FORMER Marling schoolboy Rob Brown has had 'snow' problem adapting to life in one of America's most popular Rocky Mountain ski resorts.

Rob, 36, and his wife, Helen, 31 have set up the first European style chalet in Colorado's third largest resort, Winter Park.

After being made redundant from his marketing job last year, Rob seized the opportunity to return to Winter Park, a resort he and Helen had visited a few years earlier, and the couple have now made it their home.

With a snowfall averaging 30 feet a year and the pound prevailing over the dollar, Rob says the US ski market has benefited from an influx of British skiers.

Many European skiers have been happy to wave goodbye to the Alps in exchange for the more predictable Colorado snowfall but the chalet business, unique to the Alps and very popular with Europeans, had not been tried in the USA.

So Rob and Helen, set up Chalets USA and are now gearing up for their first ski season.

"We love living in the mountains" says Rob, "with the majestic scenery, the 300 days of sunshine a year and the awesome skiing, we really are living the dream."

The resort receives the most snow out of all Colorado destinations and is the nearest to Denver International, a two-hour shuttle journey away.

Rob's Parents, Pat, a laboratory technician at Wycliffe College, Stonehouse and Bob who runs his own handyman/electrician business both still live in Bussage as well as his brother Adam, a teacher at Marling School.

"We do miss our family and friends," said Bob. "We will be visiting every year for a month or two and we also miss walking on the commons, Uley beer and Winstones ice cream.

The couple hope to become one of the leading independent luxury chalet companies in Colorado and have ambitions to expand to several chalets.

A qualified ski-technician, Rob also fits boots for clients and offers a free shuttle bus to transport skiers to the five mountain range.

*To find out more about Rob and Helen's chalet visit www.chalets-usa.co.uk