By Anna Thompson

Alcott had three top 20 finishes in World Cup races

Britain's top skier Chemmy Alcott said her disappointing season will make her more determined to succeed next year.

The 25-year-old from Hove was expecting to break into the world's top 10 and had employed a host of experts to achieve her goal.

But instead she had an inconsistent and frustrating season, recording just three top 20 results in the World Cup.

"I am disappointed I didn't make the World Cup finals and wish I knew why it had happened," she told BBC Sport.

Last summer Alcott received extra funding to employ a team consisting of psychologists, a nutritionist, a performance movement coach as well as a sensory motor skills expert to work alongside her coach Gerhard Greber in an attempt to make her into a world beater.

But the leap up the rankings failed to materialise and Alcott believed part of it was simply down to bad luck.

After fantastic pre-season preparation in South America, in which her race times were raising eyebrows on the ski circuit, Alcott headed to the first race, a giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, in confident mood.

I realise it takes more than perfect preparation to become the best skier in the world Chemmy Alcott

And an 11th place in the first run would have put her on course for a career-best result.

But unfortunately on the second run, her ski binding popped open and she failed to finish the race.

Then in Aspen in Colorado, Alcott had finished in the top 10 in the two downhill training runs.

But on race day, snowy and cloudy weather conditions conspired against her and she could not see the first gate from the start hut. Alcott managed to finish but the race was abandoned soon after a serious accident.

She said: "I realise it takes more than perfect preparation to become the best skier in the world.

"Three top 20 results was not bad but I expected so much more."

In an effort to get her challenge for a medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics back on track, Alcott has said goodbye to Greber, with whom she had worked with for the past five years, and will instead be coached by Mark Tilston, the former GB men's coach.

"He [Greber] had taken me as far as he could and he did not know what else to do to make me go any faster.

"I needed a fresh approach and Mark will provide that."

Tilston and Alcott will be concentrating on two aspects of her racing - a better release out of the start hut and an improved technique over the flatter sections of the race.

Vancouver is 21 months away and I have the talent, drive and the will to succeed Chemmy Alcott

But before she begins her pre-season training in earnest in Chile, Alcott has taken time out by attending a surf retreat in Bali as well as spending a week climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa for the charity Right to Play, with her best friend and fellow skier, American Julia Mancuso.

Alcott will soon be back to what she knows best with the Vancouver Olympics looming around the corner and a qualifying season ahead of her.

"Don't write me off yet," she pleaded. "Vancouver is 21 months away and I have the talent, drive and the will to succeed."

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