Skiing: Girl, 12, hopes Winter Olympics dream will come true - BBC News
This week Lowri Howie has notched up impressive wins at the English Alpine Championships in Italy.
Lowri was introduced to skiing by her mother

For many young people watching Beijing's Winter Olympics, competing at that level might seem a world away.

But for Lowri Howie, 12, from Harlech, Gwynedd, it is far from a pipe dream.

She has been skiing since she was four, honing her skills on the dry slope in Llandudno, Conwy, in between visits to the Alps to practice on real snow.

This week her meteoric rise in the sport continued with victories at the English Alpine Championships in Bormio, Italy.

The Covid pandemic has meant long periods when ski facilities were closed and opportunities to travel abroad have been restricted, making Lowri's latest triumph all the more satisfying.

Makeshift training activities were quickly adapted, from unicycling and wakeboarding to juggling and box jumps, to keep her sharp until the long-awaited return to the slopes.

Lowri has been skiing since she was four

"It was a bit upsetting not being able to go, but then I still kept going with my training, and Instagram posts to keep people entertained," said Lowri.

"When the ski resorts opened again I was pretty happy to go back and see my friends and coaches, and being on snow again - it was great to have that feeling again."

Easing restrictions meant an opportunity for Lowri and her mother Einir to travel to Austria, where she has been training at an academy for the past few weeks in preparation for the championships.

"I enjoy watching her skiing, but it can be nerve-wracking!" said Einir, who previously worked as a ski resort holiday rep and inspired Lowri's love of winter sports.

"We never thought a few years ago we'd be training in Austria now and competing in the Alpine Championships, so we're just taking it step by step and see what happens."

At Lowri's regular training slope in Llandudno, her coaches are in no doubt about her potential to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

"We're very lucky that we've got three Welsh squad members amongst us," said Sion Salisbury, a coach at the North Wales Snowsports Club.

"Lowri's among them, and she's one of the best placed racers of her age group in Britain.

"She's very talented, she's a natural skier, she works hard, she's got the right ethos."

Dave Ryding, 35, won Britain's first alpine skiing gold medal in the Kitzbuhel slalom in January.

"He learnt to ski at a similar age to Lowri on a dry ski slope in Pendle," said Sion.

"If she's willing to put in the hard work, there's no reason why she can't."

It is an opinion shared by fellow clubmate Molly, who is full of praise for the facility and and her fellow skier's talents.

"We always support each other here, we're like one big family. She's great in her age group, absolutely amazing," she said.

Lowri tackles her final race at the Alpine Championships on Friday, following a slalom win on Wednesday to go with an opening day victory in her favoured giant slalom event.

Lowri hopes to compete in the Winter Olympics

"I absolutely love the giant slalom because there's more of a gap there so it's easier [to pass through] - it's more flowy, and you can go really quick and I love going quick," she said

And having already met many of Team GB's biggest skiing stars - including being complimented on her slalom by Scottish World Cup racer Charlie Guest - her aspirations of reaching those levels are clear.

"I hope to be there some day in future, and I love to watch them ski," said Lowri.

"I really hope my dreams will come true, and I really hope some of my team-mates will join me as well in competitions - and it'd be pretty exciting if I could race with Alex Tilley [Scottish Olympic alpine ski racer] and them in the future."

In the meantime she keeps her friends updated on social media with photos and videos of her skiing - including her successes and occasional mishaps.

"There's a lot of falling, but I keep on doing it and get better and better."