Our favourite slopestyle lady-shredder Anna Segal has released her season edit. Check out Span send kickers at Mt Hood, the One Hit Wonder, Nine Queens, Dew Tour and Breckenridge.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Checking in from Norway
Katya is in Norway right now, with the rest of the Aussie Ski X team, waiting to compete at the FIS Freestyle World Championships this weekend. Training on the track began yesterday and there is another training day today, then the whole thing (qualis and finals) happens in one day on Sunday.
Busy few days!
Katya is having her best season so far this year and this morning she checked in to give us a quick update....
"I'm back in Voss, Norway for my third World Freestyle Championships. The course is a lot of fun, with a technical start section, some big jumps in the middle and a super fast bottom section. My goal for this race is to make it to semi finals, so top 8. The season so far has been a personal best, with a 6th place in the Telluride World Cup, a 10th place in the San Candido World Cup, and two podium finishes in Continental Cups. I'm excited about this race, and can't wait to get after it on Sunday."
She also sent in some pics and all I can say is........ the snow looks better than dinner!
Here's the latest edit from Katya's season........
Episode 3 - 2013 Winter- Katya Crema from Katya Crema on Vimeo.
Busy few days!
via Anton Grimus
"I'm back in Voss, Norway for my third World Freestyle Championships. The course is a lot of fun, with a technical start section, some big jumps in the middle and a super fast bottom section. My goal for this race is to make it to semi finals, so top 8. The season so far has been a personal best, with a 6th place in the Telluride World Cup, a 10th place in the San Candido World Cup, and two podium finishes in Continental Cups. I'm excited about this race, and can't wait to get after it on Sunday."
She also sent in some pics and all I can say is........ the snow looks better than dinner!
slopestyle course
lamb's head ?!
Episode 3 - 2013 Winter- Katya Crema from Katya Crema on Vimeo.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A Japanese Winter
Hey Chicks with Stix tribe......hope that summer or winter is treating you well wherever you are in the world! Our CwS Coaches and Ambassadors are all over the place and having a ton of fun competing and coaching and generally ripping it up somewhere cold and snowy!
And yep..... this is why there has been a definite lack of blog updates this season [soz]
Well we're planning to make it up to you with some check-ins from around the world and some updates on comps, statuses and even injuries (more on that later)
So keep tuning in here and follow us on FB for some give-aways REAL SOON [promise]
First up : an update from CwS Coach Olivia Coates who is living it up in Japan this winter....
words by Olivia Coates
"Wanting to escape the norm of the Canadian ski fields; this winter I ventured to Japan for some iconic pow and a cultural change. Apprehensive at first, knowing not a single word of Japanese (except for the tourist go-to of konichiwa) I set out on an adventure that found me in a world away from home, (even though the time difference was a mere hour apart).
For 3 months I was based at Happo-one resort in Hakuba Japan. I taught snowboarding for Evergreen Ski School and when I managed to find some time away from teaching, travelled to get lost in nearby cities and new resorts.
The thing that lured me to Japan was the exceptional snow conditions that we’ve been hearing about for a few years now. It just so happened that the year I decided to make the trip, was the year of the worst snowfall in a decade or so. Seems fitting, my mother always said I was the sunshine child, too bad this title isn’t so good when you’re chasing winter!
In saying this, the snow did fall, just not as regularly as we would have liked. When it snows in Japan, it dumps. A storm will settle in for a few days and what you will experience during those days is the best snow of your life!
This season it seemed that patience was most certainly a virtue, I became really good at waiting. Watching North America and Europe early in the season get a truckload of snow, while I sat in Japan, waiting for what felt like the whole 3 months; for the snow that was said to be coming!
My off snow adventures in Japan proved to be some of my greatest memories of the trip. Of course a trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without spending at least 3 days in Tokyo. It’s a must, even if you’re the most diehard ski or snowboarder in the world!
