A TALENTED conservation officer is preparing to defend her title as Britain’s top freeride­ snowboarder.

As most of us return to the daily grind after the festive season, Rhiannon Cottrell­, who works for Natural Resources Wales, will spend the start of the new year on the slopes competing against the best in the world.

Last winter Rhiannon, who lives in Abercegir near Machynlleth, represented Wales and the UK in the Freeride Snowboarding World Tour.

Held on some of the world’s biggest alpine faces, it is a challenge that takes guts, determination, skill and hard work.

Competing against Olympic-trained athletes, Rhiannon is now ranked Britain’s top freeride snowboarder and 17th overall.

Seeding high and with the help of sponsorship, Rhiannon is now able to enter more top-level events and increase her ranked position.

Rhiannon said: “I hope to put Wales on the map for a sport we’re not currently recognised for, and help encourage female athletes as part of the Welsh Government’s What Moves You? campaign.

“I’ve already had discussions with the event organisers about Wales being represented as an individual country and this is something the organisers are considering.”

While the Freeride World Tour is not considered an Olympic event, it represents the highest level of achievement in snowboarding, attracting many Olympians who train all year.

To enable Rhiannon to compete at this highest level, NRW has approved her application for a three-and-a-half-month career break, giving Rhiannon time to train and build on what she achieved last year. But Rhiannon also plans to use the time to benefit her day job when she returns in May 2018.

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