ALPINE SKIING: Before you sit back and watch the Olympic Winter Games next February, get yourself in the mindset of these fearless winter athletes.

The aerial skiers climb to the top of a mountain and come somersaulting down; the sliders race down an icy track at speeds of up to 140km/h; and alpine skiers like Lavinia Chrystal hurtle straight down the mountain at 100km/h.

These perilous pursuits are united in one common goal: being a part of the Australian Olympic Team.

High reward? Of course. High risk? Unfortunately, yes.

In September 2011, Chrystal was doing a simple warm up at the University Games when she crushed her knee and fractured her leg – the extent of which she only found out months later due to a series of misdiagnoses.

“I was in pain, but I was told it was the medial ligament growing back – which is quite painful. I generally have quite a high pain threshold,” said Chrystal, who was actually running and skiing on a broken leg, torn ACL and torn meniscus.

“It was a very long rehab, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” the 24-year-old reflects prophetically.

“I definitely wanted to get back to where I was and be a better skier. Any athlete wants to – that’s just in our nature – we’re competitive.”

In the midst of managing this string of injuries, complications and mental hurdles, Chrystal was dealt the news that is every friend’s nightmare.

Her best friend, Emily, was in a snowboard accident and became a quadriplegic. The pair met at Sydney University when Emily and her family moved to Australia from England in 2008 and the girls lived together for three years.

Unlike Chrystal, Emily was never a competitive skier and was holidaying at the time.

“That was a big thing for me – more so than anything else was that this had happened to my best friend.

“She was just on holiday. She’s not a competitive skier like me so I sort of thought – that’s something that I do every day of my life and she was just on a holiday. It really threw me a bit.”

With the help of a sports psychologist at the NSW Institute of Sport, Chrystal fought her way back to the snow and onto the national podium this winter.

“I think having gone through all of that definitely makes the results I had that much sweeter. I’ve had to work that much harder to get them.”

When she returned after 18 months off the snow to win her third national title, Chrystal had a secret weapon by her side.

Her mind was swirling with a snowstorm of questions- am I going to get back to where I was? Will I be that much further behind the other girls now? Will I be able to catch up? - But on the inside of her racing helmet is a sticker that says “For Em” accompanied by a heart.

“It’s so she can ski with me when I’m skiing. Emily is just amazing. She inspires me to get up every day and do what I do. It’s those kinds of things that make you appreciate life.”

Since winning nationals in August, Chrystal’s confidence has soared.

“I think no one was more surprised by it than me. I was certainly the underdog, which is a great position to be in because no one has expectations of you and you can just be free to have a crack.

“That win was really exciting and one of the first races I did this year and it really built my confidence. I was able to go over to New Zealand and carry that confidence and I had some really great results in New Zealand as well so I’m pretty stoked with how the season went and I’m looking forward to continuing it in the States and Europe.”

The Olympic qualification window opened 18 months ago, but Chrystal only started earning points this July.

“I’m playing a bit of catch up,” she admits.

“I’ve worked my whole life for this and I really hope that I can get there. I have a tough few months ahead, but I’m working harder everyday and I really want to be there – it would mean the world to me.”

Australia looks poised to send two female alpine skiers to Sochi, with a third position also possible. But Chrystal, who currently holds the third position, wants to leave nothing to chance.

“We’re hoping for a third position, but I really want to be there at number two.

“It’s an individual sport, but we all train and live together as a team and we compete against one another, so it does make it hard, but that’s sport I guess,” she said.

The Australian alpine contingent is heading to the North American Cup series in November before flying to Austria for Christmas and contesting local FIS events.

For the Sydneysider who watched Cathy Freeman win gold in 2000 and has always wanted to go to the Olympic Games, the dream is within reach. Despite being a state representative in swimming, diving and water polo, and an active competitor for Palm Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, it was always going to be a Winter Olympics for Chrystal.

“It’s sort of funny, I’m a bit of a water baby but I love the mountains as well.”

Her parents met on a ski holiday, and since first touching snow at the age of three, Chrystal’s Winter Olympic dream was clear.

“It’s in the family blood I guess. I always wanted to do skiing.”

Read Chrystal’s Blog and keep following her journey to Sochi >