World Champs – A Crashing End
What a tough year it has been for my body and my mind. With broken ribs and damaged organs in the summer hindering me from competing in South America, to smashing my leg the day before the Canadian Champs in Revelstoke, to one of my gnarliest crashes in Snowbird and finally skiing full tilt into a wall of trees in Kirkwood damaging more organs and playing with my pride. In recent years I have been so excited to get home and celebrate my winter on the road, but this year I feel like I have barley completed anything this year on the World Tour, I have even gone backwards; from being pre-qualifed to having to qualify next winter. I don’t know what I was doing wrong. I can’t figure it out. I crashed in the easiest part of my run on Saturday for crying out loud! In the World Championship Finals! That will play with my mind all summer long. I don’t even know what really happened, all I know is I was on one ski all of a sudden, and there was no way I was going to just crash. I tried so hard to recover, and by the time I did I was going full speed into a patch of trees. Whenever I hit my head really hard I get deja vu, and it happened back there as I was trying to squeeze through the trees. What happened to the podium visualization? I sure didn’t visualize myself in the ambulance headed down to South Lake but there I was, trying to stay positive.
In the hospital I got mad at the doctor; it was a bad time for him to tell me I need to find another sport. During times like that I do wonder why I do this, but I do love what I do here; the traveling, the people, pushing limits and getting supported to do so. All I can really think about is competing again. I need to prove to myself that I am along side the best in the world. South America is where the new beginning starts. I wish it was tomorrow. I hate the saying ‘next time’ or ‘next year.’ I want to do it all right now! I used to think I was patient, because of how patient my father is, but I now know that I am very impatient. There are so many things I want to do, right now. That’s why I am always on the move, always chasing my dreams.
2011 Kirkwood Final Run
My run from last year. A glimpse of whats to come this year for the World Champs.
Sneak Peak at Dynastars New Freeride Series With The Cham 97
New Terrain for Breakfast
It snowed 54 cm’s in about 15 hours yesterday & last night, then went blue bird and it was classic California skiing; classic for me at least. I skied all day and our first run was the video “Kirkwood Breakfast.” New lines are one of the most exciting things about big mountain skiing, because of that fear of the unknown, and when it works out the way you want, that fear is overcome with the feeling of conquering that line, or that peak. Then you chase that feeling; conquering the unknown.
Kirkwood Storms
Every year I come to Kirkwood it storms like I have never seen anywhere else. Last night you could tell it was coming in with the wind blowing 100 mph. Today we’re hanging out in the hostel up at the resort, which is 45 minutes from greater civilization. It feels very secluded and that’s what I love most about Kirkwood. And the snow of course, we’re ‘several feet’ in the next few days and more to come.
I’m very excited to be here early, I know what the venue looks like without much snow and I’m looking forward to seeing it with lots of snow. Here’s a little warm up of whats to come. Last years Kirkwood footage. Finished 9th overall. Here’s Day 1.
FWT @ Moonlight Basin – Finals
My main feature in the Finals on the Headwaters Venue at the Moonlight Basin World Tour Event this weekend. Ended up in 8th place overall.
Finish Line at the Moonlight Basin World Tour Event.
Moonlight Basin
My main feature. Ended up straight lining out to the lookers left due to about 4 feet of rock on the take off. (See video)
What an event the World Tour & Moonlight Basin put on this weekend. With 100 competitors, good snow and a world class venue there were so many awesome lines thrown down here in Montana. Both days was on the headwall called Headwaters and after Day 1 there were 5 Fernie boys in the top 20. I skied a fairly conservative line trying to bounce back from my crash in Snowbird, and stomping my final air was an awesome feeling. One that I carried out into the Finals and was able to put down another solid run. It was too bad, my main feature in the finals turned out to have nothing but rocks in the take off, so I had to squeak around it, I was the only one to go where I went that day, so I’m sure I got some creativity points. Fernie crushed the comp, after the finals we had 4 skiers in the top ten. Go Fenie Go! I ended up moving up 8 places from 16th to 8th overall and I had the 5th highest score of the day. Not too bad, hopefully I can get up on that podium before the season is over. With only one chance left…
Now they boys (Ben & Rich) and I are going to slowly make our way to Kirkwood, CA for the World Championships. Kirkwood got 3 meters of snow last week and they are supposed to get another 3 meters this week! I love Kirkwood.
