Soldier accepts Mission: Ski (From Free Press Series)

Soldier accepts Mission: Ski

A Cwmbran soldier has been competing in the gruelling winter sport of Nordic skiing in the breathtaking scenery of the French Alps close to Mont Blanc.

Trooper Thomas Friswell, 18, a former pupil of The Fairwater High School, was taking part in the skiing competition open to troops serving in Germany, called Exercise Pipedown.

"This is my first season and it's been a great experience. The distances are tough but you just have to keep going," said Thomas, immediately after the 4 x 10kilometre relay. In fact his team finished seventh from a field of 29.

Earlier he had helped his team to seventh position in a field of 28 in the 15km Nordic Team Classic.

Thomas serves with 1st, The Queen's Dragoon Guards and has been with his unit,who are based at Osnabruck, in North West Germany, about a year.

His parents, Peter and Carol Friswell, still live locally.

Entries for this year's competition has been hit by operational demands - with both the Divisional Headquarters and its 7th Armoured Brigade deployed in Iraq and other units supplying teams for Bosnia.

Even so 141 people and 23 teams (two females) have entered the Nordic skiing and 144 people and 21 teams the Alpine races. The event is held in the French Alpine village of Les Contamines Montjoie in the Mont Blanc region.