Harpenden skier Olivia Herries says that nothing beats racing as she looks to clinch an English Alpine Skiing Championship medal.

The 14-year-old St George’s pupil is heading out to the Italian town of Bormio for the event, one of the biggest annual competitions in the skiing calendar.

And after missing last year’s competition through a torn cruciate ligament, she is relishing the chance to get back on the slopes.

She said: “It’s always great. The atmosphere’s really nice, Bormio town’s amazing. It’s such a nice place.

“I’ll be doing slalom, giant slalom and two super-G races so I’ll have a busy few days.

“I like the race atmosphere. It’s great training but racing, you get to meet your friends.

“Healthy competition is good and I like seeing where I am in comparison to the rest of the field.

“Obviously I missed last season because of my injury but I’ve made a pretty strong recovery and my physio says that I’m back to full health.

“I’m probably going to be expecting a top-three in the slalom, maybe a top five in giant slalom and maybe another top five in the super G.”

Despite her young age, Herries’ has already appeared at the championships twice before.

As with most sports-mad children, her path into sport was born through TV.

And as a member of Evolution Alpine Racing team, who she trains with in Austria, she has gone from watching her idols to brushing shoulders with them in the flesh.

She said: “I don’t turn on the TV and watch football, I turn on Eurosport and watch skiing.

“I’m a Mikaela Shiffrin fan but you can’t really not be, she’s pretty amazing. And obviously Dave Ryding as well.

“My team actually hosts him for a couple of months of the year, so he actually lives with us when I’m out in Austria sometimes, which is great because I get to see him train.

“It’s a great inspiration just to see him walking around.”

Snowsport England is the governing body for skiing and snowboarding in England, aiming to inspire as many people as possible to try snow sports.

Find out more about Snowsport England’s affiliated clubs, athletes, competitions, coaching and campaigns at www.snowsportengland.org.uk