Happo-one, Cortina and Hakuba’s surrounding resorts offer so much terrain for every level of free skier and rider. However, tree riding within most of the resorts is considered off piste (except Cortina) and is monitored very closely, with cameras on chairlifts and active ski patrol on each mountain; I found out early into my season why this was so heavily patrolled, especially at Happo-one. A few encounters with dam walls, river crossings, as well as some very hairy drops onto cat-tracks. Not to mention the sluff slides and avalanche gates which are scattered amongst the resorts. I soon learnt that the mountains of Japan are very sensitive to varying snow conditions and that it was imperative to ride with caution.
This season I filled my freeride boots with bigger drops, deeper snow, tighter trees and I let my instinct guide me into some very adventurous situations. As for my park riding… well there’s one park to be found in Hakuba and it was a 20minute drive away, so a couple of sneaky night jib sessions were set up in the backyard to keep park cravings at bay.
My Japanese winter was … interesting. I made some amazing new friendships and like every season learnt more about myself and my riding. Now that I’m home and moving back into the swing of uni I can already start to feel those riding jitters coming back. This time they’re not craving the big mountains and deep snow, instead sunny park laps and friendly faces.
See all you lovely ladies at the Chicks with Stix in Perisher! Make sure you yell out if you see me, I’m always up for some park laps with the girls!
And yep..... this is why there has been a definite lack of blog updates this season [soz]
Well we're planning to make it up to you with some check-ins from around the world and some updates on comps, statuses and even injuries (more on that later)
So keep tuning in here and follow us on FB for some give-aways REAL SOON [promise]
First up : an update from CwS Coach Olivia Coates who is living it up in Japan this winter....
words by Olivia Coates
"Wanting to escape the norm of the Canadian ski fields; this winter I ventured to Japan for some iconic pow and a cultural change. Apprehensive at first, knowing not a single word of Japanese (except for the tourist go-to of konichiwa) I set out on an adventure that found me in a world away from home, (even though the time difference was a mere hour apart).
For 3 months I was based at Happo-one resort in Hakuba Japan. I taught snowboarding for Evergreen Ski School and when I managed to find some time away from teaching, travelled to get lost in nearby cities and new resorts.
The thing that lured me to Japan was the exceptional snow conditions that we’ve been hearing about for a few years now. It just so happened that the year I decided to make the trip, was the year of the worst snowfall in a decade or so. Seems fitting, my mother always said I was the sunshine child, too bad this title isn’t so good when you’re chasing winter!
Big smiles in Cortina trees! Up to my neck in white stuff!
The vending machine tells it all
My off snow adventures in Japan proved to be some of my greatest memories of the trip. Of course a trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without spending at least 3 days in Tokyo. It’s a must, even if you’re the most diehard ski or snowboarder in the world!
The ordered chaos of The Scramble at Shubuya Crossing! (movie reference: Tokyo drift)
Masumoto Castle; where the samurai’s lived!
Tokyo’s handy map; a little too big to be handy, but a great size to shade you from the Japanese sun!
Dropping off of dam walls and getting lost in Happo’s trees.
Night jibs J
A friendly bunch of ski and snowboard instructors :P
See all you lovely ladies at the Chicks with Stix in Perisher! Make sure you yell out if you see me, I’m always up for some park laps with the girls!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Freeride World Tour, Stop 1: Revelstoke
words by Nat Segal
No matter how long or hard you train and prepare for a winter of competitions, the first is always fairly daunting. Despite having a history in competitive skiing, I always have butterflies the week leading up to a big event and this one is definitely the biggest so far.
For the last four years I have been competing in big mountain. Last winter I qualified for the Freeride World Tour. It's the boss of all big mountain events, the closest thing we have to a World Cup. There are five stops of the tour, starting in Revelstoke (CAN) this week and continuing on to Chamonix (FRA), Kirkwood (USA), Fiberbrunn (AUT) and Verbier (SUI). Naturally, I am trembling in my boots a little.
It's quite difficult to share the true nature of my butterflies without a bit of a background in big mountain competitions.
