A PAIR OF Burnley soldiers have swapped the blazing heat of the Iraqi desert for the sub-zero temperatures of the Austrian Alps.

Gunner Karl Whitaker and craftsman Neil Vance used to fantasise about snow during their six-month tour of Iraq last year.

And their dreams came true in spectacular fashion when they were asked to take part in the seventh Army Snowboarding Championships at Austria's Stubai Glacier.

Despite being a complete novice on the snowboard, Karl was persuaded to join up with regiment team member Neil when the pair got talking about their hobbies and interests in Iraq.

Karl, 22, is currently serving with 40 Regiment, Royal Artillery, and is a former pupil of Gawthorpe High School. He said: "I only started snowboarding recently after hearing about it from Neil when my unit was in Iraq last year.

"When you are sitting there in the desert heat, doing something in the snow seems very appealing.

"The army encourages sport and adventure which is great because we get support from our unit who give us time off for training and events like this."

Returning home to Burnley from Iraq in November, they had a few weeks to prepare before jetting off to the snow-covered Alps for the annual inter-regiment event.

Neil, 20, a mechanic with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, is a former pupil at Ivy Bank School. He said: "I first went snowboarding a year ago out of interest.

"I have skied before and I thought I'd give this a try and was then asked to come to Austria by our team captain. My unit are keen on me doing this sort of thing because it keeps us on form as soldiers."

The pair last week returned from Austria where they failed to be selected to go on to the Inter Service competition later this year.

Karl and Neil arrived in Iraq during the summer, just after the end of official hostilities in the war. They have since served on Operation Telic which saw the British Army secure and maintain the coalition's position in Iraq.