Merry Christmas

Hi guys,

Saturday I got back from a week’s training with Ben Reid out in Austria, where I got to try out my new sit ski. It was a great camp and it was very productive.  The goal for the camp was to get used to my sit ski, and decide on any adjustments that needed making to my new rig whilst also improving my performance in gates. 

We flew into Ljubljana in Slovenia and then took a coach into Austria. Arriving in resort (turracher höhe), the hotel was half way up the ski slope which led to a very exciting trip up to the hotel via a snow mobile. That kicked ass.

The first day we were out on slalom ski’s, where we ski’d down to the training run, instantly my sit ski was comfier, easier to turn and much more reactive than my old one. Which led to many MANY occasions where I was over turning and going back down the hill backwards as I had to put less into it to make it turn that I was doing previously. It was quite exciting at times. 

We got back to the hotel that night and Ben and I did a dowel test on my rig. Which basically involves sticking a broom handle underneath the centre of the ski whilst I’m sat in the sit ski to check which way I tip (forward or backwards) to check if I am using the full amount of the ski correctly. We found that although it was handling much better than my old rig, my weight was too far back. The scarver allows to very easily solve this by undoing a few bolts and moving the whole seat forward…..much easier than my old one as this one would have involved the welding tackle previously…sorry dad. 

I went out the next day and I’ve never turned a ski like that in my life, it was so aggressive and responsive. It took a lot of getting used too but my god, if that’s what it feels like to turn a ski properly I’m going to be in for some fun. That day spent most of the time, really trying to get used to new setup and not crash. This brought back a lot of bad habits but it was just because I wasn’t used to it and over the week this sorted itself out. 

Getting back to the hotel was quite fun, sit skis are pretty well designed for getting around the mountain, you have a rope with a quick release for going up T-Bars and you have a button that you can press to allow the sit ski to release from it’s suspension and be scooped up by a chair lift. The one thing it can’t do very easily is go along a rope pull. A rope pull is basically a rope that you hold onto and it drags you along the snow. This one in particular was fine for the majority of it but the dismount at the top was done on a bit of a hill, which meant that the minute I let go of the rope I would go backwards down the hill and I needed both hands on the rope to be able to pull myself (being a fat b*stard doesn’t help with this one.)  We solved this by one of the guys on the camp Tim, grabbing hold of my sit ski seat and holding the ski flat whilst I dragged us both up the hill, when we got to the top, he slowly rotated me round and stopped me going backwards whilst I could let go and steady myself again. 

Everyone on the camp was fantastic, they couldn’t do more to help, whether this involved bringing my sit ski in at night so it doesn’t freeze, picking me up when I decide I fancy eating some snow or just carrying my coffee. This made my life so much easier and a special shout out goes to Tim who was just mega. 

My favourite day of the camp was definitely when we trained giant slalom, it was fantastic getting back in the gates and I was beaming from ear to ear after every run, even the ones that didn’t go to plan. 

      

During this camp I suffered with fatigue quite badly for the first few days, I think staying at altitude affected me much more than it normally does and it took a few days to get over that. I had to duck out of the afternoon sessions due to feeling absolutely exhausted but towards the end of the week I was raring to go for both sessions. 

Anyways I’ll leave it here for now, I’m really pleased with the new kit and I can’t wait to get back on snow again. Now for a bit of R&R and enjoy Christmas with family and friends. 

Have a lovely Christmas 

Love 

Alex 

Photo Credits Alice Luetchford

A change of path

It has been a long time since my last blog and there have been a number of reasons for that. For the last 18 months I have been reviewing my progress in skiing and constantly looking for what is going to give me the improvements I need. If this means an orthotic suit, innersoles, Pilates classes or even dance lessons, I have done it….and had A LOT of fun in the process.

The reason I started skiing was I saw it as a challenge and I wanted to ski with friends, which I achieved. I then wanted to explore the mountain, which I achieved, a year later.  My next goal was to start racing, which albeit it a little early than I should have, I achieved and met some amazing guys along the way.

Now comes a different challenge, I have decided to make the change to sit skiing.

I have always considered this a possibility, but due to my stubbornness and my determined nature, I didn’t want to give in. Over the last year, I set myself goals as a stand-up skier and tracked my performance against them. I’ve also been reviewing how working full time and skiing nearly a full race calendar, affected my condition. The decision to change is mainly around sustainability and the impact that skiing and working has on my wellbeing. This decision also allows me to control the variables more, improving my daily life. Fatigue, coldness and hydration play massive parts on my ability to walk, not only ski and race.  Sit skiing allows me to limit these.

I don’t look back over the last 2 years with the team as a waste, now I have made this decision. I have learnt a lot about myself, skiing, and improved a lot physically and mentally. I achieved many things and I am proud of that.

I have shared elations and also frustrations with you guys and I hope I can carry on doing that.

The most memorable to me, would be finishing my first race in Landgraaf, missing the last gate and having to hike back up. The entire crowd were cheering for me and urged me to cross the line. I received an unbelievable amount of joy and achievement when I did that and will always stand out as a key moment in my career.

