Aimee Fuller, 16, from Holywood recently captured fifth place in the junior category at the European Open in Laax, Switzerland.

And she hopes to build on that momentum later this month when she takes part in the British Championships, also to be held in Laax.

The Sullivan Upper pupil has been snowboarding for a few years after taking up the sport while living abroad.

“I lived in England until I was 12. I tried it on holiday in Austria. After that I lived in the US for a couple of years and got better there,” she told The CT from Dublin where she was appearing at a store opening for Roxy, her main sponsor.

An encounter with one of Britain's top snowboarders led to the sponsorship deal.

“I got sponsored by Roxy in October. I was at a snowboard camp at Mount Hood in Oregon and I met two-time British Olympic snowboarder Leslie McKenna and she basically talent-spotted me.”

McKenna then recommended Fuller to Roxy and the British team.

From there it has been onwards and upwards for Fuller, who competes in half pipe (an event where competitors do tricks on a ramp) and slopestyle (where riders select their own route through a course consisting of various terrain features, such as bumps, rails, and jumps). In addition to her showing at the European Open, the teenager has taken part in the Roxy Chicken Jam, a professional competition in Austria featuring some of the world's top female riders, finishing in a very respectable 23rd place.

She followed that up with a strong finish at the preliminary round of the World Rookie Fest in the Czech Republic, qualifying for the finals later this year.

All those strong finishes will bode well for Fuller as she prepares for future competitions.

“The British Championships are upcoming as well. They are a big deal to me,” she said of the competition taking place later this month in Switzerland.

In addition to Roxy, Fuller is sponsored by Flexmeter, TSA and Sno!Zone.