Skiing all-rounder Lauren Bloom knows anything less than her best will not be good enough as she prepares to return to the slopes for the English Alpine Skiing Championships.

The Bristolian will be racing in the slalom, giant slalom and Super-G in the under-14 category in what will be her third appearance in Bormio, Italy, and has been training hard to improve last year’s results.

Bloom bagged silver in the slalom 12 months ago but is desperate to take the top step of the podium this time around, with a move to new club Pontypool Ski Racing already yielding improvements on the slopes.

“I’m hoping to win this year, but I know I’m going to have to be at my best to do that. If I do that I think I can win,” said Bloom.

“I think this season could go really well for me, but I’ll have to work hard.

“I’m going to go all out in my races, but everyone else is skiing really well too.

“Everyone’s really nice and the competition is always strong, and the pistes are always well prepared.

“I like the atmosphere and all the people cheering me on, going fast is the best bit.

“I race in Super-G, giant slalom and slalom, that’s my favourite because that is my best discipline and I feel like I’m getting better and better in that one.

The English Alpine Championships, where Olympian Dave Ryding started his career before competing in the World Cup, is one of the biggest annual competitions in the skiing calendar.

But to reach the heights of the World Cup is no mean feat, with 13-year-old Bloom keen to add the consistency to her racing when the Championships begin on February 17.

Previous outings have brought about mixed success in Bormio, from not finishing in some races in 2017 to claiming two top-ten finishes in the giant slalom and the slalom in 2018.

And while the skier has to balance her sporting life with her school work, her dreams lie with a possible Olympic future.

“My dad got me into skiing and I took to it straight away,” added Bloom.

“I train on plastic most weeks and on snow we’ve being going back and forth quite a bit because I have to be at back to school.

“It can be hard to do both but my teacher sends me the work so I ski in the mornings and do the work when I get back.

“It would be amazing to race in the Olympics, I’ll do whatever I can to get there. I know you need a lot of dedication to get there and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Snowsport England is the national governing body for skiing and snowboarding in England, aiming to inspire as many people as possible to try snow sports. Find out more about Snowsport England’s affiliated clubs, athletes, competitions, coaching and campaigns here: http://www.snowsportengland.org.uk