Australia's best and likely last real chance of topping the podium at the Sochi Olympics comes on Monday when team flagbearer Alex "Chumpy" Pullin hits the snowboard cross course at the Extreme Park at Rosa Khutor.
Pullin is the favourite for the event and with good reason. A two-time world champion and two-time season-ending World Cup winner, he is the consummate professional in a sport that can seem chaotic.
His calm demeanour and tactical nous during the head-to-head races mark him as the most consistent rider at the event.
But the elephant in the white room is what appears to be a fracture in the camp, with upcoming talent Jarryd Hughes.
At just 18 he has already won a World Cup event but he doesn't appear happy with the team set up.
Part of a group including halfpipe silver medal winner Torah Bright, park and 'pipe rider Scotty James and fellow snowboard cross athlete Belle Brockhoff, they use the hashtag "teamoutcast" on social media to signify what they perceive as a funding and support slight against them.
While the Australian Olympic Committee has publicly rebuffed some of their concerns, Hughes still doesn't appear to be in a happy space, on Saturday bluntly refusing to answer even an innocent question about whether he's learnt anything from Pullin.
For his part the Pullin seemed relaxed and happy after a training session on Saturday.
He said it was great that there were other riders coming though like Hughes and Cameron Bolton but in the end it was still an individual sport.
"It has to be," he said. "Everyone is coming about it in their own way.
"We have not been practising a gymnastics routine here," he said of the sport which can get quite physical as riders face off, racing down a narrow channel.
"It's like a sword fight - you don't know where the next swing is coming from but you hope your training pays off and you can block it."
Pullin said the course was fast despite the warm weather, athletes in training often overshooting the landings off the jumps.
"It's faster than last year (at the test event) and in some ways that makes it challenging.
"But I'll just tell myself to brace, it's coming - I'm definitely not going to slow down."
A number of athletes have been hurt in the lead-up with American Seth Wescott, the 2006 and 2010 champion, failing to qualify off the back of an injury.
Pullin's long-time rival Pierre Vaultier will be at the starting gate but is still feeling the ill-effects on an injury he sustained when he crashed into the Australian during his only World Cup event of the season in December.
Pullin, who also sustained a minor injury in that incident, insists fitness is more important to him that what has been a limited season of competition.
