When did you begin snowboarding and how did it turn from a hobby to profession?

I started snowboarding when I was five years old at my local dry slope in Halifax. My mum and dad were really into it so we used to go as a family and from there I really got into snowboarding doing it every week as I loved it so much.

It wasn’t until I was 14 years old when I was at the British Championships competing in Laax Switzerland where I began thinking I could do this as a professions. Landing my first backside seven on the really big kicker meant I won the British champs rookie of the year that year, it was a big turning point which was and the first time that I realised I could perhaps make a career out of this.

Been the first female to land a double cork 1080 also brought lot's of exposure to my riding.

Thanks for telling us a little about your journey into becoming a professional snowboarder, now that you are firmly established as one of the top female snowboarder how would you like to progress over the coming season, especially with a big year next year hopefully involving the 2018 Winter Olympics.

With the Winter Olympics coming up in February my main goals are going to be to keep learning new tricks to take into the Olympics and other events, a lot of the hard work last season involved competing in the qualifying events which has ensured I am pretty much safe when it comes to been selected for the games. I am going to keep doing a few more World Cup events before the Olympics which should ensure my qualification points remain high. I am going to be training hard and will definitely be trying out new tricks so I can go to the Olympics in my best form and with the ultimate goal of making the podium at the event.

So will you be keeping anything secret in the bag just for the Olympics?

No I think I will be trying to practise them before hand, getting them honed so I am in the best place to pull them off.

So as a Team GB rider is there anything in the pipeline you can tell us about?

We still have lots of training going on and in a couple of weeks we will be heading out to New Zealand where they are kicking off the winter season. Then we will be travelling off to Europe to do the World cup events after that we will be training with our focus solely on the Olympics.

So can you tell us some more details about your typical training regime?

A weekly routine whilst I am away in a resort would involve getting up around 7am for a training day on the hill, this starts around 8 am and we can be up there working till 4pm so it’s a really long day given the physical side of what we are doing. I normally keep myself fuelled up throughout the day with some Red Bull which keeps me focused, especially on those long days on the hill.

It’s not over when we come down from the hill either after we will then be hitting the gym for some more training or taking part in gymnastics which has become a major part of snowboarding training, the two disciplines are intertwined nowadays and it really helps with our special awareness practising on the trampolines really helps for when we are in the air for real. The gym work also pays off having your body in peak condition is a big key to avoiding injuries and strengthening the body.

Speaking of injuries last season you had some bad ones how was the recovery?

I had a few general ones but then I broke my back which sounds very scary but luckily it was just minor damage and it is totally fine now.

Injuries aside last year seemed like the year you really arrived on the main stage too. We have been hearing about your talent for years but last year you delivered some amazing results at the world biggest events

It was a great season and my stand out moments have to be getting my first ever X Games medal, that has been on my bucket list for the longest time and competing in the X Games and the whole experience was just amazing.

Also getting my first ever world cup gold medal was a massive moment for me as I always want to get one of those too. Those two were just massive moments!

So just an Olympic medal next to put on the mantelpiece.

It wouldn’t be bad would it, they would make a nice set.

So tell us about who else you ride with who’s the most fun and how do they inspire you?

Because I travel with the British Team I normally ride with some of my best friends who are Matt Mccormick, Billy Morgan and Rowan Coultas,  they are all super talented snowboarders and we all help each other progress.

So any pro advice that you would like to share with our readers?

I would say if you are going away to the mountains you will definitely have a better trip and less chance of injury if you do some core strengthening beforehand, you don’t have to do loads but squats and lunges will definitely help you snowboard for longer without feeling as fatigued.

So if you could go to any resort right now where would you be heading?

It’s a tricky one but I would say Breckenridge in Colorado and Stubai in Austria rate really high. They both have a reputation for having amazing parks and are definitely my personal favourites.

Thanks for speaking to us Katie we can’t wait to watch you next season and fingers crossed you will be on that podium in Pyeongchang