Photoshoot with Tyler Stableford
- Aspen Marketing
I was lucky enough to do a photoshoot with Tyler Stableford. He is in the top 7 in the world for adventure photography, and you can see why. He is even sponsored by Canon. I felt so lucky to work with him. It was flat light which made it really difficult to see, but the pictures turned out really well and hopefully he is using one of my photo’s for an advert, I’m pretty excited.
Buttermilk training
- The first images of this years XGames halfpipe
XGames halfpipe
The WinterX Games 2010 is sceduled to be in Aspen for the 10th time in a row this year. The walls are 22ft, and it’s 700ft long, and about 7 good hits. The day it opened, I caught the bus over, and met up with my training friend Jack Sullan. We both competed at the Winter Dew Tour,Breckenridge, so it’s really good to train together. When we arrived, knowone was about, just a new perfect 22ft pipe, all to ourselfs. I felt like, ’should I try tricks’? Because if I fall nobody will see me. The hardest thing is remembering what tricks your going to do each run! Buttermilk is a beginner resort, so there was hardly anyone skiing there, and all the time we trained we pretty much had the halfpipe to ourselfs.I am training here until it closes for XGames in a few weeks
Ski preperation
- I spent most afternoons waxing my skis so they were kept in good condition and super fast!
All our skis!
Winter Dew Tour
- Breckenridge
Breckenridge Dew Tour Halfpipe
The Winter Dew Tour, first stop, Breckenridge was amazing! The halfpipe was 18ft high walls, which was relatively small compared with everyones training pipe at Copper being 22ft, which made transitions quicker, sharper, and harder to do tricks, as you have less time from trainstion to transition. It was snowing really hard in qualification which made it really hard to get speed, even with the best waxI skied really good in prectice and was looking good for qualification. One of my best friends Walter Wood, was also in Qualification and we were the only few putting down solid runs in practice. I was lucky enough to get a spot at the Dew Tour from my results from last season. ! I landed both my runs, but not the way I wanted to, so I was a little disapointed. I finshed 34th Overall in the Dew Tour, which was satisfactory, but not so bad as I took 8 months off snow this summer to save up, and worked at HSBC bank full time to save up for this season, compaired with the people I am competing with who do it on a day to day basis. We had Jen Hudeck (AFP world halfpipe champion) at the bottom giving me some tips which was really good, and I was told that my first hit 900’s were one of the best of the day, which is good. With abit more training, I should stand a good chance next time. I am the First British Athlete ever to get a spot at the Winter Dew Tour!
Woodward
- at Copper
Woodward snowflex jump
Woodward at Copper is a year round ski and snowboard training camp dedicated park and pipe progression. It is one of the best training facility’s for freeskiing. It has a permenant indoor snowflex park, with some mini rails, a small quaterpipe and the best feature is the kicker. It about the same size as rossendale in the UK, but you land into foam. There are 6 trampolines too and foam pits, and it’s really good to do big tricks into the foam pit. I had some great sessions there, everything is brand new, and learned some cool stuff. Loads of pro’s go there, and it’s quite surreal been on the trampoline next to Bobby Brown and others. The snowlfex jump foam pit is good, but it hurts your knees when you land forwards, but apart from that it is really sick for trying new grabs and tricks.
Copper training
Copper’s halfpipe this year was upgraded to 22ft, the exact same dimensions as XGames halfpipe. It was shaped perfectly every day and was allways running super fast. It took me a few days to get my ski legs back after the summer, but I was soon able to put some simple tricks together. Elana Chase is coaching me again this season, and I allways look forward to working with her and her team. It’s great to ride with skiers who are the best in the world, and definately makes you work harder. Copper’s pipe is quite intimadating at first with every name in freeskiing riding there, everyone who is isn’t throwing tricks stands out more than people who are doing doubles! The halfpipe is also painted which makes it much easier to ride. The only downside is that the chair lift is pretty long, so you have to be motivated to hike, but I don’t mind it, and when I’m in the zone it’s really good fun to hike it a few times.
Arriving in America
- without my luggage
I just arrived in Aspen! The weather is cold and dry. I nearly missed my connecting flight, and had to run accross airports to make my flights. I was super excited to meet Elana at theAspen airport, but unforunately the trademark Aspen airport lost my bags. I wasnt able to ski the next day becuase my luggage hadn’t arrived, so I walked around Aspen town today which was good to soapk up the atmosphere.
I’m traveling to Copper mountain tommorow, which is a 2.5 hour drive across Colorado. It’s where most pro’s train early season. I’m really excited to can’t to ski the halfpipe at Copper, the pipe is 22ft Walls and simular to the X Games halfpipe, it cost $500,000 to create! I’ll be there training every day to get ready for the Winter Dew Tour on the 18th December, in Brekenridge.
