Hi Guys,
I’m doing my usual and writing this on my way back to
England after a week training/racing in Pitztal (Austria.) Since Landgraaf I
have had a hectic two weeks at work. In the middle of all this chaos I found
out some awesome information.
ParaSnowSportsGB (formerly the British Disabled Ski Team)
have invited me to become a member of their development squad. This is a
fantastic opportunity and it is a great honour. This means that I am now an
official member of the team and is something I am proud of. This has motivated me to keep on pushing
forward.
On the 5th of December I flew out to Pitztal
Glacier in Austria for a week of training and to compete in two races, a Slalom
and Giant Slalom. I had heard two things about Pitztal. One it can be very cold
with temperatures going well below zero with strong winds. Two, it is home to a
ridiculously long T Bar….something I do not enjoy (For those of you that don’t know, a T Bar is
a type of drag lift that pulls you to the top of the slope.) So I packed extra
clothes and mentally prepared myself for the long slog up the T Bar.
Arriving on the 5th, a group of us from the team got
together to save some money and hired an apartment for the week. This was a nice change and actually having to
cook together brought a new element to the team and we bonded well. We tried cooking nutritious meals to set us
up for the day…..burning one or two pans in the process…whoops!!!
Training went well, Sunday was just a gentle free ski to get
our ski legs back and to get used to the altitude. Pitztal is over 3000m so it
took some time for the body to adapt. After two hours skiing, I was knackered. I slept well Sunday evening.
Monday & Tuesday I was on the Giant Slalom skis. My main
goal for the days was to create a better hip position to encourage more drive
from the skis. On one side I am able to put my hip into a good position but
struggle on the other. This is because of a weakness in my glutes and back. I
am proactively trying to correct this off the slope. I was definitely ready for
a rest day on Wednesday; this also gave me the opportunity to catch up on some
work.
Thursday brought the more reactive slalom skis; we spent the
day in gates. Euan (my coach) had set an interesting course with a camber on my
weaker side. This meant I had to turn even earlier and react even quicker to
stay on the line. I was feeling more
confident in the gates and was trying my best to take the gates to the chest
and cut valuable distance off the racing line.
Friday was another rest day whilst the other team members
were racing in the Super G event. Super G is a speed event….unfortunately I
have not been let loose on a set of super G skis. I cannot wait to progress
onto the faster skis in the future and the team did well. During warm-up a friend of mine (that’s skis
for the Dutch Team) Jeffrey Stuut, took too much speed going into a drop off and
landed on the flat, breaking both his Tibia and Fibular in 3 places. Really sad news but wishing
him a speedy recovery and can’t wait to see him back on the skis.
Saturday brought the Giant Slalom, it was blowing a gale and
was cold. My goal for the day was to just let the skis run and enjoy it. The inspection looked good and there was a
couple of gates that need a mental note. Lining up in the start gate, I was
freezing. I delayed removing all my layers down to the final moment, throwing
them in a pile and dashing to the start ramp. I dropped in, the course had held
together quite well and I tried my best to keep on the racing line. There was a
flat bit in the middle, just before a slight drop off, I came into this turn
and over rotated slightly, which killed all my speed. I quickly managed to get
back on the line and make it down to the bottom. I was happy with my result but I knew I
could do better, catching up with Euan he said I wasn’t letting the skis run
enough and I was losing speed because of it.
The second run came , eager to get a faster speed, I dropped
in. Being more progressive with the skis they ran faster, the wind had blown
all the snow off on some bits and we
were down to the thick blue glacier ice.
I hit the gate I previously over
rotated on just in the right spot and
made it round. Making my down to the bottom to finish my first Giant Slalom
event. Needless to say I was happy. It wasn’t a faultless second run, 5 seconds
faster than the first but I was happy. The added speed took me off the racing
line but I was definitely being more progressive and traveling with much more
speed.
Sunday brought the Slalom event, we were back on the more
reactive shorter skis. The sun was out and the weather felt good. The course looked good and I felt good. I was
keen to improve on my time from landgraaf.
I dropped into the course, conquering my Achilles heel, ‘the Start Ramp’.
I was starting to the let skis run. The course had cut up a lot from inspection
and I was being thrown onto the tails of the skis, losing my balance on a bump
I quickly went to recover but was thrown off on another bump and ended up on my
back. Frustrated, I was pulled up by a race marshall and exited stage right. Taking my frustration out on the skis, I descended
(very quickly) back down to the restaurant, to catch up with the rest of the
team to find out how they had done. My
frustrations soon left as I realised I wasn’t the only one to have gone out on
that gate. I reflected on how far I had come in the last month and how much
further I need to go. I quickly came back down to the earth.
The team overall won 3 Gold 2 Silver and 1 Bronze in the
IPCAS races and 1 Gold 1 Bronze in the Europa Cup races, a fantastic
achievement.
I thoroughly enjoyed my week in Pitztal and was gutted to
leave. A few of the guys carried on to Kuhtai to race in the Europa Cup for
which they all did very well. The female visually impaired athletes (Millie,
Menna, Kelly and their guides Brad, Jen and Claire) podiuming near enough every
race, a great achievement for GB.
So what’s next? On Boxing Day I
am heading out to Zell am See for a weeks training and then heading over to
Rinn for two slalom events. If I do not
speak to you before that.
Happy Christmas and New Year :)
Thanks again for all the support,
Alex
x
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