Lance Corporal Lee Shaw from Bere Alston, has just finished hurtling down a mountainside as he took part in the Army Snowboarding Championship on the Stubai Glacier in the Austrian Alps. Lee, 27, is serving with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment currently based in Tidworth, Wilktshire. He finished a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in September. He said: 'I started boarding about six years ago when I was stationed in Germany. Some friends said it might be fun and they were right, it's a brilliant sport. 'We're lucky, too, with the support we get from our unit and the army — they help with funding, vehicles and accommodation. It's part of their encouragement for us to keep fit. 'My aim now is to build my skills and experience so I can get a place in the army team.' Since the start in 1998, the event has grown in strength with support, particularly from young soldiers. They enjoy the physical and mental challenge of extreme sport, which is also the fastest growing in the army. Run on the same lines as the Olympics the competition has giant slalom, boarder-cross and freestyle events for the different levels, novice, juniors, seniors and veterans. Some of the army boarders have been skiers but find the sport more fun and rarely return to skis. Lee attended Tavistock College before joining the army in 1999. He is married to Carol and they have three children, Corey 9, Jamie, 7, and two-year -old Thomas. His parents, Steven and Linda, live in Bere Alston.
