STOURPORT skiing ace Ashley Breese will test his mettle against the best the country has to offer at the English Alpine Championships.

The 16-year-old will be among hundreds of competitors who will descend upon the snow in Bormio, Italy, for the tournament which starts on Friday for a week.

After several years of success in the children’s age group, Breese has stepped up to the juniors and will be competing in the slalom, giant slalom and Super-G races.

A member of Aktiv Ski Racing Academy, he got into skiing through family holidays.

He has competed in Alpine races over the last winter in Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria.

“An average day in Bormio for me will hopefully be some good training followed by some good race results,” commented Breese.

“Hopefully at some point in the future I will be competing at the World Cup and the Olympics.”

The Stourport High School pupil has had a fine 2011.

He roared to victory in the children’s slalom in Meribel at the National Ski Champions, winning the title in a time of 34.25 seconds.

At the English Alpine Championships in Italy in March, he won the giant slalom to take gold.

Over 500 racers covering minis to seniors from regions all over England will participate in the week-long event in Italy.

Snowsport England chief executive Tim Fawke said: “Talking from experience, I can completely understand the young racers need for speed and this competition is a fantastic opportunity to come together, gain some professional racing experience and sportsmanship and achieve in the sport they love.

“Bormio is the perfect skiing destination, snow conditions are always great and the tourism team are very welcoming. It’s an amazing venue for such a fast and exciting event.”