A man who grew up in a country without snow is to become the first Ghanian to compete in the Winter Olympics later this month when he straps on his skis to tackle the Alpine downhill.

35-year old Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, aka the Snow Leopard, only saw snow for the first time five years ago and is now set to compete against the world's top skiers.

After teaching himself to ski on indoor slopes in the UK, Nkrumah-Acheampong broke on the international circuit - he's the first black African skier to do so "It has been four years of heartache, sweat and a lot of tears away from my family," said Kwame after scraping through qualifying to bag a place at the Winter Olympics.

"I feel great about competing and all my friends in Ghana think it is really cool. I am very proud of my heritage and being a role model for other Africans and Ghanaians to follow their dream,” he added.

His story is similar to the Disney film, Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican bobsleigh team's debut at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

We’ll certainly be looking out for the Snow Leopard when the Games begin on February 12.