Although hailing from Somerset, where the snow settles very rarely, 15-year-old Tristan Marshall from Haygrove School is making a name for himself as a top-class skier and is currently attempting to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland in January 2020.

Tristan is a Nordic/Cross-country skier and is a member of the Hyde Park Nordic Ski Club and previously of the Wessex Biathlon and Nordic Ski Club.

He trains at various locations in Scotland, London and Windsor where, due to the lack of snow in the UK, Tristan and his team mates often roller-ski to train for cross-country events.

In fact Tristan’s roller-ski skills are so good that he holds the title of U18 Male British Roller-ski Champion 2019 after competing in the finals held at the Olympic Park in London back in September.

His interest in skiing began whilst he was a pupil at Enmore Primary School when an assembly gave mention to a biathlete and later watching biathlon in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, fuelled his desire to give it a go.

A taster day with Rollerski.co.uk at Castle Combe Circuit, Wiltshire in 2015 had him hooked.

Tristan progressed quite quickly with the coaching available to him mostly at Eton Dorney, Hillingdon, Redbridge and Windsor Park and was invited to join the British Nordic Development Squad.

Tristan has focused on Nordic skiing as an alternative ski sport, a decision that is certainly not holding him back.

In recent months, Tristan has trained and competed on and off snow in many countries, coming away with Gold at the 2019 U18 British Nordic Championships held in Germany.

Tristan placed eighth overall in the Austrian Championships in February 2019 and qualified for a place in the OPA Games (European Cup).

In March, Tristan was one of 33 young athletes selected from 16 countries to gather in Östersund to compete and learn from each other in the first ever Future Stars seminars at the IBU (International Biathlon Union) World Cup, covering topics such as nutrition, psychology and anti-doping.

All athletes were invited to a reception hosted by the Swedish Prime minister.

Despite Tristan’s young age, his coaches decided he deserved the chance to compete for selection in the Youth Olympics 2020.

The selection process is ongoing and Tristan will compete again in Idre, Sweden to hopefully gain some much needed qualifying points.

“Being involved in a ski sport has been fantastic for me.

“It has enabled me to travel to many countries exposing me to many different cultures, languages, environments, climates and cuisines.

“Travelling with the team, and occasionally alone, has given me greater independence, confidence and organisational skills.

“Ultimately I would like to take the sport to an elite level on the international stage like the Olympics and World Cups.

“In addition to this, I also have my sights firmly fixed on becoming an officer in the Royal Marines, a goal I have had for as long as I can remember.

“I hope I get to realise both aspirations.”