This trip was lining up to be all time, with Cody Townsend, Leah Evans and Josh Daiek leading the charge. The idea was to film a segment with Salomon FreeskiTV where we’d all go out and find some amazing snow, make some turns and catch some air.  For me this was a dream trip come to life.  To have a chance to be in the mountains with a group of pro skiers is exactly the type of experience that I need to evolve my riding and expand backcountry awareness.

Collectively we all came into this trip with high hopes for great adventures as Chatter is a mecca for big mountain riding.  Ideally we would have been greeted at the door with several feet of new snow, cold temps and sunshine.  We lucked out in the sunshine department but that’s about it.  It was warm, very warm with no new snow.  As a group we had to decide if we wanted to abort the trip or make the most of the conditions.  We decided to stay and play - Spring Break ’98 style…

(doing our part to manage the pine beetle kill)

Even though conditions were not ideal we still found some good snow.  Lucky for me I was getting tonnes of blower overhead, taking full advantage of my vertical impairment.  Watching Josh and Leah pick through the peppery terrain and make their way down some bigger lines was really exciting to see in person.  But the highlight of the trip for me was teaching everyone how to ride a sit ski.  The whole crew gets an ‘A’ for effort — with a big shout out going to Cody and Leah for their fearless rampage down a pretty steep face, which was even a challenge for me to ride.

Unfortunately our trip was cut a little short due to the unseasonal weather and variety of “Spring Break” related ailments. Cody and Leah both caught a nasty flu and I was heli evacuated due to an infection called Epididymitis. The onset was likely caused by dehydration (oops) and nearly resulted in an amputation. It was a pretty stressful ordeal at the time but luckily for me I was able to keep everything in good order.

Big thanks to everyone at Chatter for a great trip and responding so quickly to a rather random emergency request… ‘I think my balls are going to explode, you need to get me out of here now’!

Be sure to tune into Salomon FreeskiTV next season to see the antics and adventures first hand.

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Until then allow me to catch you up on part 3 of BESTofBC from my POV. So… right after a hugely successful JDS4 camp we packed up camp and drove to Sun Peaks to help my teammate (Matt Hallat) run a learn to ski race camp, called ‘Redefining Limits’. Our goal was to create an environment where aspiring ski racers would have an opportunity to experience first hand what it takes to be the best. The three-day camp gave up-and-coming para-athletes an unedited glimpse at what it means to be a committed member of the national ski team. We focused our energy on training, racing, free-skiing and hosting workshops with the younger athletes to show them the day-to-day commitments that come with skiing full time.

It was pretty cool for Matt and I to be able to share wisdom gained from years of trial by fire. When we first started ski racing there was no transitionary programs available for aspiring athletes – you either made it or didn’t. The fortunate few that did make it to the big leagues were thrown right into the fire and were expected to tread the waters, often without the right tools to survive. Our goal was to create an opportunity for the next generation of athletes to be better prepared to take the gauntlet and continue to uphold Canada’s reputation as one of the world’s top ski nations. I think we did a pretty good job for our first effort and hope to see this become an annual event. For more information about this camp, please check out: ‘Redefining Limits’.

A BIG huge thank you goes to Nancy Greene-Raine and Sun Peaks Resort and Alpine Canada for making this event possible.

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The days began with a hearty breakfast put on by my lovely wife and her assistants, followed by a little warm up before hitting the slopes.  For some people it was their first time ever on snow, which was super cool to see the initial fear quickly shift into joy and excitement as they learned how to ride the lifts and fly down the runs.  We also had a few athletes that just needed a little direction to bump their game up from good to great.  Even though there was a little gap in the ability level of some of the athletes, we found a way to bring everyone together to simply enjoy the beauty of skiing in a big posse.  There was a constant stream of hooting and hollering all day long as we slashed up the beautiful spring corn.  It reminded me a lot of growing up in Kimberley and that sense of comradery we had in the local freestyle club.

All said and done it was a huge success by all measures for our first ever camp.  We’re really excited at the prospect of making this an annual camp and watching the concept grow into something amazing.

A big thank you to all the local businesses & volunteers whom believed in and supported our goals!

