Not many people are considered pioneers at age 19, let alone a snowboarder, but Ellery Hollingsworth is blazing trails usually reserved for her elder, more seasoned competitors.

Imagine your Olympic dream being cut right out from underneath you. It’s a reality all to familiar for Great Britain’s Zoe Gillings now that Snowsport GB cut all funding for the country’s ski and snowboard teams.

Gillings, now 25, began snowboarding when she was just ten and hit the competitive ranks just five years later. The woman from the Isle of Man has shown increased progress in her results of late, including eighth place at the Vancouver Olympics and seventh at the 2011 World Championships – both in the discipline of snowboard cross.

Finland's WYL dishes on his boarding career, roasting coffee beans and the future.

It seems that something has always been brewing for the Finnish snowboarding star Wille Yli-Luoma (pronounced Vee-lay Oo-lee-Loo-oh-mah – get it straight!).

Now, things are literally percolating for the self-named “Free Willy” at Heart Roasters – Wille’s coffee shop and roasting company situated in beautiful Portland, Oregon.

Not only is Gretchen Bleiler one of female snowboarding’s best talents, but her stunning looks and killer personality make her one of the darlings in the sport.

Bad boy. Wild man. Supreme talent. American hope.

These are terms that have followed the enigmatic Bode Miller throughout his skiing career, sometimes for good reason and sometimes for show. But one thing is for sure when it comes to Miller, he’s anything but prosaic.