Pam Thorburn does not like hanging around. She has not been on the ski slopes since February and a recent shoulder operation means it is likely to be December before she hurtles down the slopes again.

But this time it will be different. Thorburn, who has been skiing since the age of three and grew to compete for the Great Britain Alpine team, is switching to Ski Cross, which gained such rave reviews on its Olympic debut in 2010.

For someone still in rehab after injury, it appears the most dangerous option but she is determined to reinvent herself after the acute disappointment of missing out on last year's Olympics when she was part of the Great Britain Alpine team.

"I had qualified for the Olympics but then the Federation went bankrupt and could not afford to send the seven skiers who had qualified," the 25 year-old from Strathaven explains.

"In the end, they managed to send four skiers but three of us missed out altogether which was disappointing."   

She spent last year training with the Canadian team in Calgary which was an eye-opening experience as they had a full-time coaching and support staff behind them, something she did not have as part of the British set-up.

Her last race was in Aspen, Colorado, in February where she tore ligaments in her knee and she faces another few weeks of rehab on her shoulder before, all going to plan, taking part in first World Cup race in Austria in December.

"The surgeon who operated, Gordon Mackay, said he's never seen a shoulder so loose and it was only held together by muscles and it needed tightened up," she continues.

"I'd had problems with tendonitis over the years and I think it was just a case of wear and tear.

"So I've basically been in rehab in recent weeks but I've been able to work on my leg strength and core strength and build up the other parts of my body. The most frustrating thing is that I've not been able to drive and have had to rely on others to get me around.

"There is always the temptation to try and come back too soon so I want to make sure I'm fully fit before I return.

"My strength and conditioning coach is going to give me some rugby tackling exercises to build up my shoulder so I can't wait for that!

"It's not a bad year to be injured as there are no World Championships and no Olympics and it's a bit of a down year.

"Hopefully, I'll come back fitter and stronger. Ski Cross will involve a different type of training and the start is a huge thing. Invariably, the skier who gets the fastest start wins the race so I'll need to work on my upper body and get a more dynamic start.

"It's like learning a new sport. It's been around for about ten years and I was always aware of it but it was seen as a more fun side to skiing and not really treated that seriously.

"But now it has Olympic status - and was one of the big successes of 2010 - the numbers competing have doubled.

"There is also more psychology involved as you are racing against others at the same time and I have been working a lot with sports psychologist Gordon MacNaughton.

"It's so different and I know there will be a lot more crashes but I am a speed skier and the speeds are down in Ski Cross so it shouldn't be as bad."

Thorburn is seeking as much sponsorship as she can to support her ambitions, given that there is no tradition of Ski Cross in this country and little funding around for the sport.  

"The difficult part is getting sponsors and I've approached a few companies but it's not a good time as everyone wants to put money into the summer sports with the Olympics coming up in London," she outlines.

"It's all about your own contacts and I think Ski Cross has a lot of offer potential sponsors as it's such an exciting event.

"The plan is to base myself in Austria this year and to travel to events around Europe and try and build up my world ranking.

"The long-term aim is obviously the Olympics in 2014 but I want to go there with a chance of finishing with a high placing, so hopefully I can climb into the top 10 or top five in the world before then."

RM

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