Ed Drake hopes his troublesome ankle injury won't prevent him reclaiming the British Ski Championship title this week.

The Kingston skier has flown out to Meribel in France hoping for a repeat of 2009, when he won the Super G, Downhill, Super Combined and Giant Slalom events to share the overall title, when this year's competition begins on Monday.

A knee injury stopped him defending those titles last year and the jinx looked to have struck again with an ankle problem picked up at the World Ski Championships in February that has left him unable to ski outdoors for almost six weeks and short of form.

"It's not quite fit but it is crunch time now," said Drake, who will compete in the Downhill, Super Combined, Super G, Slalom and Giant Slalom events.

"I have been battling with this ankle for a while and it has been getting better gradually so I have come out to give it a go.

"I have skied indoors and it has been okay but it is a step up from indoors to outdoors but hopefully it won't have changed too much and I will be fine.

"If the injury is good I am looking to win the Downhill, Super Combined and Super G but I have not skied outside in five-and-a-half weeks so it is going to be difficult to find form straight away."

Last year's overall winner Dougie Crawford is ruled out with injury but Drake still expects some tough competition.

"TJ Baldwin has had a strong season so I am going to have to hit the ground running if I want to win this," he said.

"It will be good to get my titles back and it is always nice to perform in front of the Brits and it is a good felling to come out on top."