The Snow Leopard: from Ghana to the Olympics via MK

Kwame is the first person from Ghana to qualify for the Winter Olympics

A Milton Keynes skier has become the first person from Ghana to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

It's probably fair to say that Africa isn't well known for its skiers.

However if you've been to the indoor slopes at Hemel Hempstead or Milton Keynes there's a good chance you'll have been overtaken by a man they call the Snow Leopard.

He's also know as Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong. BBC Three Counties went along to find out more.

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong is a professional skier living in Milton Keynes, who represents Ghana and has been selected for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, the first person from his country to do so, and one of only a handful from the African continent.

Being from a country without snow makes his participation particularly amazing, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Kwame only put skis on for the first time in 2003! So, what happened between that moment, at the Snowdome in Milton Keynes, and now, as the Olympics beckon?!

Kwame, 31, was born in Scotland, but moved back to Ghana and spent time travelling around Africa with his parents. After studying Travel and Tourism at university in Ghana, he moved back to the UK to study for his Masters.

He told BBC Three Counties Tim Wheeler more about his journey.

How long have you been in Milton Keynes and why did you start skiing?

Kwame: I have been living in Milton Keynes since 2002 so I think I belong to Milton Keynes - the greatest city in the UK!

I was born in Scotland and moved back to Ghana and have been around different places in Africa with my parents. I finally came back to the UK to study for my Masters.

Kwame only put skis on for the first time in 2003

I decided to get a job within the industry I was studying, which was tourism, and I got a job at the ski centre in Milton Keynes. The slope was available to the staff and I thought why not take advantage of the opportunity to try my hand at skiing - and I caught the ski bug!

Now when I go there it just looks like a mini hill, but the first time I went there it really looked steep. I didn't fall in my first lesson but the next week I fell a lot!

So, I have been skiing for maybe about six years now - two years were spent indoors and the other four outdoors.

It's a huge deal to be going to the Olympics for someone only skiing for 5 years?

Kwame: Yes - it is a big deal for me. It felt like an impossible mission halfway through the whole process but I'm just so glad and thank God that the qualification is over and I can now stand up high and say I've made it to Vancouver - so I'm looking forward to it.

How many are there in the Ghana ski team?

Kwame: In terms of racers, I'm the only one at the moment - we had a few others who were trying to train but they kind of gave up - it was too cold!

Lots of people get the ski bug but keep it up as a leisure pursuit. Did you realise at an early stage that you had a natural gift for it?

Kwame: No - it was just a bit of fun! But as time went on I realised that I was getting better and better so I decided to see if I could actually race. I did a couple of indoor races and didn't do too badly. Then one of the coaches said I could join in when he was training these other guys so I started doing that, and then finally decided to get out on a real mountain and really see what ski racing is like.

What was the first mountain you went to?

Kwame: The first one was Val d'l sere. I went there to watch the World Cup event and after the down hill race I went to the top with some press people who wanted to see if I could actually ski - so I went down in a straight line - I didn't want to turn!

Do you remember your first ever race?

Kwame: I felt like giving up just before the start of the race because I was the last guy and I was asked 'do you really want to go?' I said 'I have to go - everybody's waiting for me to go'. I remember I was number 111 - out of 111 racers. I think my goal on the day was just to survive! I thought 'don't think about glory or anything - just survive'! I just didn't want to fall down in front of all those people.

Were your family in Ghana interested in snow sports before and have they caught the snow bug now?

Kwame: I think when I first told my mum I was skiing she said I had started something crazy! She's kind of got used to the fact that I now ski as a sport. Before taking up skiing I was doing a lot of sports, football, tennis, anything I could get my hands, on but this came out of the box!

Kwame speaks to Tim Wheeler

You have chosen one of the coldest sports possible as well, after coming from a very hot country?

Kwame: Yes, I think I love extreme stuff and being out in the mountains every day is a challenge, it's like the weather can kill you if you make a mistake so it's really different. The cold can sometimes be really tough though, when it's going towards -18 / -20 range. But you kind of get used to it after two weeks when you're always training.

What sort of cultural shock was it to move from the various African Nations you've lived in to Milton Keynes?

Kwame: When I arrived at the airport in London you could just see so many people rushing! The first impression I got of London before even hitting Milton Keynes was people rushing everywhere. No one had time to stop. What has made me really like Milton Keynes is that I think it's one of the nicest, newest places you could ever be in! It's the best city in the UK.

Milton Keynes is your home, but will there be many people back in Ghana following your progress?

Kwame: I think I'm going to have quite a few people following me because we get a lot of emails coming through from the Ghana Ski Team website. Lots of people are interested in the 'Buy a Spot' campaign we are running. I'm selling my body to raise the funding necessary to get to the Olympics! But some parts are off limits at the moment!

Is it an expensive sport?

Kwame: For the Olympics it's a different competition, you want to go there and not just ski down [the hill] but ski really well, so you will be involved in a lot of training which costs money and you'll want a lot of equipment too - it involves a lot of stuff.

Can you give us one tip for doing the slalom?

Kwame: Go fast!

Keep up to date with the latest news from the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver on the BBC Sport website.