently a student of Highers at St Thomas of Aquin's High School, he and Paul Henderson, of Erskine Stewart's Melville, are two of the Capital's top performers at junior skiing, with the former recommending the sport to young thrill-seekers in the city.

"You get a good thrill from it," he said. "It's not like a lot of sports. You get great speed, and you're able to see a lot of good places by doing it."

Having practised the sport since early primary school age, Rahil has travelled the continent in search of that buzz. While his favoured destination is the pistes of Italy's Alps at Trentino, he learned his trade far closer to home.

Rahil is full of praise for the under-threat Hillend dry ski slope at Midlothian Sports Centre just south of the city, the venue that sowed the seeds of his present-day performance and where he continues to train each week. He says the Pentlands resort stands its regular users in good stead for competition. "If it was not for Hillend, I wouldn't have started racing. The reason Hillend is so viable is because it's the only artificial slope in the UK that's so steep and challenging. English skiers who come up to race on it find it very difficult."

Another sport vying for Rahil's attention is cycling, which he took up in order to increase his fitness for skiing. Such is his all-rounder approach, however, Rahil now finds himself participating in competitions for both sports, finding the symbiotic relationship of both sports helps his performance in each. "Just over a year ago, I started cycling for fitness. Then, I started to enjoy it and began competing in mountain bike races. Skiing's still my priority, though. It's quite similar in that it works the same muscles." Equally at home on the piste or in the velodrome, Rahil is currently preparing for some intense training, afforded by the premature winter and the ever-changing global climate.

He will travel the well-worn skiers' path to the Cairngorm Mountains every available weekend between now and when the snow melts, ensuring a busy timetable combining school work on weekdays and fine-tuning his "line" and body position on the slopes each Saturday and Sunday.

"I spend every weekend in Aviemore in winter, and I enjoy it. The climate has changed a lot in the last two years and it's meaning more snow, which is great for skiing."

Rahil is mentored by Craig Lamont, head coach at the Scottish Ski Club, and Ronnie Naismith of Focussed Alpine Scottish ski Training (FAST]. Midlothian Snowsports Centre is the perfect place to learn to ski and is the breeding ground for Olympians such as Alain Baxter and Finlay Mickel.

Tow passes and equipment hire, as well as lessons from one of the centre's 70 instructors, are all available at affordable rates. For more information, call 0131 445 4433.