WORLD HELI CHALLENGE 2012

This winter we have had a slow start snow wise yet its still been great park riding here in Wanaka.  We had the the world heli challenge set and ready to run a few weeks back conditions were not great at the start of our 2 week window for the event so everyone waited it out with fingers crossed that the storm in the forecast would hit? Sure enough some snow came and we flew 2 days in the last 3 we had possible it seemed to me like not much snow had come at all, to my surprise there was a good 20 cm on top of what was soft for our free style day it was sick so much fun, we did have a delayed start due to some lingering low cloud once we were up there it was all on! Everyone ripped it up on day one and had an unforgettable day in the Buchanan mtns looking over lake Wanaka.

Day 2 Extreme day we flew to the same mtn as last years extreme venue MT Albert more north west of Wanaka taking off from Makarora, it was another beautiful day early start with a pretty pink sky every one was excited,  conditions were looking epic as we flew in everything was different to last year as the base was allot less. We all got up there and had a great day everyone ripped it up Will J was a stand out and he rode awesome I was so stoked for him! The vibe was great this year a small crew of riders and skiers that all got on great, its such a fun event and anyone who gets the chance to take part in this event should its like no other!!

The prize giving is held the following week so there is a little wait before the final result is released
Will and I ended up winning the mens and womens snowboard overall we both won both days so that was awesome we were both stoked! Will also won the X factor award which is a trip to Alaska so thats very exciting!! Markus Eder  and Nat Segal won the overall ski. Everyone had a super fun fun night and all in all the event was great to be apart of and I was stoked to defend my title for my 2nd year!! 

Helis dropping in to pick us up

Heli Pilot flying us into mt Albert

Pretty stoked to get up there and shred my extreme run

Crew at mtn top freestyle day

Extreme day venue

Freestyle day venue

Will Jackways and Myself at the awards night Both taking out 1st place for mens and womens snowboard yeooww!!

Oslo Norway, TTR wsc

I have just arrived in Canada after spending the last 11 days in Norway! What a beautiful country, Oslo the city I stayed in was so rad kinda small city for Europe standards but still big for me full of rad old buildings lots of art and culture so much history Oslo recently celebrated been 1000 years old cant even imagine coming from little "NEW" New Zealand.

 I went to Oslo to compete in the world snow board champs slope style event, I meet up there with the NZ snowboard team slopestyle and pipe riders it was great to see everyone and fun to ride with some fellow kiwis and good friends. I stayed with my friend Bridget a kiwi who is living and working there she was so awesome!

The contest was fun we had lots of practice days the corse was kinda big for my standard so needed them, then day of qualifiers came and it was all on sun was shinning wind was blowing :(  I rode ok my top section of my runs felt good but both my runs I crashed I was really disappointed with myself I guess the nerves got to me and the up hill wind certainly didnt help, yet still happy I got to go and be apart of the event that was an achievement in itself.

 

 

Bottom of slope style course

Bottom of the Pipe

On the bright side one of my best friends Shelly Gotlieb kileed it and made finals she ended up getting 5th so stoked for her! Also Bex Sinclair another ripping kiwi did awesome she got 4th in the half pipe so New Zealand did pretty well I reckon :)

Shelly in the finals killing it!!

We had dinner with the major of Oslo that was pretty cool he was super nice thanks to him Terje  Haakonson and a bunch of others the event was made possible it was held in the city hall, what an amazing building that was.

Hanging out, checking out the city hall

The whole event was a green event so environmentally friendly all food was organic trying to have as little waste as possible using buses recycling etc I thought that was an awesome way to run an event!

There was also a Quarter pipe event that was kinda like the new arctic challenge that was amazing looked massive, Terje was there killing it at the age of 37 pretty darn impressive! 

Terje the legend himself

Jamie Isabelle and I watching the QP event

I had a great time in Norway the people there were so nice will be going back there some day for sure!

Some Oslo art see the wooden man in the tree

This is a little rail park in the city just for the kids or who ever feels like jibbing pretty rad!

Switzerland,Laax, Grindelwald, Bern, St Moritz

I just have been In St Moritz. I went there to compete originally they had a FWQ 4**** event on last week end then a 4**** TTR slope style on the days after, due to sketchy snow conditions the FWQ was cancelled (hard to believe but that area wasnt as lucky as the rest of Europe). I still competed in the slope event it was fun, course was a little strange but made it down ha ha I ended up winning which was great I saw and old friend there and made a few new ones so it was a really fun trip even though one of the events was cancelled, its just awesome to see another stunning part of the world.

We were given flower at prize giving something different but nice

Shot of me on the jump from the heli pretty cool angle

St Moritz is a beautiful resort the mtns  high 3300 mtr above sea level, high and cold I was wearing a few layers that was for sure!

Heli was filming every ones runs pretty cool

This was the face the FWQ free ride event was going to be held on did look a little bare.