Imagine a big beautiful face like the one below. Choose a line to ski (a way down that is), try to imagine it backwards as if you were skiing it and assume everything is much different than it seems. Hike or take a helicopter to the top, wait and then stand alone in the start gate, praying that the left-hand couloir will take you to the 15ft air and not the mandatory 50ft exposure of rocks and then start skiing.
So you are skiing, remember that the judges want to see fast, fluid style but you have to stay in control. No bobbles or hesitations, they want to see you charge down the line like you are skiing a blue run. It's best to include either some exposure (skiing through/above rocks and chutes) or airtime to increase your overall impression. Halfway down your legs will be jelly but just keep on going, there will be no relief until the straight line out the bottom. Pop over your chosen cliffs, jump turn down the chute and enjoy the feeling when you realise that you have hit all your features and you can book it to the finish line.
That's about it. At the end of the run relief will flood over you. You will feel as if you have been skiing moguls all day but in fact you have only taken one lap.
Today marks the first day of Stop 1 of the FWT at Revelstoke. It is currently dumping pow outside and does not look like it wants to relent until later this week. Until that time, I will continue to ski pow, taming my nerves and telling them that when I hit the start gate I will know where I am going; that my body can take the fear and turn it into energy and that when I finally drop in for my comp run that I will feel nothing but pure enjoyment and purpose.
Wish me luck.
No matter how long or hard you train and prepare for a winter of competitions, the first is always fairly daunting. Despite having a history in competitive skiing, I always have butterflies the week leading up to a big event and this one is definitely the biggest so far.
For the last four years I have been competing in big mountain. Last winter I qualified for the Freeride World Tour. It's the boss of all big mountain events, the closest thing we have to a World Cup. There are five stops of the tour, starting in Revelstoke (CAN) this week and continuing on to Chamonix (FRA), Kirkwood (USA), Fiberbrunn (AUT) and Verbier (SUI). Naturally, I am trembling in my boots a little.
It's quite difficult to share the true nature of my butterflies without a bit of a background in big mountain competitions.
Imagine a big beautiful face like the one below. Choose a line to ski (a way down that is), try to imagine it backwards as if you were skiing it and assume everything is much different than it seems. Hike or take a helicopter to the top, wait and then stand alone in the start gate, praying that the left-hand couloir will take you to the 15ft air and not the mandatory 50ft exposure of rocks and then start skiing.
 |
| Mac Daddy Face, Revelstoke Mountain Resort |
That's about it. At the end of the run relief will flood over you. You will feel as if you have been skiing moguls all day but in fact you have only taken one lap.
Today marks the first day of Stop 1 of the FWT at Revelstoke. It is currently dumping pow outside and does not look like it wants to relent until later this week. Until that time, I will continue to ski pow, taming my nerves and telling them that when I hit the start gate I will know where I am going; that my body can take the fear and turn it into energy and that when I finally drop in for my comp run that I will feel nothing but pure enjoyment and purpose.
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy New Year
words by Zoe Jaboor.
Happy New Year everyone! We thought we'd start the new year off with a quick updates on some of the Chick with Stix coaches
While Katya is off getting top ten results in World Cup, and Anna is getting podiums in Dew Tour, and Lauren is hitting up the park at Breck, and Nat is dropping cliffs in Jackson, and Katie is getting powder bumps in Colorado …. some of us are left back in Australia, dreaming of the white stuff. Don’t get me wrong, Im not complaining. I have been making the most of the warm weather and good waves, and preparing for my first trip of the Northern winter.
This time at home has made me more aware of the amazing results that our Australian female athletes are achieving overseas. Not only have our CwS coaches and ambassadors (mentioned above) been throwing down, but some of our future leaders have been reaching new heights and putting our country on the map in the international snow scene.
 |
| Pip Sparrow grabbing the goods on her backflip |
Pip Sparrow (who has been participating in Chicks with Stix since its inception) is a mogul skier and
recently finished 5th at the US Selections in Copper, Co. Under the guidance of coach and friends, Pete McNeil and Katie Blamey at the The Mogul Skiing Academy. Pip achieved her career best result. I am so pleased to see her achieve in the sport of mogul skiing. She is committed, driven and dedicated. And to top it all off, she is an absolutely lovely girl! Pip’s friends and fellow mogul competitors have also been making a mark. Taylah O’Neil qualified first for the finals at Copper, and ended up second. And Britt Cox achieved a 4th place in Duals in a World Cup in Kreischberg, Austria.
