Chemmy Alcott is hearing the Christmas countdown louder than most - though her deadline comes a few days before Santa's scheduled arrival.
Alcott - who is aiming at a fourth Olympic alpine skiing appearance in Sochi - has fast-tracked her recovery, after breaking her leg during training for the World Championships earlier this year in Schladming.
And she hopes to return to the World Cup circuit in Val D'Isere on December 19th.
“I really wanted to race Val D’Isere which is on December 19th but it might be a little bit too early, so I might just be joining the World Cup tour in January," said Alcott.
“I’ll be skiing by December, racing by January and then peaking for February. I’m a bit of a veteran at the Olympics and I know how to fast-track my performance so that I will be at my best then.
“Rehab is going fantastically. I’ve been jumping in the altitude trainer and everything’s on track. Obviously the leg break was a little blip but I know how to deal with it and I know how to come back stronger."
Alcott hopes to ski a busy schedule in Russia, racing in the downhill, super giant slalom, giant slalom and super combined in what she vows will be her final appearance at the Games.
And the first target is cracking the top ten, after ranking 11th in the downhill in 2006 and super combined in Vancouver.
“I will definitely get better than 11th at Sochi but I’ll tell you my targets for Sochi when I’m on the plane there," she added.
“I’ve tended to struggle around February in my career so far because I tend to ski fast at the beginning of the season and the end of the season and have a bit of a low down then.
"Obviously this hasn’t been intentional coming into the season so late but it will be interesting if I can keep the momentum building as I usually can for the beginning of the season."
© Sportsbeat 2013