TR: Washed Up in Europe
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 8:01 pm
Maybe it was that instead of skiing through the early winter I surfed. Maybe its that in the sport of Freeride there are so many variables that no amount of skill, experience, or preparation can give you the clear upper hand. Maybe I smoke too many ciggs with my buddy Oakley. Whatever the reason, hoping to defend my world champ title from last year, I turned in three mediocre results at the first events of the Freeride World Tour so far this year. 8th in Courmayeur. Crash in Cham. 13th in Austria.
But hey, with a month in Europe life ain't all bad. Though the comps and my job as occasional journalist/correspondent takes a lot of time, there is still a lot of skiing.
Started in Zermatt where I'm the editor of the Swatch Skiers Cup. Not competing is dope, getting a backstage seat to hot ski action and calling Zermatt the office for a week is soooo sick.
Monte Rosa.
Then I cruised to Morgins near Lausanne for a rando race with a Swiss friend. It was hilarious. Some of the fastest men in Europe mixed in with carbon/lycra-clad weekend warriors. Fun times.
On to Courmayeur with Diamond and our buddy Josh. If we hadn't heard so many reports of the snow sucking, we would've thought it was fucking sick.
Diamond getting some out on the Toula.
Comp time. Courmayeur had killer pow for my comp run. Apparently I lost points here cause other competitors were hitting a 3m drop nearby, but I'll take the pow slash anyday.
Same run, dif'er'nt slash.
Chamonix time. Mia came over and we crushed some pow together. I crashed in the comp and she broke up with me, but otherwise it was pretty fun. (Kidding.)
Time for the Austria comp. This is the Wildseeloder venue where we normally compete. It looked good when we got there, don't you think, Bruno? Then the Foehn turned on and fucked. Shit. Up. I don't have a picture of the face post-foehn but it lost probably 75cm of snow.
The comp was relocated to Kappl, which was pretty cool. Sleepy, family style Austrian resort in the Tyrol... I had a shit comp but here's a picture anyway.
Then I came home, and goddamn does it feel good. Hitting the road again soon, stay tuned.
Big thanks to Diamond for his hospitality, hopefully the Bosson doesn't climax avalanche and take out his new crib, cause I'm planning to invade again in March.
But hey, with a month in Europe life ain't all bad. Though the comps and my job as occasional journalist/correspondent takes a lot of time, there is still a lot of skiing.
Started in Zermatt where I'm the editor of the Swatch Skiers Cup. Not competing is dope, getting a backstage seat to hot ski action and calling Zermatt the office for a week is soooo sick.
Monte Rosa.
Then I cruised to Morgins near Lausanne for a rando race with a Swiss friend. It was hilarious. Some of the fastest men in Europe mixed in with carbon/lycra-clad weekend warriors. Fun times.
On to Courmayeur with Diamond and our buddy Josh. If we hadn't heard so many reports of the snow sucking, we would've thought it was fucking sick.
Diamond getting some out on the Toula.
Comp time. Courmayeur had killer pow for my comp run. Apparently I lost points here cause other competitors were hitting a 3m drop nearby, but I'll take the pow slash anyday.
Same run, dif'er'nt slash.
Chamonix time. Mia came over and we crushed some pow together. I crashed in the comp and she broke up with me, but otherwise it was pretty fun. (Kidding.)
Time for the Austria comp. This is the Wildseeloder venue where we normally compete. It looked good when we got there, don't you think, Bruno? Then the Foehn turned on and fucked. Shit. Up. I don't have a picture of the face post-foehn but it lost probably 75cm of snow.
The comp was relocated to Kappl, which was pretty cool. Sleepy, family style Austrian resort in the Tyrol... I had a shit comp but here's a picture anyway.
Then I came home, and goddamn does it feel good. Hitting the road again soon, stay tuned.
Big thanks to Diamond for his hospitality, hopefully the Bosson doesn't climax avalanche and take out his new crib, cause I'm planning to invade again in March.