A Bradford photography student and full-time staff nurse is heading to the famous Colorado ski resort of Aspen next year to cover the extreme sports Olympics, the X-Games.

Tracy Laycock, a staff nurse at St Luke's hospital in Bradford, is a final year photography student at Bradford College. For her final year project she has chosen to focus on the world of extreme sports, combining her love of photography with her passion for snowboarding.

Ms Laycock heads to the US in January to document the world's premier extreme sports event, having been granted accreditation by a magazine.

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus Tracy said: "I am in my final year of the course and have to focus on a specific thing.

I decided I wanted to do extreme sports and that I wanted to go to the big events to cover it. I am financing the trip myself but have been told I will get accreditation.

"I've always been interested in extreme sports. I snowboard, but don't compete. Obviously I have a full time job as a nurse but I would like to develop my photography as well.

"It will be quite challenging to get the shots I need, especially as I work with film because it gives warmer colours, but hopefully I can get really close to the action and get some good shots.

"I'm really excited about going. The Winter X-games is the biggest event of its kind in the world and to be able to be there will be amazing."

The 2008 Winter X-Games will be the 11th year the event has been held. The best competitors in the world will compete in a variety of extreme sports, including skiing, snowboarding and snow-mobiling. The games run from January 24 to 27.

Among the premier athletes who Tracy will be hoping to meet and photograph will be four-time world snowboarding champion Americam Shaun White from California.