The speed skier training to break a world record

Britain's top speed skier is preparing to break the world record of 130mph - by training in a wind tunnel.

Ben Hedley has recruited scientists from the University of Cambridge to help him travel faster than any man on standard downhill skis.

By painstakingly analysing data gathered from using the wind tunnel, aerodynamics experts hope to improve Ben's performance. They hope that minute changes in his body position will help increase his speed and propel him to world number one in the forthcoming World Cup races.

Last year, 34-year-old Ben repeated his 2010 ranking by coming 8th in the series but missed a race through injury which would have seen him finish 6th.

Ben, of Clapham, London, made his extraordinary rise to the top of the breakneck sport on a pair of second hand skis he bought on ebay for £150.

He tried ‘speed skiing' for the first time in April 2009 and in January 2010 he entered his first competitive race.

Speed skiing involves travelling as fast as possible straight down an extremely steep slope, often steeper than 45 degrees.

Ben said: ‘You plunge straight down and accelerate from 0 to 100mph in four to five seconds. ‘That's as fast as a Formula 1 car. Except the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have brakes. And a steering wheel of course.

‘Travelling at such a speed is terrifying and a lot of the sport is about fear manage- ment. The worst can happen and you really need to want to go faster to do it well. People wonder why I do it. It's such a rush. There are very few areas of life where there's no longer health and safety and it's all about speed and a pure challenge.

‘I always wanted to represent my country doing something. I wanted to be a member of the British ski team at the age of seven and I finally managed it at 32. Pulling on the GB flag is a great honour.' Ben was hooked after his very first run, during which he reached 94mph. Describing his first competitive run, he added: ‘My heart was thumping so hard it felt as if it was trying to bounce right out of my chest. The Team GB star has high hopes for the 2012 World Cup which runs from January until April and hopes to break the world record in March at Vars, France.

The current record stands at 210km/h (130mph), set by Frenchman Mathieu Sage at Les Arcs, France, in 2006.

(© Daily Mail, London)