SO now brings the next task of getting reclassified to race but also more importantly, to learn how to sit ski.

I have a great support network around me, so I am sure I will be back up and ripping in no time.

I have just got back from a week in Arinsal, Andorra training with Scott Maughan. After a bit of a frustrating start, eating lots and lots of powder, I am started to pick it up.  Scott is great and we had a great laugh, he is really good at focussing the mind and making sure I am not trying to jump the gun, before I have the skills…which I am definitely trying to do.

Unfortunately we only got two days on the snow due to the weather, but I really enjoyed the trip. I am looking at trying to get a long weekend out there early March, to make up for the lost days.

In the meantime I am training hard and currently on the look out for a new job as my contract is coming to an end at work. I am hoping to stay with Post Office but nothing can be guaranteed. Will update you guys soon.

Much love

Alex

x

 If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com

Norway and the tale of the broken tethers

It has been a while since my last blog so I thought I would update you on my escapades and my time in Norway.

Norway is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. To even get to the hotel we had to cross Fjords, mountains and even mile long tunnels.

My first impressions of Norway was….WET. For the first week we had pretty much non stop rain on the hill but glorious sunshine at the hotel.  Which made for great recovery post training. We could ski in the mornings, come back soaked and then go and swim in the sea to relax….

Oh yeah the Hotel was a 5 – 10 minute walk from the nearest Fjord, which was tidal and had a very low salt content. Which meant it was really nice to swim in.  There was even a diving board, which I HAD to jump off, at least once.  It wasn’t in the easiest of locations to get to. We had to walk over rocks, slippy cambered surfaces and even climb a few steps with no hand rail and then when we got to the board there was no rail or anything to hold onto whilst you were on it. I set off on the trek, picking my line through rocks and climbing onto the slippery camber, making sure to avoid the rock pool, Catherine the physio caught up with me and asked me the question “are you sure this is a good idea?” My reply “Yep it will be fine”. I was determined to have a go and needless to say when my mind is made up, there is no going back.  Catherine just sighed and and helped me climb the steps by guiding my foot, making sure I don’t drag my toes up the rocky steps and cut them (isn’t she a good un?.)  I get to the top and stand on the board, I then decide to let the rest of the group know, I don’t like heights…  The board had two metal bars going across the bit you walk on at different points, which meant I would have to really pick my legs up if I wanted to walk.  As the water was so deep it meant that If I jumped in with my crutches I wasn’t sure if I would ever get them back and that wasn’t a situation I wanted to be in.  I suggested dropping the crutches and just running for it….needless to say that went down like a ton of bricks. I decided (with some slight persuasion techniques from the rest of the guys) the best option was to crawl to the end.  I crawled to the end, posed for the obvious photo opportunity and flopped in. It wasn’t the most graceful of things I have done, but it was fun to say the least.  I swam to small ladder, climbed out and decided that was enough for me, so I spent the rest of our time there relaxing in the sun.  

This was the first camp we have worked with Dougie Mill as a coach. He was a lot of fun and has a strict but fun work ethic. He really cares about your development and definitely thinks outside the box.  As mentioned in my previous blogs I have moved to a rope holding my skis together rather than a steel bar.  Dougie was a key part of trying different types of ropes and straps to see which worked best. I must have broken at least one a day…some days two, if I was on form. These ranged from belt, to a bit of paracord, we tried everything. Towards the end of the fortnight, I think we found the method that worked the best with a bit of input from John Clark.  Whenever I broke one, Dougie would disappear and come back 5 minutes later and it was fixed…mega.

A bit on the technical stuff . At the moment I am working on a couple of aspects. One is to flex the front of the boot to be much more progressive in the turns. This will allow me to control my speed and really regulate the amount of pressure I can put through the ski.  The second is to turn my feet together on the steeper terrain to give myself more direction and control as I head down the hill. I felt a lot of positives from this camp, I am starting to feel more and I think my new boots are working perfectly.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I was looking to secure funding for a orthotic lycra suit that would help pull my body into the position it is meant to be in.  I have been lucky enough to secure this and I have just started training with it.  It is a bit of a devil to get on without a hand. I definitely feel this is an invaluable investment into my development.

So what's next?

Currently I am in Wittenburg Germany for a week training in their indoor ski slope. This is a great training place as the snow is very consistent and is basically bullet proof, which is a great challenge and means if you are not on your edges you are on your backside. I will update you all when I am back.

Much Love

Alex  

If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click hereOr email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com

Swiss & British Champs Part II

We Arrived in Tignes. We stayed in an amazing apartment right at the bottom of the valley, this wasn’t ideal but due to the time of year, it had to do. It did mean we had a much higher quality apartment than we normally do. On-site pool, Jacuzzi and Sauna…which did have its benefits :) 

Tignes is quite a self-indulgent resort for myself, I have skied there a number of different times over the past couple of years and it is very satisfying to ski there. It provides a visual benefit on how much I have improved.

We had a few days free skiing, working on the fundamentals and our overall goals.  At this point, Tignes had become overrun with English people. There were a number of different races over the week, which meant there was always something interesting to watch.  

