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.
Cycling the West Coast
After a surprisingly sunny 50km ride from Fox to Bruce bay we stop for a substantial snack. Broni has driven ahead to prepare one of her infamous road-side buffets which bring smiles to the faces of hungry cyclists.
As I reach for a Tim Tam I hear Betsy, one of the 20 Americans travelling with us scream “Dolphins!” I look down over the beach filled with golden sand and drift wood and spot a pod of Hector Dolphins not far from the shore. I drop my shorts and strip on the spot and scramble down to he beach. As I run half naked towards the water I wonder if anyone is following me. Bounding into the surf, I confirm with myself that those dorsal fins are attached to friendly creatures with small teeth. Splashing around like an idiot making the sounds of a snork about 20 dolphins swim with me!
Celebrating Friends and Family this Chirstmas!
A great 2013 full of great memories spent with Friends and Family. I write this as I spend my 2nd Christmas in NZ since I finished uni in 2003. The last Christmas on Kiwi soil was 4 years ago and even then it didn’t really feel like the celebration it needed to be. This year is different! With the birth of my nephew a few months ago, many of us decided to get together and celebrate it well in Christchurch!
Happy days to come living in Wanaka this year which will be exciting to say the least… I will continue with my assorted projects this Summer, including guiding cyclists down the West coast for VBT. Enjoy this 90 second video, even if you’ve already seen it. How fortunate we are to have a place like Wanaka to live in.
A NZ Freeride Story Ep. 1
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.
Gigatownwanaka is well underway!
Wanaka for Gigatown 2014!
Gigatown is a 12 month competition run by Chours New Zealand to decide who will be the first town in the Southern hemisphere to access a one gigabit per second (1Gbps) internet connection. That means 100x faster internet than what we are currently using. For all of us here in Wanaka, and for those who would like to live here, this would be a huge step to help our community develop further and encourage future investment, business development and greater opportunities.
2013 Winter Season: One to remember!
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.
The World Heli Challange 2013
Two weeks of festivities based around Skiers, Snowboarders, film makers and photographers… Not to mention the super fun times spent with friends in the snow sports industry from all over the word.
Enjoy this video by Lachlan Humphreys showcasing Colin Boyd that pretty much sums up what they got up to. An entry fee of $2200 plus will get you into an event of a life time. It is a dream of mine to enter this competition one day…
The generosity of sponsors and the vision by Harro and his team made this event a lot of fun to be around. Bring on next season! World Heli Challange webisite
SNOWBOARD WOMEN
1. Abby Lockhart (NZL)
2. Jessy Brown (CAN)
3. Rachel ‘Ratty’ Sheidow (AUS)
4. Jett Elkins (USA)
SNOWBOARD MEN
1. Will Jackways (NZL)
2. Antti Autti (FIN)
3. Colin Boyd (USA)
4. Yuta Kiyohara (JPN)
5. Clint Allan (AUS)
6. Ian Wood (USA)
7. Ricky Bates (USA)
8. Ben Waclzak (USA)
SKI WOMEN
1. Taylor Rapley (NZL)
2. Briar Peters (NZL)
SKI MEN
1. Sam Smoothy (NZL)
2. Taisuke Kusunoki (JPN)
3. Essex Prescott (CAN)
4. Charlie Lyons (NZL)
5. PC Fosse (NOR)
6. Charlie Timmins (NZL)
7. Fraser McDougall (NZL)
8. Harry Giddings (NZL)
Film makers get their prime opportunity to represent their creativity and skill. Enjoy Sam Lynch’s winning video for the Cannon Shoot Out.
Treble Cone Banked Slalom
A celebration of friends, snowboarding and enjoying the mountains… The Treble Cone Banked Slalom was once again a day to look forward to. Athletes from all over the world including Bulgaria, Canada and France competed in the most infamous banked slalom in New Zealand.
Rob Fagan managed fastest male and Carle Brenneman fastest female. My second run put me in second place overall just a second and a half behind the Olympic Athlete Rob Fagan himself. As he came 5th in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in Boarder Cross, I felt pretty good with my efforts!
A nice early way to celebrate turning 31 which happens to be today!
Thanks to Carl at Neversummer & Candygrind for the continued support to myself and the other team riders. Without his support, events like these would never run. Events like these help remind us how awesome the sport can be, as it is as much a gathering of friends as it is a competition.
Here is a really cool edit made from the day from the guys down at Colab Wanaka.
And to finish the day… An epic wake surfing session with Mark, Colin, Lachlan, Rosie, Sofia and friends!
Official video
Peak 2 Peak
A much anticipated event to link the two ski mountains in Queenstown took place over the weekend…
Individuals and teams of two to five people race by ski/ snowboard, mountain bike, kayak, foot and road bike from the top of the Remarkables Ski Area to Coronet Peak. Team RISKY BISCUITS entered during the last week of registration with an select few semi-pro athletes from Wanaka & Hawea. With the help of an amazing support crew we had an amazing time racing.
The courses encompasses snow covered mountains, steep gravelled and tarmac ski field access roads, State Highways and tarmac rural roads, public reserve, public walking / cycling tracks, and Lakes Wakatipu and Hayes.
The Race
Stage 1: Ski/Board 2km – Colin Boyd
High on the Remarkables Ski Area. A mass start – run down to skis. Actual start determined by snow cover
Stage 2: Mtn Bike 17km – Richie Johnston
Down Remarkables road to Frankton Beach
Stage 3: Paddle 7km – Bob McLachlan
Frankton Beach to Queenstown Bay
Stage 4: Run 9km – Emily Wilson
From Queenstown Beach, through town and out to Coronet Alpine Hotel
Stage 5: Bike 9km – Mark Williams
From Coronet Alpine Hotel to the finish at the Coronet Peak Ski Area base
Approximately 73 teams entered. We came 4th over all – even with a mixed-team which we were quite proud about! We won the mixed teams category which was awesome. A fantastic result that kept us buzzed well into the evening. A huge Thanks goes out to parents, friends and the fun excited supporters along the way that kept the day run smoothly. Looking forward to next year already!
Photo: GPS Results of the DH Bike ride:
Richie Johnston 