Kiwi freeskier Jossi Wells is hoping stem cell treatment will provide him with a shot at contesting next year's Sochi Winter Olympics free of knee pain. 7 February 2013

Wanaka freeskier Jossi Wells sounds almost wistful when he talks about the possibility of competing pain-free.

Still only 22, Wells has lived and skied with patella tendinopathy - the same condition haunting top tennis player Rafael Nadal - for the last seven years.

"I haven't had a day since I was 15 that I don't have excruciating pain in my knees as soon as I bend them," he told NZ Newswire.

That hasn't stopped him from compiling an outstanding record in the demanding sport, including X Games silvers in halfpipe (2010) and slopestyle (2008), backed up by an X Games Big Air bronze in 2012.

Now, a year out from the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city Sochi, Wells is juggling his training workload with accumulating qualification points for ski halfpipe and slopestyle for their Olympic debut.

Just as important, he's also looking at beginning stem cell treatment later this month in Melbourne which has the potential to help him compete without pain.

It's a heady thought.

"I can't wait ... it's going to be like I was 14 again and skiing every moment that I could.

"This stem cell stuff's pretty exciting, because it's kind of the first thing that's come around that could really help."

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Wells seeks injury cure before Olympics