The 2015 DB Banked Slalom starring a mix of local and pro riders including Terje Haakonsen, Danny Davis, Mikkel Bang, Scotty Lago, Ben Ferguson and Amber Schuecker was battled out on one of Treble Cone’s natural halfpipes. My result was not quite as good as last year because of a wee crash, however I managed 10th. Thanks to Thierry Huet Professional Photographer & Sponsors DB Export and Never Summer NZ.
Bringing it back to how the sport started… Bring on a New Zealand/Southern Lakes Series I say!
It felt good to see the local people believe in the value of tourism. Especially those that lived near the conservancy. Health care, education, transport and general well being are heavily supported by the revenue gathered from tourism. This video is dedicated to the Rangers of Borana and Lewa Conservancy. Many thanks to Flick & Sam and the owners of Borana Lodge, Michael and Nicky Dyre. Support from Icebreaker Merino and Say Yes to Adventure Magazine is very appreciated. Nick Yuki and the Masi locals at Ololokwe for their beautiful music.
There are may things in this wonderful world that makes me tick. Without a back-to-back winter this year, snowboarding has taken the back seat and surfing stepped forward. Well, not the salty kind but the next best thing.
Getting the snowboarding fix in fresh water. Good times! Image: Stoked4Saturday
River works started and the wave was built in late 2012. Located on the Hawea River at Camphill Bridge, the Hawea Whitewater Park (or Hawea Wave as it’s called by most) is a man-made structure within the Hawea River itself. The park has two river waves for kayakers and rafters, bodyboarders and surfers, to play and train on. When the Hawea Dam is released, the correct water flow provides the perfect standing wave.
The Hawea River flow is managed by Contact Energy, specifically for electricity generation. Releases are made based on power requirements. From the 1st of September to 31st of January Contact Energy are required to ensure that the flow is kept between 10 to 60 cumecs. About 50 cumecs is one of the best flows and has helped me learn to surf on a Rincon 6ft board.
Great crew and banter to match
If there is a community group with enough momentum behind it, they can request flow rates. Join and support Camphill Surfers and we can get the waves we need! An unexpected bonus this summer. With a fun crew to challenge each other we have spent hours at the wave till dusk searching for the next best slash or trick.
Around 100 athletes & coaches took control of Cardrona’s finest features last week and the progression was mind blowing. With the Whitestar lift spinning & sleds shuttling skiers and boarders there was every chance for great things to happen. Coach to Shawn White, Bud Keene stated Cardrona Spring camp jump progression setup. If you can’t get it done here, then maybe you can’t get it done at all…
“…If you can’t get it done here, then maybe you can’t get it done at all” – Bud Keene
The SBX course shaped up beautifully throughout the week challenging athletes from Australia and New Zealand to discover new limits of speed, agility and edge control. I was fortunate to be up there for a few days helping the NZ riders Carl Murphy & Duncan Campbell on their form. After working with Carl during the 2014 season on Treble Cone, it was great to see his progression using the skills from riding TC’s challenging terrain & strength training from the gym.
Carl Murphy Adam Dooney
SBX Cardrona
Variations of the AirBag were set up along the Super Pipe wall along with the bottom. The biggest bag in the southern hemi was catching athletes on boards, skis and even a sit-skis! Jody Blatchley has been ruling it on his sit-ski this season and nailed his first back-flips onto the giant pillow. Impressive!
Triples, triples, triples… Cheers of Stoke rippled across the home basin as new personal bests were made. Coaches tactfully challenged their athletes to bring new found air awareness on the jump line. Fewer speed-checks were made every day as racers pushed themselves over the rollers and berms. Old fears were controlled more and more each day as new heights were reached.
Neversummer Riders throwing down.
Exciting and progressive times all week as many of them raised the bar getting ready for the northern hemi winter… Breckenridge will be a destination of choice for the park riders along with La Molina Spain, where Carl will compete in his first F.I.S race for the winter.
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear… not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain
Much to look forward to during the next year and it has never been a greater time to be involved in snowboarding.
The Treble Cone Export 33 Banked Slalom was another successful event. The event pulled in 60+ riders in open and maters categories. Local and international riders enjoy attending each year shredding for a prize pool of $2000 plus spot prizes thanks to Never Summer & Candy Grind.
It was local talent that stood on the podium this year and I was honored to stand next to some good friends – a great way to celebrate my Birthday! If there was an official world circuit in this event I would sign up in a flash. Until then, I will continue training in boarder cross, coach Paralympian Carl Murphy part time and work with Rookie Academy.
Carl at Winter Imports works hard to ensure that Instructors and leaders in the industry are looked after. He provides the support necessary and helps out the best he can, especially to qualified instructors.
Winter Imports New Zealand
Winter Imports New Zealand
Really looking forward to the Treble Cone season ahead and riding on Never Summer again! Any questions on the gear, just ask.
New kit for the season including the RipSaw!
A rainy day in Wanaka is perfect for wading through hundreds of video files searching for the moments worth remembering! Here is a short video of the hi lights stitched together with some Oriental beats to go with it.
Whoo hoo! Upgrade! A grin from ear to ear as the sweet girl behind the desk issues me my new boarding pass. After 10 years of chasing winter I eventually score leg room. The trip to Japan is off to a great start! Snow, food, monkeys, people and their genuine culture was on my mind… Keith sends through the snow report for Niseko and it looks fantastic! The first couple of days in Japan are filled with face shots, drops and plenty of stories of the fun filled days riding Hirafu. Wang Lei, Keith Stubbs and I rode Park while the sun was shining on Anapuri. Great to see Wang Lei again and it’s exciting to know the potential and momentum of snowboarding growth in China.
This will be a great story to follow as a great shred buddy of mine Colin Boyd prepares for the World Freeride Tour. Check out his summary of the NZ season while he trains at Treble Cone & Cardrona during the 2013 season here in NZ. Documented in style by Lachlan Humphreys, they paint a unique picture their journey together.
That feeling you get when the pressure is on… deep in the belly and mind. My deep breathes attempt to calm the roller coaster of nerves. As I visualize the course below, flashes of red and blue flags fade away as the mist rolls in over Treble Cone. The NLP skills were coming in handy in both competition and in instructor training.
Richie Johnston 