It has been a while since my last blog, so I
thought I would update you on my recent escapades and my plans for the
summer. A lot has happened since my last
blog but skiing is still on the agenda ☺
First of all we had the ParaSnowBall, this was
an evening of fine dining with the purpose of raising money for Disability
SnowSport UK (DSUK). DSUK is a charity that provides lessons for people with
disabilities, enabling them to get into snowsports. They also support the team
when they can and are one of the mains reasons the team exists. They are also the reason
I am skiing and have provided support for a few years now.
The evening was
hosted by John Inverdale, and was a roaring success. I was lucky enough to be
sat on the Knights (Suzanne and Millie) table with a great view of the stage.
There was a host of guest speakers from Pippa
Middleton, to team members, to members of DSUK.
The most iconic for me was a charming guy called Brendan. Brendan has
cerebral Palsy, which affects all of his body quite significantly, including
his speech. He was asked the question, what has DSUK done for you. His answer
“When I am walking everyone is waiting for me but when I am on skis, no one can
catch me” This guy for me is the sole reason DSUK and the team exists, to
inspire and to enable people like Brendan to ski.
Some of you may have seen through my Facebook
page that I have been lucky enough to maintain my sponsorship with ChillfactorE
for another year. They are a great supporter and are a huge aid to my
development. I can't thank them enough.
My current diary is packed and I am dashing here
there and everywhere trying to fit in everything. I am currently looking get a
more stable situation with the days I work from home to allow me to train more
and to a better standard and of course to improve my sleep pattern.
So what’s happening on the skiing front? We
recently came back from a training camp in Hintertux Austria, this was the
first camp of the summer and I was eager to get on the boards.
We stayed in the usual Hotel Koesller with the
lovely Mader family. Karina and her family go out of their way to provide us
with everything we need and they make us feel at home. We were the only ones
staying in the hotel, we made sure to make the most of this…
After careful deliberation, I have scrapped the
spreader bar that I use to keep the tips of my skis separate and have now moved
onto a cord. This is to allow my skis to move more freely and individually but
still help coordination. This takes advantage of all the extra movement I am
getting from the chiropractor and physio.
Unfortunately for the short term, this means I took a bit of a step
back, whilst I got used to keeping my legs apart and the coordination with my
feet….not so easy when you add altitude to the mix.
This camp was the first time I have undergone
hydration testing. This was done daily for the purpose of managing our
hydration levels more effectively. You basically pee’d in a pot which was then
tested and If you scored under a certain score (being too dehydrated) you were
given a dioralyte to rehydrate you, or a sachet of shame as we call them…. I
had many a sachet that fortnight, I can still taste them now….not good. This
was really helpful and goes to show that I probably don’t drink enough water
when I am at home never mind when I am training on a glacier.
The snow for June was amazing, we had a couple
of powder days with poor visibility but other than that, the weather was
perfect. I even enjoyed the powder…
which is a first, being a four tracker I have a lot of edges to think about in
powder but I actually loved it, it was great to make fresh tracks !!! But on
the odd occasion I still do end up getting a bit stuck….
We skied in just base layers most days as it was
too hot to have anything else on. The coaches and physio’s took advantage of
the glacier river near the hotel for recovery, which as you can see from the
pictures was FREEZING.
The team morale has been at an all-time high
recently and we have been getting on very well. We are constantly playing
pranks on each other and winding each other up (in a friendly way )…this makes
down time far more fun and relaxing.
So what have I been doing since I got back ?
I have been looking into new equipment, I went
to see an Orthotist in Reading called Nick Gallogly, he has a great
understanding of the human body and was recommended to be by a friend. He
recommended two things, new innersoles for my shoes/ski boots and a special
type of body suit. Currently I free style it in my shoes with no
support…needless to say I got told off for being daft and being stubborn (as
usual). He made some interesting observations about my walk and some ways we
could improve it by innersoles. His
second recommendation was a body suit by a company called DM Orthotic. This is
a skintight suit made to fit which pulls my body into a correct position using
different panels and weave.
I have invested in the innersoles which I have
already put into practice, they seemed to have made a difference already. I am
currently looking at which organs I can sell to fund the body
suit as I feel this is an invaluable bit of kit, I am hoping to get this later
this year :) Stay tuned for that one!!
So whats next ?
On Monday 11th July I am off to
Norway for two weeks training in the resort of Fonna. I am very excited for
this, I have never been to Norway and I have heard it is an amazing and
beautiful country. I will be sure to
take lots of photos. I will update you
guys when I get back.
Love
Alex
x
If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here
Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com
Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com
