The 30-year-old only saw snow for the first time last November but has a key role in trying to land Australia's first bobsleigh Olympic medal.

Reddingius will partner pilot Bree Walker in the two-woman bobsleigh, while Walker will also compete in the monobob, which is a new event on the Olympic schedule.

Walker has claimed 12 world series podiums over the last two seasons including six gold, while the pair also have lodged Australia's best ever two-woman results with two top-10 finishes this season.

Reddingius grew up in the remote WA goldfields town of Leonora and only turned her hand to bobsleigh after missing selection as a heptathlete for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

She was earmarked by the bobsleigh authorities in Australia as having the necessary talent and body type despite her lack of familiarity with snow and ice.

Reddingius's background has seen her earned the nickname "The Cool Runnings Kid" since making the switch from track and field.

"Obviously this whole bobsled learning journey has been a very steep learning curve as I only started this season," she told a Beijing media conference on Tuesday.

"I hadn't done much in the winter at all - I'm from the desert in Western Australia, I moved to Melbourne a couple of years ago, so that was the coldest weather I had experienced.

"Dad still lives where I grew up in a small town - there's only about 700 people there."

Reddingius said athletes from other nations had helped her transition to the icy track, offering technical advice.

"I don't know if they are more willing to help us because we are such a small nation and everyone wants to see the Aussies succeed, especially in a sport like bob," said Reddingius.

As brakewoman she pushes the bobsled to give it momentum at the start - the same role played by two-time 400m hurdles world champion Jana Pittman, who at the 2014 Sochi Games became the first Australian to compete at both Summer and Winter Olympics.

Reddingius said her bond with Walker - another former 400m hurdler - was key, with full trust required in the pilot. They only had two training runs before their first competition where they came seventh.

"We had only met the day before and to launch it off the hill and put all your trust in someone to take you down safely is a different experience that brings you close to someone very quickly," Reddingius said of her team-mate.

"She does everything that she can to be the best person and athlete that she can be so I know that we're going to do everything that we can to produce the result that we want, but I'll be proud of anything that we can produce."

Australian Associated Press