'I tend to be quite gung-ho, it’s often all or nothing' - Q&A with British snowboarder and Sochi 2014 hopeful Aimee Fuller

Aimee Fuller started on the dry slopes of Bromley but now the 22-year-old has her sights set on Sochi 2014, where she will represent Britain in the new Olympic event of slopestyle.

How do you go from a dry ski slope in Bromley to having Winter Olympic aspirations?

Well, we all have to start somewhere, and a dry slope or a snow dome is a good place to begin. It worked for me as well as some of the other British boarders. Perhaps it meant that when we went abroad we appreciated the snow more than the Austrians who have it on their doorstep. And a dry slope is not as daunting as a mountain, is it?

What sort of boarder are you? Would you describe yourself as aggressive?

I tend to be quite gung-ho, it’s often all or nothing with me. Last year, at the European X Games I managed to land a double back flip — I was the first girl to land a double in a contest.

Is there a particular move you’re working on right now?

I’ve just been to quite an exclusive camp run by [snowboarding guru] Shaun White. It was a mixture of working on being more solid but also practicing a new trick — a cab double 900. It’s a case of combining a double back flip and a cab [switch frontside spin] under flip together, so it comes around twice. One of the girls has done it in a [snow] park and another in the back country [off piste]. No one’s done it in a contest yet. It’s just about getting the right jump on the right day and giving it a go.

Apart from landing that this season, what else is the main goal — Sochi?

I’ve been to an X Games, which is the pinnacle of the sport, but not the Olympics, which is the other highlight. And it’s the first time our event, slopestyle, will be in the Games. For Sochi, I have to be ranked in the top 24 in the world and the British criteria means you need two top 12s. With injuries last season, I haven’t done that so right now the goal is just to qualify for Sochi. Obviously when you’re there you want to get on the podium but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

What’s it like when you compete, when you land the perfect run?

It’s amazing. When you’re at the start you put this pressure on yourself, you know the standard you’ve set. It’s you and no one else — you’re the only one who determines how well you do, you’re the one making the decisions. So when you land everything right, it’s pretty much the ultimate. It’s epic, insane.

There’s still a perception of boarders as party people. Is that the case?

Since the introduction of the Olympics, there’s been a notable change Everyone’s much more professional. But it’s like any sport, if you get a good result you go out and celebrate but it’s nothing crazy. Put it this way, we know how to have a dance.

So what does the training involve to get to Sochi?

I live in Belfast now, my family moved there six years ago. I do a lot of cycling and surfing there. It’s a beautiful part of the world. I also do a lot of gym work — weights sessions mostly — as well as trampolining. I’ve got a trampoline in the garden and Red Bull have set me up with a beast of a trampoline a couple of times, and got me working with free runner Ryan Doyle to teach me new moves. I’ve had a few prangs on the trampoline but you quickly learn how to roll. I also do yoga and, as much as I despise it, it’s so good for your flexibility and for preventing injuries.

Where’s your favourite place to snowboard?

I love Austria at the start of the season as you can board in the morning on the glacier when there aren’t loads of people around and then have a barbecue in the afternoon. And the other one is Mammoth in the US — it’s a great place to train and then have a few hours off to explore.

At your level of competition, is your previous motocross passion on hold?

Yeah, sponsors don’t tend to be too keen on that with the threat of injury! So I sold my bike a while ago but I’m now having a go on road bikes and doing some filming in Norway.

So is it just going fast and being outdoors that drives you?

Yeah, I guess so. Although I don’t want to make out like I’m just some sort of tomboy. I like to get in a dress as well.