ALL her sport is carried out speeding down slippery slopes but Nicole Haines' career is definitely on the up.

Still just 11 years old, Nicole is making an impact on the world snowboarding scene and this winter broke into the under-16s girls top 50 rankings with top-five finishes in four competitions in Austria and Italy.

The youngster has made great progress during her three-month stint abroad, during which time she called a 16th century castle her home. Nicole also attended the Suzuki Nine Queens, an international competition involving nine of the world's top skiers and snowboarders and, invited into the competitors' enclosure, she rubbed cold shoulders with the likes of renowned Olympic snowboarder Anna Gasser and up-and-coming stars Hailey Langland and Elena Konz.

Despite being somewhat starstruck Nicole could not help but be motivated by seeing her idol Langland in action.

Away from the watching brief Nicole was also in competitive action, as she took part in two Zillertal Valley Rally events, securing fourth in the under-13s Rail Jam tournament and third at Vans Penken Park.

Conceding up to five years to some of her rivals Nicole also took to the slopes of Trento in Italy in the u16s World Rookie Tour and came fifth, as well as securing second in the u16s Junior Jam in the Austrian mountains of Westendorf.

All of which amounts to a new world u16s ranking of 48th in the 137-strong snowboarding field, following her memorable trip, after which she has renewed passion for the sport. Turning her attention to summer training Nicole is now working hard in gymnastics, netball, fitness training, trampolining and rock climbing, all aided by trainers at Howe Bridge Leisure Centre and Air Vault in Westhoughton and her snowboard coaches at Why Ain't You Jibbin'.

Although she enjoys the fitness aspect, Nicole admits she cannot wait to get back on the mountains and pull off some big tricks, her favourite being a 'Cab 180 on, back 180 off'. As a goofy rider, meaning her right foot is at the front, this involves Nicole going left foot forward while spinning and then spinning to the left while doing a 180-degree turn.

High levels of focus are needed to pull off such aerobatics and Nicole clearly has similar drive away from the slopes.

"I set my own goals and dreams in life, I know what I want to be and what I want to do and what type of person I want to become," she said. "No one can tell me to think something I don't believe in.

"My mum and dad support me in all my dreams, and having my first winter season on the mountain has helped my progression massively. I still dream of wanting to go to the Olympics and representing my country.

"I try to shoot for the moon, even if I miss I'll land amongst the stars."

Nicole is hoping to raise some money to contribute towards her training abroad next season and she is currently looking at ways that she can boost funds and gain extra support.

Any companies that may be interested in supporting Nicole are asked to get in touch through nicolehaines.co.uk or via email at antrach28@sky.com