Silver Star Mountain – Save on Foods – Rancho Vignola - Lifestyle Natural Foods

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It started with the exploratory trip up to Kingfisher Heli with my good friends Izzy Lynch & Chad Spector.  I had little idea of what we were getting into as I’d never gone heli skiing before nor had I been exposed to the types of incredible terrain that was readily available to us.  We we’re hyped beyond belief as this was brewing up to be an adventure of a lifetime and one I’d be dreaming about for a very longtime.

For me playing in the mountains is more than just finding lines to ski, it’s about discovering ways to move around in the backcountry.  Even though we we’re getting heli rides to the top of the mountain, we still had to find our way to and from the landing zones and for me that can be super tricky.  We had to be creative along the way to negotiate some of the steep lines, cornices, as well as some ubber tight trees and cliff drops.  We found several epic zones, including one area we got to claim first decent on.  We aptly named it the LiveItLoveIt zone – inspired by our foundation.

As much as I’d like to spin a long ball of yarn – I encourage you to check out  Izzy’s perspective on this trip. She’s a phenomenal person as well an incredible skier, friend and a great writer.

If you are interested in learning more about Kingfisher Heli – check out this article just posted by Mike Rogge of POWDER Magazine.

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That being said it was a real trip seeing the Russian Olympic Movement first hand.  The first impression you get when you land in Sochi and drive to the mountains – is Holy Shit?!  How on earth are they going to get all this work done in less than a year?  Literally everything is in various stages of construction, from the roads to the rails to the stadiums, buildings, hotels and the ski resort itself.  It seems like an impossible task ahead of them, but what do I know about construction?

On a huge upside – the mountains are beyond description in their majesty and grandeur.  I have never seen or skied at a resort that had so much raw terrain available and accessible via a chairlift.  I suspect that if Russia was an easier country to access that this resort could become the next big mountain mecca for skiers and boarders alike.

I was lucky to have the liberty of few extra days to explore the terrain prior to the World Cup Finals.  The weather was golden – it had just snowed a bunch and the sun was just starting to poke out enough to expose the surrounding areas.  It’s hard to put words to the joy a little powder puts in my day – but a little exploration of the trees and steeps left me smiling from ear to ear for days.  It was a nice reprieve from a long stretch of smashing gates in less than ideal conditions.

Moving back to the racing theme – the 2014 Paralympic race slope was one of the most exciting tracks I’ve ever skied.  It’s steep, technical and filled with airs.  To be honest when I first looked at it I was totally intimidated, as you have no idea what the hill is going to feel like at speed.  But like most things in life, it appeared much scarier than it actually was.

Ironically (much like Vancouver 2010), I missed my performance target in Downhill, which was quite disappointing but found unlikely success in the Slalom race.  My first podium of the World Cup season came on the final race day.  It was not the most glorious skiing of my career but it certainly felt nice to see some reward for all of my efforts.

With the exception of the Canadian Championships, that concludes the competitive portion of my season.  Now it’s playtime – a chance to freeski and explore what’s possible in the backcountry.

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Here’s a quick overview of the races for you race fans:

The Downhill track was ridiculously flat for nearly three quarters of it’s duration, which had me trailing the lead-time by over 3 seconds by the time we hit the pitches.  On the bright side I skied the pitches well and made up some lost time.  But it was too little too late as this course favored the bigger (heavier) skiers.

The Super G was bit better with only half the track being flat, leaving me just over a second off the top spot and in sixth place.  It was again a race decided by weight, which was pretty disappointing.

Results aside I skied well, which is really what it’s all about, and got my rocks off hitting speeds around 140km/h – which sounds a lot faster than it feels.  I definitely feel super fortunate to have this kind of controlled environment to be able to experience the world slow down as my physical body speeds up – it’s a rad flow once you get into it.

The tech events did not go as well for me. The snow was really dry and icy and my skis too aggressive, which was no fun at all. It’s amazing how quickly things shift when your confidence fades – everything goes to shit. Once fear kicks in it’s a totally different world and the risks suddenly outweigh the rewards. After beating myself up in the slalom race I decided to pull out of the GS for the sake of my physical and metal health.

With my mind totally drifting right now, it’s probably not the best time to look too deeply into this trip.  I’m looking forward to taking a step back, and resting into some of the reflections from this particular chapter of my ski career.

For now I have a few days to relax and explore Barcelona before heading to Sochi for the World Cup Finals.  From the little I have seen of this beautiful port city, I can easily say that it’s one of the nicest I’ve ever explored.

