She may have missed out on the podium at last weekend’s season opening event but Sochi 2014 Olympian Aimee Fuller insists the building blocks are falling into place for success this campaign.
Nine months after finishing 17th in the snowboard slopestyle discipline at the Winter Games in Sochi, Fuller was back on her board for the O‘Neill Pleasure Jam in Dachstein.
It came at the end of the fortnight-long training camp with the British team in Austria with Fuller making the most of some valuable early time on the snow.
Thoughts now turn to the Dew Tour Mountain Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, from December 11-14.
Last year the 23-year-old finished seventh at the event, 12 months after picking up a shoulder injury at the semi-final stage.
And while keen to stress this season is about fine-tuning her repertoire of tricks on the slopes, Fuller is happy with the way things are shaping up.
“It was rad to get out there to the mountains, it was the first official training camp of the season, the majority of the gang were out there and we had some good time on the snow,” she said.
“I was pretty pleased with fifth. I changed a few things on my run, I took out one of the flips and I was trying to work on some flatter spins.
“It was a really good trial run, there are a few things to work on but if I can get the complete run down it will stand me in good stead in competitions.
“Next is the Dew Tour in Colorado, the goal is definitely to make the final and then see. I’m experimenting with things this year in general, focusing more on tricks.”
Fuller was speaking after the latest research from Snowsport England indicated there has been a 12 per cent increase in participation at domestic slopes and centres year on year from 2013 to 2014 and an 11 per cent increase year on year from May to August this year.
And with the ‘Sochi Effect’ clearly being felt in Great Britain, Fuller admitted the fresh attention on the sport was a welcome addition.
“It’s been great to see the progression and increase in people taking up the sport. It’s awesome and something to get really excited about,” she added.
“There was a real buzz for Sochi but it’s good to see that momentum has been carried on and people of all ages are taking up the sport.”
© Sportsbeat 2014