Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong may not be a name causing tremors in world sports, but the African skier is whipping up a storm in Italy as he screams down the slopes of the country's best ski resorts.
Ghana's best skier has chosen a profession that his fellow countrymen do not share a passion for, however his decision has paid dividends, with sponsors now wanting to jump on his toboggan.
"When I started, people poked fun at me and never took me seriously, but after competing in some events in France - where I performed well against people who had begun the sport in their childhood - respect for me grew," the Scottish born, Ghanaian skier told the BBC.
"They believed I could make it to the Olympics."
Nicknamed the 'snow leopard', Nkrumah-Acheampong realised his new love affair watching the sport on Television, fascinated with the way competitors moved their bodies around the gates.
The Ghanaian tried his hand at the sport by chance, working at a indoor skiing centre in the UK and he never looked back.
Nkrumah-Acheampong's silky skills has seen him compete at championships as far a field as South America, and whilst he failed in his bid to compete at the Winter Olympics in Turin, he now has a new dream.
"I'll show the way by creating an Ghanaian team," he told CNN.
"My idea is to get European countries twinned with African nations. It would help international relations and get people who don't stand a chance of improving their lives back home to show what they can do with a bit of encouragement."
The snow leopard's plan involves sending Europe's top athletes to his homeland for a week. It would ultimately culminate in an African ski championship cup in Val Di Fiemme, Italy, before the 2007 world championships in Sweden.
Sponsors have applauded the idea, but what does the Ghanaian think of Africans one-day competing with the best Europe has to offer?
"I think Africans have a good chance of making it in skiing because of our physical structure. The only thing we have to overcome is the cold."
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