November Powder Shred

Hi all,

Just thought I would post a few photos from training last week taken by team mate Gen.

Technical training was called off with over 60cm in a few days and the 'rock boards' were strapped on to our feet. Although there was a lot of fresh snow, these early snowfalls really demonstrate why these mountains are called the "Rockies". I hit a few big rocks and had a memorable cartwheel through a fairly decent rock garden. This resulted in bruises on my back and yet another reason why I should organise myself to get a back protector. All in all it was a great week training - lots of fresh pockets to be had & a few glory turns under the chairlift that evinced yelps from the viewers riding up!

Fun times...

Hiking up for some late morning fresh turns off the gondola. Unfortunately due to avalanche danger the back bowls at Louise weren't quite open - the snow is unusually wet and sliding to the ground at the moment.

From the right: Coach Mike, Josh and Myself getting ready to take some turns.

"Aussie Powder Turn" - generally involves commando rolling yourself in as much snow as possible at speed. Mike has perfected it - here I failed by not landing back on my feet but enjoyed the sweet taste of powder!

Pretty stoked that it is only November!!!! January is looking like it could be quite fun with this base that has been building up. We went up to Sunshine yesterday and it was fun to get back to hitting the little drops & jumps around the Standish lift. There was at times train rag-dolling due to a lack of skill at stomping jumps & lots of laughing at the attempts. Mike managed to show us all up yet again really sending a couple of hits a few times. It is pretty awesome riding with someone who is so talented every day, I feel like I'm learning so much!

Praying for more snow in Canmore.

Hitting the Ground Running

I have been in Canmore for 9 nights now and life has been hectic to say the least. I have already completed 6 on snow training sessions and 7 dry-land workouts. I have appeared on the snow report "picture of the day" for Lake Louise (see previous post) and been to Canadain Tire TWICE [this is like Wallmart on steroids... enjoyable!]. In addition, getting to know my new team mates, hostel friends and searching for work in town means that there has been little time to sit around and enjoy the scenery. Which is still gorgeous.

The new look team has started off well with lots of laughter and some pretty epic sessions to be had. Josh, arrived on Sunday from Cold Lake, Alberta and was vomitting on our first team stair sprints session this morning. He won props for destroying himself the best! Gen and I have begun a mission to tell numerous fairly average jokes per day. If anyone has any suggestions for Chair-Lift jokes please post below. Allie, who picked me up from the airport, and I are having fun trying new drills, that inevitably involve a million squats and much leg burn as set by our program coach Mike.

Mike, Coach Adam's brother, has been great in his new role as our program coach, whilst Adam has taken up a more administrative position. Mike won the silver medal at the Vancouver Olympic Games and just riding with him is so helpful. We are constantly getting him to demo to perfection different skills, and his very athlete specific explanations for why certain things are important have helped me a lot in these two weeks. I'm really pleased where I am at for this time of year and I think that Adam and Mike are both stoked for me also. I'm riding so much better than last year and am so much stronger in the gym. It's only up from here!!

I am staying at the Hostel Bear - which has proved more enjoyable, quieter and cleaner than expected. I think I will stay here for the moment, save some money on household things and enjoy the opportunity to meet so many new people. I like coming home from a days training and not having to talk about boardercross. Most of the people here don't know what it is, and that suits me just fine!

Finding work is proving a little tricky. Although I was offered a job serving, they only wanted to hire someone full time which is not possible for me. Trying to find someone that can provide hours that fit with my schedule may be a little tricky but I'm sure something will work out. Hopefully as Christmas gets closer more positions will open up. It would just be nice to be earning some money, so I can occasionally go out for dinner or what not rather than being in extreme saving mode all the time. What will be will be I guess!

I hope that the sun is coming out over there and that you are all finished with exams or enjoying Christmas party season as applies. It is puking snow here so all is looking good for training tomorrow - Mike is scheduling mandatory powder turns this season!

A sample joke to get you laughing:
What happened to the cat who swallowed a ball of yarn?
It had mittens...!!

Sending you giggles from Canmore.

Lake Louise Ski Report

After my second day of on snow training I was amused to be told by Coach Adam that I had "made the ski report". Pretty sure we were meant to be doing technical carving training at the time, sorry Adam! My new Anakie Outerwear certainly stands out on the hill! Unfortunately they caught me in a particularly awkward moment doing my new trick which I call the semi-board slide, aided immeasurably by the fact that I'm on a race board!

Check out the link for the current snow report at http://skilouise.com/conditions/snow-report.php.

Life is great, cold, but great - it is fun playing "spot the difference" about town compared to last year.

Stay tuned for a more detailed report on my first week of the North American winter in a few days.

Smile for the Camera.

Bring on the end of Exams!

Guess how many sleeps until I'm back in the Rockies???????

Getting so excited now to pack my bags just trying to get through the rest of my University work. For. Ever. Wow. 

Have you ever heard that John Denver song Rocky Mountain High? I know you have - makes me excited!