 Before St Moritz I had been in Laax enjoying more Swiss pow pow also I hung out i the city of Bern and at Grindelwald another awesome ski area here in Switzerland my bro and his girlfriend are doing the season there.
I will be riding up there for the next few days before heading up to Norway to meet up with heaps of friends to ride in the world snow board champs its going to be amazing I cant wait to see everyone and check it all out up there.

Bern named after the Bear so there are bears all around the city

Old houses on the river in Bern

Groomers making some fresh lines

getting some of my own fresh lines

Laax pillows

more pillows and pow Laax

Skate park Laax having a roll on a day off the mtn :)

Cool light with some cool old Church, Chur the oldest city in Switzerland

La Clusaz, France

Last weekend I traveled to France to compete in the La Clusaz Radikal free ride contest i got there by bus then train transfer to another train then bus and then another bus, a bit of a mission but I got there!
It was so beautiful the weather was super nice big steep mtns all around the small village it was nice to be in France "Bonjour"

 Finals venue were on the mountain behind me, pretty steep!!

La Clusaz church

It was two days of competing first day qualifier then finals, the next top 5 girls qualified to the final day. We had riders meeting that evening and had the bib draw my name was drawn 3rd, so I dropped 3rd out of 111 snowboarders and skiers pretty cool I was super excited.

Next morning I woke super early as i was dropping so early had not seen the face we were ridding only in photos so i was kind of nervous I tried to go and hit this cliff got totally lost and really rode the easiest way down hit a few things did a few grabs then i was done it was like 930 am so i hung out and watched everyone. I ended up been 5th with my super mellow run so I new I needed to hit some more stuff for the finals!

sun rise as I was hiking up, check out the love heart lake

We had riders meeting and another bib draw mine was number 3 again i thought that has to be lucky! So it was another early start for me and on a completely different face the snow conditions were a lot better than day one. We had to wear harness and get lowered in with ropes to the face was pretty crazy. I had chosen a line for this face I dropped in committed to going where I wanted to I dropped a cliff into a shoot and sat down i was so annoyed but got up and kept on charging down hitting a bunch of rocks and fun small hits I got to the bottom and was disappointed in myself for not doing my run as clean as I would have liked!

At the top ready to drop other girls scoping there lines behind me

Heli came in with harnesses to get us into the venue of day two

  My brother and his girl friend came to support me which was so cool so we all went off ridding the rest of the mountain for a few hrs then we went back for prize giving and to my surprise I got 1st it was pretty awesome! I was stoked to win my first contest in europe! Thanks La Clusaz for a fun event.

they had two prize givings one at the venue of the event

and the other in La Clusaz town centre :)

having an Interview

Thanks friends for reading and supporting me :)

Laax Switzerland 1 week 2 foot of snow

After having an amazing time in the Bettmer Alp I packed up and trained to Laax to visit my good friends Jah and Rebecca Harris My timing was perfect it was just dumping when i arrived like allot of europe :) What an awesome week I had here thanks to my great hosts I got powder some of the best of my life and also got to ride park that my friend built couldnt ask for more!!

Jah and Rebecca Laax mtn Jah builds the park here and Rebecca manages Boarder world at the bottom they have a great set up what a beautiful place

cool farm houses off the side of a run awesome light and snow

Rebeccas family home they live on the 3rd level mum and dad bottom 2 and grandma up top

blasting off Jahs rock up the back of the house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jah bs 180 with Marsha the dog watching and just a few pow turns down to the house for a drink

more snow snow snow :)

mtns trees and more snow from Laax gondola

Raclette a famous swiss meal with the family Delish :)

Simon Rebecca and Jahs brother in law getting some on the side of the catty

Swiss Pow Pow Powder 2012!!

I had a great new year I spent it with my brother and his partner Vivianne.

We made pizza and drank glu wine its basically mulled wine swiss style then we went out sledding in the Bettmer alp village we had a blast there was so much new snow! We watch fire works celebrating the new year it was fun, pretty mellow as we were  excited for an early start riding powder.

We woke up to an epic day blue bird with 40 cm of new snow what a way to start 2012.

Tossie blasting

dropping

 

 

last run of the funnest day so far in 2012 life is good :)

Christmas in NZ-Canada-Switzerland

Christmas lunch in my family home xxxxx

I had an amazing Christmas spent the day with my family.

Jemma my step sis and I xmas morning

My nephew Will Break dancing on a sugar high

I also spent in on the air plane then arrived in Vancouver on christmas just a stop over, it was stretched out i flew on to Zurich Switzerland where my brother and his partner met me it was now the morning of the 26th over 30 hrs of traveling I felt pretty tired to say the least! We caught a train for 3 hrs to the south of Switzerland to a small village in the mtns accessed by gondola called the Bettmer Alp a very special place Vivian my brothers girl friends dad Gilbert had rented a Chalet here, I am lucky to be able to stay with them. Here are a few pics of this time.

Christmas in Switzerland swiss army knife x2 my present with my name on it thanks toss and vivi

Tossie, Vivianne and Gilbert on the Bettmer Alp

Aster Chalet we are staying top story 2 little windows showing

My bro Tossie and Vivianne with the Altsch glacier behind