When Anna Pryce’s parents plonked her on some skis and pushed her down the hill in the family garden in Inverurie, no one could have predicted that she would follow that route all the way to the Olympics.
But at 24, the cross-country skier is doing just that after being selected by Team GB for Milano-Cortina 2026.
Born in Scotland, where she lived until she was five, Pryce then moved over to Canada and has also spent four years in the States combining a nursing degree with competing for Montana State University.
On the advice of fellow college skier Joe Davies, another member of the Team GB Nordic skiing team to have changed nationalities, Pryce switched her allegiances to the country of her birth last spring. She then became the first Brit to compete on the women’s cross-country World Cup circuit since 2019.
Those performances were enough to earn her a spot in Italy next month, completing a remarkable journey from Scottish countryside.
She said: “I lived in the countryside just outside Inverurie until I was almost six. I learned to ski in Scotland, we had a really big garden and when we got snow, my mum and dad would send me out on the skis down the hill. We did lots of skiing around.
“They got us into it and then when we moved to Canada, it was so easy to do because there is lots of skiing and lots snow.
“I did used to ski for the Canadian national team but then when I went to the States, I went on a different path.
“I switched (to GB) in the spring, I felt that it was a bit more opportunity to race. I was ready for a different opportunity and GB gave that.
“I’m really good friends with Joe and he told me all about it. He loved it and highly recommended it. It’s really cool to have a full circle moment, representing the place I was born and learned to ski.”
The family aspect is particularly resonant for Pryce, whose mother passed away last year.
“I wish she were here. It’s a bit hard, but my dad is very supportive,” she added.
Her journey to the start line in Val di Fiemme is all the more impressive given that she has spent the last four years combining her skiing with a full-time nursing degree.
That has not always been easy, but she believes she is all the better for it.
She explained: “Skiing had to be sacrificed sometimes for doing school. I graduated in May and it was nice because I felt like I had the year to focus on it and work and have a lot more time to put into it.
“I’ve always been looking at the Olympics but when I finally graduated school, I felt I had time and could put my eggs into one basket. This year it became a real possibility in my head.
“I loved skiing at school and having all my teammates. It was also great to see that there are things outside skiing as well with the whole school aspect.
“It definitely helped develop me as a skier and also as a person, learning to manage my time.
“That was challenging, I’m very happy I did it. I love my degree, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it while skiing full-time. My coaches were great.
“Sometimes I would have to come to a race a bit later than everyone else because I had to be in the hospital doing a clinical day, or I would have to leave early but that was all taken care of for me.
“There were days when I was in the hospital for 12 hours or doing nights. The more and more I did nursing, the more I loved it. It took a while but I found a way to balance the two. I was able to keep up with the heinous amounts of schoolwork but also training.”
By striking that balance, Pryce is set to fulfil a lifelong ambition. From Inverurie to the Dolomites via North America, not many will have travelled further to achieve their dream.