Meet the young man making waves in the nordic skiing community

Youngster Musgrave making rapid progress

By Gerard Meagher

The Abominable Snowman, Jack Frost and Father Christmas are among the most notorious inhabitants of the North Pole but there's a new face in town and he's causing quite a stir.

Andrew Musgrave is not a household name in the UK but the Scottish teenager is quickly making a name for himself in Arctic circles.

The 18-year-old has acquired celebrity status among Swedish and Norwegian nordic skiing enthusiasts and has even appeared on Swedish television.

_{TV STAR: Youngster Musgrave gets interviewed on Swedish TV after his victory in November}

Being the best in Britain within a particular sport so young can cause stardom to kick in and disrupt progress, but for Musgrave - tucked away in the Scandinavian mountains, there is no such problem.

Nordic skiing baffles millions, enthralls even more and confuses a few but perhaps Musgrave - who came 42^nd at the World Junior Championships last year - puts it best, describing it as a minority sport.

To many, an 18-year-old Scot, who spent his childhood in Alaska, living in Sjusjoen in Norway would seem quite a bizarre state of affairs but speaking to this level-headed youngster it all becomes clear.

"I grew up in Alaska and that's where I discovered skiing but it wasn't until I moved back to Aberdeen that I really got into Nordic skiing," he said.

"My dad gets moved around a lot with his work so we moved to Scotland and I went to Huntly Nordic Ski Club and it's all gone from there.

"I made the decision to take a year out from school and concentrate on my skiing and, along with coach Al Dargie, chose to move out to Norway.

"And my skiing has come on so much since I made the move. It's quite weird being so young and being the best in Britain but it's nice that people in this country are beginning to recognise me.

"Nobody has a clue who I am in the UK even though I'm British No.1. That doesn't really bother me though - I'm starting to get noticed by people who know what they're talking about.

"I'm being to get a bit of a reputation as the British guy who isn't actually that bad at skiing!"

But that iisn't being entirely fair to Musgrave who powered his way to his first victory over 15km in Bruksvallarna, Sweden in November - seeing off the Swedish junior team in the process and coming tenth in the seniors.

He also finished just 6.8 per cent behind Swedish skier Maciei Starega who has 13 World Cup podium finishes to his name including two victories.

And in his debut World Cup appearance in Kuusamo, Finland the Scot came home a credible 82^nd position - demonstrating his potential for when he reaches his peak in the endurance sport.

"I don't think I'll be at my peak until I'm about 28 so there's a long way ahead of me yet," he added. "But I'd love to go to Vancouver and I believe I've got a pretty good chance.

"I'll have to wait and see about my degree because there's no way I'm turning down the opportunity to go out there."

Go he surely will as he already tops the GB rankings with ease and with a £1,000 a month grant from the IOC backing him up the future looks rosy for Musgrave.

The Incredible Snowman he is not but the young Scot is coming on leaps and bounds.