A young cross country skier with Olympic dreams has some key goals this winter as he weighs up his future in the sport. 

Lewis Briscall (16) spent two weeks training with the UK cross country ski team in Norway this past December, and he returned there alone to train in February.

“My dream would be to compete in the Olympics and just follow my dream as far as I can,” Lewis told the Wānaka App.

Lewis was introduced to cross country skiing at the Cardrona Valley’s Snow Farm - New Zealand’s only cross country ski area - at the age of 10. He took to it like a duck to water and became a regular feature speeding along the trails.

Lewis Briscall (right) at the beginning of last year’s Snow Rake race. PHOTO: Wānaka App

Unlike fellow local cross country skier Campbell Wright, a biathlete, Lewis prefers to ski long distances with no rifle on his back.

“I love being on the beautiful ski trails where there are no crowds,” he said. “You just get in a flow state and time kind of flies by… It’s just a great feeling.”

Lewis met a coach in the UK cross country ski team when he was in London a few years ago; which led to the opportunity to train with the team in Norway.

He worked hard to save the money to get there, and when he got to Sjusjoen he was taken aback by the popularity of the sport in Europe.

“In Norway it was like playing rugby in New Zealand. Everyone was out on the ski track - all ages, all abilities, just going out for an afternoon ski.”

Lewis is up-front about the challenges for young cross country skiers in this country, where there is nothing like the support and pathway to success provided in Europe and North America.

Campbell now skis for the USA ski team, and Lewis as a British passport holder also has the potential to ski for the UK.

“I would love to stay with New Zealand,” Lewis said. “I don’t think anyone would want to have to switch to another country on the other side of the world in order to be able to follow their dream just because there isn’t the same support in their home country.”

He would love to see more young people take up cross country skiing, and more support for cross country athletes with international ambitions.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the whole next generation of skiers,” he said.

Lewis is now roller skiing to keep fit while he waits for the Snow Farm to open. He plans to stay in the Southern Hemisphere this winter, with a goal to compete in the Snow Farm’s annual marathon event (the Merino Muster), the Kangaroo Hoppet (Australia’s cross country marathon), and the Australian nationals.

At last year’s Merino Muster Lewis wasn’t old enough to compete in the main 42km race, but he won the 21km Snow Rake race in a time of 53:28:95. 

This year he plans to compete in the full marathon.

“I don’t think coming first against Jessie Diggins [USA’s gold medal winner who trains at the Snow Farm] is possible,” he said.

But, he said, his goal is “to come in the top five overall”.