Rocky Mountain High

He was born in the summer of his 27th year

Comin' home to a place he'd never been before

He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again

You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away

On the road and hangin' by a song

But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care

It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

But the Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye

Rocky mountain high

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below

He saw everything as far as you can see

And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun

And he lost a friend but kept his memory

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams

Seeking grace in every step he takes

His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand

The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply

Rocky mountain high

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear

Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend

Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more

More people, more scars upon the land

And the Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly

Rocky mountain high

It's Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

Friends around the campfire and everybody's high

Rocky mountain high 

It's been stuck in my head for weeks now and just keeps getting louder! I can't wait to get my Rocky Mountain High, albeit in Canada not Colorado!

Making the top 50!!

Hi All,

Just thought I would put out a little blog to wrap up the last couple of races of the season and let you all know that as of October 1st I just snuck in to the top 50 in the world based on my FIS points! Pretty stoked on that news and think it is a great way to get the confidence up heading into the Northern Hemisphere Season! Feels like I'm actually improving and all the hard work might be paying off!

After New Zealand I came back for a few days of classes before heading off for a bit of a road trip that encompassed the Hotham Beer Battered Rider Cross and the Australian University Championships (at Thredbo) with my great friend Courtney Date.

Hotham has a great series of 'local' races and park competitions which all comers can enter for a very small fee and guaranteed lots of fun. Courtney and I took the opportunity for more race practice and had a wonderful day in the sun racing with kids, athletes and also the odd parent that didn't want to stand around watching. I also got to try out my fantastic new Anakie Outerwear - I loved it, very comfortable and the colours can't but make you happy!

Loving my new Outerwear!

It was great to see Courtney so pumped to qualify first in time trials - he usually has to contend with a few Olympians. Thus the red (fastest qualifier) bib was worn with much excitement.

Courtney getting excited before he is handed his Red Bib!

We both managed to take home our respective divisions and win some great prizes from Hotham, including new goggles (POC), socks, and best of all after a long morning racing, some fish and chips!

Podium shots - Winners are Grinners!

The remnants of the Fish and Chips!

After cleaning up the flat at Hotham one last time we hit the road for Thredbo. Just a note for future reference the drive from Hotham to Thredob via Omeo is not that long but it is on a winding dirt road. Attempt only in dry weather! Luckily my Peugeot, which had just clocked 200,000km, pushed on and we made it after a minor incident with a rabbit.

Thredbo was host to the Australian University Championships which is always a fun filled event where competitors from all over Australia of all skill levels take part in all sorts of events and evening's of dressing up. The Melbourne team was rather small this year as the cost of attending the event in NSW is prohibitive for many people, plus it meant missing yet another week of Uni! I had an okay championships but was definitely not on my 'A-Game' as it turned out and had to be pleased with good results in non-preferred events. My results were as follows:
Slopestyle - 1st place
Snowboard-Cross - 3rd place & some bruised ribs
Rails - 4th place
Giant Slalom - 9th place (though I should have been disqualified)

I also took party in Cross Country and was really please to win the Relay for the 4th year in a row!! Though I must admit that I have definitely been the beneficiary of many a good team member as I have been solidly the slowest in the team every year!

Melbourne was pleased to come second to the much larger team from the University of Sydney, however, we will be looking to get back that trophy next year. It was wonderful to see so many of our competitors really go for it (though some a bit more at night than on the slopes!).

Here are some photos of the event...

Alex, Janice and I supporting Team Melbourne at the Moguls.

Rail Jam - look a the concentration.

After winning the Slopestyle I'm thinking of becoming a park rat - this is off the smaller first jump!

Alex and Alex Cross Country Champions (and Ollie collecting our team mate Camilla's medal).

Celebrating the end of the Championships with Courtney and Katya at the Formal Dinner.

I thought at the end of AUC's that my season might be over but stay tuned for photos/video of my recent trip to Feathertop for some turns this weekend.

Smiling at the good memories made at some fantastic spring events!

Wrap up of the Australia and New Zealand Cup

After two races at Mt Hotham and an extended training and racing trip to Wanaka, New Zealand the FIS Australia and New Zealand Cup is over. I managed to podium in all three races and was pleased with this and how I rode but wouldn't of minded two more golds!!

Hotham my home mountain put on a great show for races #1 and #2 despite trying conditions. Training day had to be cancelled because of warm conditions and the resultant inability to groom the course, they also had to move the start down 20 meters to avoid a large hole that had developed in the snow cover!

On day one I qualified fastest and went on to have a comfortable win in the final, definitely making my presence felt & showing that my skills had improved by the way I gained distance on the one jump in the course and held an aggressive line. Stay tuned for a podium photo!

Day two was not quite as successful, when in the final I managed to get a bit too keen coming VERY hot into the first burm trying to put a pass on Belle Brockoff and managed to end up switch for the next roller section. Whoops! I still got third and should at least be please that I was 'going for it'.

On Thursday the 11th I made the trek to Wanaka to spend a few days training with Rachel Newton of HPC Cardrona and Red Mountain Resort & staying at the wonderful Purple Cow Hostel. I picked up 'Sunny' the rental car and drove to Wanaka and promptly decided I never wanted to leave!

