Youngsters attempted to break a Guinness World Record attempt to create the longest chain of skiers – but found it to be snow easy task.

The challenge saw three groups of more than 60 children each attempt to break the record, in which all skiers would have to hold hands and ski 100m down the Trowse slope at the Norfolk Snowsports Club near Norwich.

However, the red flag was lifted on each attempt, with all three groups unable to go further than 10m.

They had been attempting to break a record which was set in Manchester in 2011, where 60 skiers completed the feat.

The record attempt was part of the annual School Ski Championship, organised by the Eastern Regional Snowsports Association (ERSA).

Nick Ogden, director of Snowsports England, said: 'The challenge looked so easy in the Guinness World Records book but breaking a record is not easy.

'It proved tough as we had a big range of skiers in terms of experience and size, so it was tougher for the younger and smaller children to reach up and keep hold tight.

'They are so used to bombing down there as quick as they can, so telling them to go down a slope holding hands as slow as they can was very different for them.

'We have more ERSA events coming up across East Anglia in the future though, and we will keep trying.'

The skiers were lined up in a zigzag formation with the taller skiers standing on the sides, as they slowly stepped down the slope, but on each occasion the chain of hands broke.

Across the rest of the day more than 250 children from 59 schools across East Anglia took part in the School Ski Championships, which included youngsters who have won national championships, as well as some who were taking part in their first ski races.

Bernie Wright, chairman of ERSA, said: 'This is the forth year that we have run the schools race and the number of participants has steadily been increasing.

'It was a shame we weren't able to set a new record but I am sure that eventually ERSA will be able to break it.'