The New Zealand Nutshell

Pictures 1. Snowy mountains from plane 2.Carol, Me, Ryan and Paulina defying gravity 3. Malcom and I on sled 4.Sasanoki crew 5. Salmon Teriyaki and Tofu salad
6.NZ Crew 2009

I feel so lucky to get to do what I do. Not only because I get to travel around riding mostly white and fluffy stuff, but because of the people have I met along the way. My second round in New Zealand was great, filled with productive training with rock star flare and great friends.

The snow was ideal. In fact, it was more like winter when I returned then when I left. The worst part was that I didn’t pack any thermals since I was expecting spring conditions. However, this definitely was not the case with the temperatures in the negatives and many cloudy snowing days. Still, this was favorable conditions for the pipe and it enabled us to train to the scheduled end of the camp.

The camp was at Cardrona and not cheap with fees of $110NZ/day; sled access was an extra $50 but worth it since it maximizes pipe usage. I was sure to get the full value of the camp riding 20-25 runs a day and I even had a chance to drive the sled(thanks so much to Malcom King who accommodated Ryan and I on those private extended play days, that was awesome). The days were really memorable and productive. I tried a few new tricks, dialed some old ones and despite the weather some days I had a whole lot of fun.

This time I was on my own in a sweet one bedroom suit under a family of four. This place was found by my friend Richard, who has educated me in the areas of rabbit control and all the generalities of New Zealand that I had interest in. My home for two weeks was perfect and had everything I needed, including peace of mind.

As I find when I am alone it is hard sometimes to plan meals for one, so I tired my best but ended up at Sasanoki restaurant. I couldn’t resist the mouthwatering teriyaki salmon glistening over a steaming bed of Japanese rice. Also, Takenobu’s amazing tempura made especially for me was delectable. Hisachi was so hospitable, he provided a home like feeling for both Ryan and I. Next year should be just as tasty.

Ryan and I had to say good bye to the Fun Top, our trusty vehicle, but we couldn’t part with such an amazing car. We lucked out and found a spot for it to wait for us until next season. It will cost us a snowboard deck, but we will have a car ready in Wanaka next year…hopefully it will still start but I have some faith in that piece of vintage metal.

Finally, I am home again in Squamish, for a short while at least. I fly out to Toronto on Sunday, which seems so soon. It’s hard to believe I will not be here again until January. These last few sleeps in my own bed I really try to savor. I treat myself with not turning on an alarm clock and if I really want to turnover and just sleep, I do. There are going to be many, many early mornings in the next 100 days to the Games, so why not enjoy some extra sleep in my own bed? Two more sleeps and I am on my way again…

It might as well be my Birthday!

It felt like my birthday today on that mountain. The combination of sunny skies, groomed pipe, snowmobiles and some good friends made for a truly terrific day of “training”. I was able to ride yesterday, in fact that was my first day back to snow after taking a break in Canada, but the jet leg hindered my performance. Today was different.

The start of the day went great, I slept well (which is detrimental to athletes), woke up and ate my regular training day breakfast. This consists of slow cooked oatmeal, a banana and yoghurt; I started eating this meal for its health benefits but have now fallen in love with it. I left my house on time and went to pick up my teammate Ryan; we were on the hill by 9am. Today my friend from the Polish team, Paulina, was not feeling well and her kind heart gave me her sled pass for shuttling up the pipe on snowmobiles; this was the key to one of my best days ever.

Whether I was riding down the pipe on my board or up the side of it on a sled I was having the time of my life. So many times I thought ‘this feels like my birthday’. I had to have ridden at least 20 laps, screamed out loud 30 times and given out 100 high fives to my friends who were enjoying it just as much as I was.

Every time I got to the top of the pipe and tuned in my Walkman to a song that pumped me up I felt so lucky to be where I was. I would remember what my coach had me working on, gave a quick look around to see if anyone else was going to drop in, turn my board parallel with the pipe walls and go for it. As my base made contact with the snow friction was released and speed gained, I glided along the coping if the right wall and slowly weighted my back side edge to make the board roll down the 22ft wall and into the pipe. I keep eye contact with the top of the left wall and before I know it I am sailing out if the pipe, flying though the air grabbing my board, I look at the lip under me as I come back into the pipe, land on my front side edge and prepare to do the same on the opposite wall. This is the best feeling of the day, my makeshift birthday.

At the end of the run I unstrap my bindings, get some feed back from my coach and run back to the sled waiting to take me up for another try at perfection. Not only am I progressing but so are the other athletes who are training in the pipe. Guys are throwing amazing maneuvers, like double inverts, and with each trick landed the whole pipe crowd erupts with cheers of recognition, everyone is stoked. This aura that surrounds the pipe is an uplifting feeling which each person can sense.

Finally the mountain patrol closes the pipe and riding for the day is over. Ryan and I make our way back to the Fun Top to throw our boards in and retract the roof. We drive down the sunny road with huge smiles plastered across our faces. My day is concluded with two good friends, Ryan and Paula, on the sun deck of the gym stretching and doing Cosmo quizzes. It is days like this one when I try to treasure every moment because I know that not everyday can feel like your birthday.