ONLY five years ago he tried skiing for the first time.

Now Trevor Dundon is facing the biggest challenge of his life when he competes in the Special Olympics World Winter Games next month.

The 30-year-old Southampton Day Services user discovered his passion for skiing when he went for a lesson at Southampton Alpine Centre.

His natural talent for the sport led to him entering national competitions.

At the Games in Japan he will be one of 12 athletes from Great Britain, and one of 1,900 taking part from 86 countries and regions.

Terri Hardcastle, sports co-ordinator for Southampton Day Services, said: "Trevor started going for Friday lessons at the ski slope, and he turned out to be really good.

"So he started to enter competitions. Last year he entered the Special Olympics Great Britain National Alpine Skiing Competition, which is when he qualified to take part in the world games."

Trevor will be taking part in the downhill and slalom events at the Games which begin on February 26.

The Special Olympics currently serves almost 1.4 million people with intellectual disabilities.

"I am looking forward to going to Japan," said Trevor. "I hope that Arnold Schwarzenegger opens the games. He was at the summer world games. I want to meet him."

In July, Trevor will be travelling to Glasgow to enter the athletics competition for the world summer games in Japan in 2007.