Training went well, I felt like I was getting a higher hip position and was able to influence the ski more. The pool and Jacuzzi definitely helped with this…

On the Thursday, I received a phone call from Andy Barlow saying he had just broken one of his outriggers, he had been racing in the French National champs and was just about to head to Tignes. He was going to need the borrowed outrigger back. The first race was on Saturday. I began to panic.  I rang up Tessier, which is the company in France that supply adaptive equipment. They said that the quickest delivery time is 2 days once the order has been made.  I explained the situation and they said the only other option would be to pick up the part myself (a two hour drive.)  I said I would call back once I had spoken to the coaches.  We finished the training session and just as I was packing my stuff up, my phone rang. It was Tessier again. They explained they had a client that was visiting La Rosiere (just round the corner) and would be willing to drop it off for me. MEGA !! I jumped at the opportunity. The gentlemen dropped it off a couple of hours later, free of charge and my payment hadn’t even cleared yet. Amazing Service!! I couldn’t believe my luck. I was back in business.

Saturday brought the start of the slalom. We were racing with the women’s able bodied. There was some fantastic skiers there and it was great to be skiing alongside them.  As the day started it was very much an us and them situation, but as the day went on, we all began to bond and really became a team. We all cheered each other and wanted everyone to do well.

It was the first time adaptive skiers have raced alongside able bodied. We were the first to go down.  I had been having problems with the bar on my skis that day that keep the skis tips apart. The extra movement I am getting from the chiropractor has changed my body that much that I need to look at new ways of doing things.

I dropped onto the course but just as I dropped in, my skis crossed due to my bar and I ended up sliding, missing the first gate…BUGGER. I put my outriggers into crutch mode and started to hike back up. John Clark one of the coaches shouted to me to “Push Alex” the next moment, the whole of the women’s able bodied were shouting “PUSH ALEX !” (This helped). I reached the gate, dropped back onto the course and started to ski back down. I was already out of breathe from the hike but I was taking deep breaths trying to recover.  I dropped onto the steep section, I was skiing quite well, I was active but I could feel myself tiring.  I got around half way down the steep section, My skis crossed because of the bar again, I ended up skiing a gate backwards (not intentional), catching myself off balance and throwing myself down the hill. It was quite a spectacular fall.  I got up ,skied two turns and straight lined it to the bottom to watch the rest of the race.  The end results for GB.

Womens VI

1.  Menna Fitzpatrick and Jen Kehoe
2.  Millie Knight and Brett Wild

Womens Standing

1. Molly Griffith

Mens Vi

1. John Dickinson-lilley and Jack Davey
2. Michael kear and Rufus Allcott

Mens Standing

1. James Whitley
2. Matt Short
3. Andy Barlow

Men’s Sitting

    2. Ben Sneesby

    3.Benji Milliard

As you can see it was very much a GB Podium :)

The second day brought the Giant Slalom. We were racing on the downhill course. This run is closed off to the public and has lots of terrain to deal with. It was a fantastic course, with a punchy start but I was very excited.

The weather had been cloudy and there was flat light for inspection which made it quite difficult to inspect.  As we queued in the start gate to start the race, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  I dropped in and after a few gates I really let the skis run. I was flying. I was making sure to finish my turn and trying my best to stand up to get more drive through the ski and to keep my weight forward. The course was awesome, I was loving every minute of it. I got to the last couple of gates, letting the skis run even more, I hit a bump in the snow and ended up hip sliding. I quickly pushed myself up, dropped in on the right side of the gate and passed the finish line. I was knackered but that was the best I have ever skied. I was proud to have skied like that and it was a good reflection on the year but I was frustrated I had fallen at the last gate.

(Photo Credit Racer Ready, Cannot be used without permission)

 We inspected the course for second run, it looked good. I could feel myself beginning to tire. I checked my ski spreader bar. It was twisted and was causing the skis to cross more. I rushed to the top and started trying to work on it. Abi Okell (the team physio) and John Clark worked tirelessly to get it ready for the next run. The start referee let me start a few numbers later in order to resolve the problems I had with the equipment.  I dropped in. I didn’t have confidence in the equipment that I wanted, so I was tentative (and tired.) I worked my way down the slope, making sure to look ahead and not get too focussed on my bar. I got to the bottom, exhausted but I made it. It was a small field but I managed to clinch a 4^th place finish, which was awesome :)

 It was a great feeling to have come to the end of my most successful season yet. I have had some ups and some downs, some frustrations and elations but that is ski racing. I have never experienced a sport that is so challenging but so rewarding at the same time.

I strive for a challenge and I am motivated to keep on pushing to be the best I can be.

So what’s next for me ?

The chiropractor has had more of an impact on me than I realised, my personal goal at the moment is to improve my stamina to how it was and to go one step further. 

I am cycling more in order to do this and hoping to increase the intensity of this. We are currently working together to get the summer season plan together to understand when I am next on snow and my goals for next season.

I started my next placement on Monday 11^th of April, I am working in Telephony, looking at the Post Office Homephone and Broadband offers. This is an exciting area and will be a great challenge.

Love
Alex

If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here
Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com