A NORTH-EAST soldier was sweating it out on exercise in the Oman desert when he heard he had been selected for his unit's cross-country ski team.
Four days later, Alan Henry, a former pupil of Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough, east Cleveland, was training on a four-week fitness course at the Royal Engineers' ski camp in Sweden.
He said: "It was a bolt out of the blue and I had never done cross-country before. It seemed like a good sport to go for, so I thought I would give it a go."
The 21-year-old joined the Royal Engineers four years ago and is based in Devon as a combat engineer.
He said: "Cross-country is brilliant. The team are a good bunch of fit lads, and hopefully we will do well enough to qualify for the Army championships in Germany next month.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article