A TEENAGER hopes to rise up the slippery slope to success in the ski-ing world, after emerging triumphant in an unseasonal summer event staged minus the snow.

Craig Ruddick, 17, outpaced the opposition on the country's biggest dry ski slope to win his first major title, over the giant slalom course in the Scottish Junior 'Two' championship.

On what was one of the hottest weekends of the year, Craig put his dry ski-ing expertise into practice to make light work of the 20 gates on the Hill End slope in Edinburgh.

A regular on the dry slope at Silksworth, Sunderland, Craig, from Pittington, said Hill End was a more testing venue.

The Durham Sixth Form Centre student, who is preparing to start his A-level year, soon hopes to repeat his Scottish success in the English championship at Wycombe and in the British championship at Llandudno, in Wales.