FREESTYLE SKIING - SLOPETYLE: Unfavourable snow conditions and a lack of serious mountains might be the lament of many local alpine athletes but, for slopestyle skier Russ Henshaw, Australia's humble hills have provided the gold medal edge he's looking for.

Henshaw is one of the favourites for the new Winter Olympic discipline which involves performing tricks off jumps and rails in a purpose-built terrain park.

He has claimed a world championship bronze, World Cup medals and is a regular podium finisher on the pro tour.

While many of the southern hemisphere's mountains are available for internationals to train and compete on during the off-season, Henshaw says they don't do it nearly enough.

Advantage Henshaw.

"We definitely get more time than the other guys still. They are not going to fly down here and spend a full three months here," Henshaw said ahead of leaving for Colorado to prepare for the international season.

"They come down for August and a bit of September and are gone again. We then get the back end of the season when the parks are good as well.

"I have spent more time on snow (in the southern hemisphere winter) than I think anyone has on the circuit."

Henshaw was surprised when speaking to the strong American slopestyle contingent that most of the athletes had the summer off.

"I immediately thought I would have been freaking out if that was me, having such an important season coming up and having spent no time on snow," he said.

"I would have gone mad.

"I live in Jindabyne, so it's at my back door."

Opting not to undergo a knee operation during the Australian winter, Henshaw instead spent time building up his strength before extensive on-snow training in Australia and New Zealand.

"I spent as much time on snow as I could. Basically until they melted, there was nothing left," he said.

Henshaw plans just three events before February's Olympic Games - a World Cup event and another pro competition in December, and the X Games in January.

He'll spend time perfecting some of his signature tricks including various 'triple corks' (off axis spins) with as many as four full rotations.

A regular in skiing videos, Henshaw said it was vital that he worked on competition style jumps as opposed to those done for the camera.

"I'm trying to figure how small of jump (kicker) I can do these tricks on without looking rushed or messy," he said.

"I'd really like to go to the Olympics to represent my country but also bring the highest level of the sport with me - not just things I am comfortable doing."

Australia will also have one of the women's favourites in Sochi with Anna Segal the 2011 world champion in the discipline.