Gaudi’s apartments

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My adventures started in Vancouver for some work, which spanned over a week with plenty of down time in between projects. It was especially rad as my beautiful lady was able to join me for the trip – we had a chance to enjoy a brief refuge from winter as the city was mainly sunny & felt more like spring than winter.

One of the highlights of my week included receiving the Queens Diamond Jubilee award – which was a rather noble honour to be in receipt of.

From the big city I drifted back to my native valley in the Kootenay’s; first in Panorama for a training camp with the National Team then to Kimberley for a quick visit and a little ski on hills where I first cut my teeth.  From there it was off to Apex Mountain for the OSISKO DH Camp, which allowed me to ramp up my speeds in a safe and controlled environment.  It was super nice to be able to train like this before world champs later this month…

After Apex it was time to go my physical home for a few days to recover and prepare for my next big trip(s) World Championships in Spain and World Cup Finals in Russia.  For a ski racer these are the moments & events we train countless hour for.  For sure I’m excited for the opportunity to test my mettle and represent my country but at the same time I don’t get to worked up about this type of thing anymore.  I go to do my best and let nature take its course from there… whatever will be will be.

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Traveling in Europe is always a blast – I love ye olde country.  The mountains are stunning, their history is epic and the people are intriguing.  Unfortunately there was little time for exploration as we opened the World Cup season with 8 races in 9 days – split between Sestriere, Italy and St. Moritz, Switzerland.

I would love to say that the highlight of the trip was the races, but sadly it was the most difficult two weeks I’ve had in recent memory.  The challenges presented were plenty, which over time destroyed my confidence.  I’m not usually emotionally attached to the outcome of the day, but after being pack fill a few times, my self worth was at an all time low.

To be fair the conditions were aggressive and the environments challenging, which made it difficult to build momentum.  Plus it was a bit of a gamble racing on new equipment – but I half expected and hoped the transition would be smooth and uneventful.  Boy was I WRONG

We had all hands on deck trying to source the issues?  Our engineer helped to calm the suspension while our technician worked tirelessly to perfect the tune and the flex of the ski.  Still a lack of familiarity with my equipment left me feeling disconnected with the snow and paralyzed with fear.

It was near the end of the trip that one of my fellow competitors pulled me aside to discuss my skiing from a technical standpoint – and with some small adjustments to my stance big changes started to unfold.  It was a simple observation that tipped the scales back in my favour.

In the final race of the series I was able to put down a run that I actually felt good about.  It was enough to rekindle the fire within and carry me forward into this next cycle.

I’ve got a few weeks at home to recover and prepare for the World Championships next month.  I’m confident that I will regain my composure, my day of reckoning is within sight – I can feel it.  The absence of my potential has left me with a verocious appetite.

Sestriere, Italy

St. Moritz, Switzerland

Race Hill

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The good times started just after I came back from Colorado when my mountain greeted me with over 100cm of fresh in a few short days.  It was great for the locals, as the resort was quiet and the snow was plenty.  Our friends came from near and far which made for fun times at the hill and at the dinner table.

My girl and I hit the road for Christmas and New Years, starting with a visit with my parent’s at their place just outside my old hometown of Kimberley.

Classic vista in Kimberley for the KFC reunion party

After a few days of family gatherings, playing in the snow and overeating we flew up to Yellowknife in Arctic to visit more family for a few days… 

Sunset in the Arctic

Lucky shot of this dogsled team running the Ice Road

Heading to Pemberton to bring in the New Year!

Chilling with my oldschool brotha above Sudan Couloir

Droppin into the gnarr

Touring around with my newschool holmie from NYC

#CelebrateSarah

Wishing you all prosperous and wonder filled year ahead.

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To summarize, I skied like crap. It was a rough stretch of getting my arse kicked by the mountain, myself and the other athletes. I could get into the details but it’s no more than a long list of complaints that equate to a poor outlook on the challenges presented. Leaving Colorado feeling quite discouraged I did my best to keep my head up and focus on the simple fact that I get to ski for a living and that’s pretty awesome. I trust that with some minor adjustments and a bit of hard work that the rest of the details will inevitably sort themselves.

For a more objective review of the races & results, check out this article 

After some decompression I feel good about where I am at in my evolution for this winter; primarily because I have a vision for the months ahead. Plus it’s been snowing hard in BC and I know that I can find my flow again in all the deep fluffy white stuff.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonder filled New Year!

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