And up at Sunny Cardrona. The weather got significantly nastier during the middle of my stay and I only got home Tuesday night because Rachel managed to coax me down vverrry slowly down on Tuesday after a 270 degree spin (with chains on!!!).

This was a valuable time to reestablish good habits and learn some new things, especially in the way of Positive Self Talk, something I had struggled with in the past. Rachel is a fantastic coach and at the end of 5 days training (and some powder riding thanks to the ridiculous storm that hit NZ) I felt like I was riding the best I had in a long time. I have really started to channel good riding memories to let me breathe pre-race. If anyone out there has a way to contact Fishing/Snowboarding Adam in Telluride I would love him to know that there was one day that we were bombing or straight lining a powder day up at Revelation Bowl (an over hyped lift but great this day early season) and did about 10 laps in 30 minutes with only maybe two or three turns between us is the memory that makes me feel good about going fast. Adam, you are the basis of my positive self talk when I'm freaking out!

Official Training Day on the Thursday went fantastically well despite a massive crash that put some lovely fluid in my ankle over a roller section. So I was pumped-up come Friday.

On race morning in my classic state of excitement I managed to forget my boots, luckily I hadn't left town when I remembered so went back for them... that could have been ugly! The day was gorgeous...

Rachel, Joss McAlpin and I sitting at the course - all smiles!

100% Pure New Zealand... and loving it!

 I qualified third fastest and was feeling good come Semi finals having to race against Callan Chythlook-Sifsof a US World Cup Rider and another Aussie girl. I got the hole shot out of the start but Callan put a past on in Burm 1. Come Burm 2 I passed back after Callan got rutted out and crashed.

After that it was smooth sailing into the final.

Unfortunately my start was not great come finals time and Belle had the jump on me. Despite riding the lower half of the course well (and according to Rachel my biased coach fastest) I couldn't make a pass and finished second by a couple of meters. All part of the game I guess but I am definitely inspired to improve my starts!

Here's a podium shot pre-party time out in Wanaka...

After a couple more days hitting jumps at Snowpark, watching the Slopestyle, enjoying the company of A.M.A.Z.I.N.G riders and generally getting into the vibe of Wanaka it is back to Uni, Work, Gym and sunny old Melbourne town for a few days. My time in New Zealand definitely inspired me to keep at this sport, train harder and get faster. I feel like I can do this.

After getting a little bit caught up on Uni work this week and putting my 'Corporate' face on for a Law Interview next week I'm off to Hotham for a Rider Cross fun event and then Thredbo for Australian University Championships which shall be a great time. I'm excited about wearing my brand new Outerwear, thanks to my sponsor Anakie Outerwear, though it might be t-shirt weather given the trend in Oz at the moment!

Thank you to all those that made my stay in New Zealand fantastic, I'm looking forward to living there at some point in the future!

Smiling at you through my epic goggle tan!

Powder Days – aka CLAMS!!

Back when I lived in Telluride, CO (2009) I had an Australian friend who had named the piles of snow on a powder day on rocks, leaves, trees and so on “clams”. If you have seen a good Colorado powder day and can visualise it you will know what I mean. He bought a tin of clams on each such day for the season and stacked them up at the ski store. The nickname has stuck and there is now a crew of “Clams” folk that get around above 1000m, even here in the Australian snow field.

The good news is we have had some EPIC clams days this season up at Hotham. 

Got to earn those turns...

The tour guide (at least I knew vaguely where we were headed... Down!)

Yep I was the pushy tour guide that took the first turns!

Powder beds...

The pictures really don't do it justice. Hiking Golden Point off the top of Orchard was definitely worth it on one fabulous weekend with old family friends up here to hang out with. 

The next weekend, 7 days after fresh snow we still managed to find some perfectly “corny” turns in a little secret spot (not telling you where!!) with gorgeous sun and lots of time to shred with a totally cool group of girls.

Loz and I just a little excited about riding together!

Loving the crusty corn!

Apres any one?

I’ve just arrived at Hotham for another weekend of fun. Unfortunately no clams in sight but it is the Australia New Zealand Cup races (the National Championship of Australia) which I am very excited about. Hopefully I can back up a solid performance at this event after taking out the National Championship last year. Driving up here today it felt a bit like summer, being 20+ degrees in Melbourne, the blue mountains were sparkling and the snow visibly melted since last weekend.  However, given the good early season snowfall at first glance the course looks like it actually has some decent features (jumps, burms etc). I CAN’T WAIT TO RIDE IT!!!

With only one boardercross race under the belt for the season thus far at the Victorian Intervarsity Championships, which did not go exactly to plan, I’m feeling itchy to get out and compete. The adrenaline of flying down the course always makes those endless gym hours worthwhile. 

Here's some photos from up at Vics...

Warming up on the X-Country ski's with Camilla

180 on XCountry ski's? No biggie

Slopestyle - Queen of the Girly Method!

The little wu tang on the Boarder Cross course

Sending smiles from a sunny Hotham - wish me luck!

[Thanks go to Lauren Broomhall, Vanessa Bacchetti, Cat Bonwick & Camilla Humphries for the photos included]