FREESTYLE SKIING: Russ Henshaw is a name you are going to hear a lot of on the road to Sochi 2014. The Jindabyne skiier was the best performed Australian athlete at the recent Winter Games in New Zealand, coming home with a bronze medal - the only medal the Aussies brought back across the ditch.

Standing at 6 foot 2’ tall and with hair to his shoulders, Henshaw skis the new Olympic event of slopestyle - which combines jumps, rails, pipes and other obstacles in a virtual snowy skate park built on a hill.

To take Winter Games bronze Henshaw overcame flat light, limited training and a shin injury that left him “literally skiing on one leg from the bottom of the course to the chair.”

“It was an amazing comp and I am stoked I could be up on the podium at an event with such a high level of riding,” the 23-year-old said.

“I always look at the events in New Zealand as a warm up to the northern hemisphere winter. It is a great way to stack some much needed points even before the season even kicks off, so to have started with a bronze is amazing.”

The ski slopestyle specialist is steadily building up his trophy cabinet despite the injuries that keep threatening to derail his progress. Part of the growing Henshaw story is that his dad donated part of his own hamstring when his son tore his ACL in 2011 - the very same year Henshaw stamped his name on the world stage with an X Games silver medal.

Then in January this year Henshaw was struck down with another ACL injury, but has opted against surgery in an attempt to blitz the impending Sochi Games.

The dogged skier is out to nab one of the first Olympic medals in slopestyle, which makes its Games debut for skiing and snowboarding in 2014.

“I have seen a lot more people starting to take interest in slopestyle,” Henshaw said.

“It’s really cool to see so many people getting into the sport and understanding what I do. People are definitely getting behind me and supporting me,” Henshaw said of his Olympic dream.

You can already see the IOC’s vision of engaging young people coming to light on the misty slopes of Perisher as Henshaw teaches young protégées how to finesse the rails, features and jumps that characterise slopestyle.

“I love doing stuff like that,” Henshaw said after a half day training session with five school students.

“When I was a kid I remember going up the chair in New Zealand with Jon Olsson. I didn't talk to him, but I remember how incredibly stoked I was to be on the same chair as him,” he said of the X Games multiple medallist.

“If I can try and make the kids as stoked I was in New Zealand, then there is no reason not to do it.”

At the humble age of 23, the tide has already turned and Henshaw is a bona fide celebrity to the young skiers of Australia.

“I’ve got butterflies in my stomach… maybe some bogong moths,” youngster Henry Baff said of his day on the slopes with Henshaw.

“He’s like a legend to me. He’s my hero… It’s probably the best day of my life,” added primary school student Sebastian Zylinski.

Proud of his Snowy Mountains roots, Henshaw has had some good company on the “absolutely amazing” slopes of Perisher this season - the Norwegian slopestyle team.

“I have always found Perisher to be one of the best places to train, not only because they have such a good terrain park, but because the lift lap to ride the park is so short, which means a lot more time on snow rather than on lifts.

“I think the internationals are coming to Perisher due to the photos they have seen on my Instagram and what I have been telling them! I think they were all a bit sceptical at first, but after being here and riding, they are super happy they made the decision to come here.”

Laidback is certainly one word that comes to mind for Henshaw, who keeps busy off snow playing guitar, skateboarding, trampolining, and taking great photos for his Instagram account.

Henshaw’s style is so relaxed he actually built a house back in Australia while he was travelling abroad.

“It was quite stressful doing everything via Skype and email, but it has turned out great and I have finally moved in.”

With his Olympic qualification virtually wrapped up, Henshaw has four months to perfect his suite of tricks to unleash in Sochi.

“I am going to spend as much time as I can training and learning new tricks or variations on tricks I can already do.

“I will still do a few more events, such as the Dew Tour and the X Games, just to stay in the competition frame of mind. Basically I just want to ski as much as I can!”

Henshaw, and fortified women’s contender Anna Segal, herself a former World Champion, have the task ahead of flying the Australian flag on the ski slopestyle course that has just been revealed >>>