Watching all these girls ripping it up all over the world is making me excited to get over there and start skiing! I head over to the North America on the 10th of January to judge a few World Cups (aerials, moguls and half-pipe) in Val Saint-Come, Lake Placid and Park City. Somewhere in between I will fit in 7 days at Red Mountain in British Columbia to shred with some friends. Until then, I will continue to take advantage of the summer and head out for some waves with Anita, Han, Ali and Merrin, all who are enjoying summer with me at home in Jan Juc.
Hope you're all having a great summer/ winter wherever you are!
Friday, December 14, 2012
KATYA at World Cup
Katya is competing on the Wold Cup circuit and really nailing it. Looks like all that summer-break training paid off ! With a podium in Canada and a sixth place in Telluride [with 4 Aussies getting through the qualifiers] the season is looking good.
Here's Katya's update just in from Colorado......
"Today I achieved a new personal best result, finishing in 6th place in the Ski Cross World Cup in Telluride, Colorado.
Yesterday I had a solid run in qualifications, posting the sixth fastest time amongst the ladies. A good confidence boost coming into finals! Today I was excited to race head-to-head on what has been one of the best tracks on the World Cup circuit. Telluride did a great job in building a world class course, with some of the biggest and most technical features we've seen since the Winter Olympic Games and X Games.
I had a great quarter final heat, finishing in second right behind Fanny Smith of Switzerland. In the semi finals, a couple of small mistakes and some aggressive skiing from the ladies meant that I didn't make it though to the big final. I finished second in the small final, putting me in 6th place overall. A great result for the second World Cup of the season!
The Aussies had four athletes in the finals today, so a great day for the team. Well done to teammates Scott Kneller, Anton Grimus and Jen Owens who finished 11th, 18th and 11th respectively.
Tomorrow we fly to Europe where the Aussie SX team will prepare for the next World Cup in Van Thorens, France, on Wednesday and Thursday of next week (18/19 December). No time for jet lag on this schedule!"
Here's Katya's update just in from Colorado......
elated!
"Today I achieved a new personal best result, finishing in 6th place in the Ski Cross World Cup in Telluride, Colorado.
Yesterday I had a solid run in qualifications, posting the sixth fastest time amongst the ladies. A good confidence boost coming into finals! Today I was excited to race head-to-head on what has been one of the best tracks on the World Cup circuit. Telluride did a great job in building a world class course, with some of the biggest and most technical features we've seen since the Winter Olympic Games and X Games.
I had a great quarter final heat, finishing in second right behind Fanny Smith of Switzerland. In the semi finals, a couple of small mistakes and some aggressive skiing from the ladies meant that I didn't make it though to the big final. I finished second in the small final, putting me in 6th place overall. A great result for the second World Cup of the season!
The Aussies had four athletes in the finals today, so a great day for the team. Well done to teammates Scott Kneller, Anton Grimus and Jen Owens who finished 11th, 18th and 11th respectively.
Tomorrow we fly to Europe where the Aussie SX team will prepare for the next World Cup in Van Thorens, France, on Wednesday and Thursday of next week (18/19 December). No time for jet lag on this schedule!"
beautiful Telluride, CO.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Femalewolfpack.com
Words by Nat Segal
As the age old adage goes, 'if you want to get something done, you've got to do it yourself'. It is with this in mind that professional skier and infamous badass, Rachael Burks, created FemaleWolfpack.com.
Rachael, after spending many years shredding the gnar, competing in the Freeskiing World Tour and filming with the likes TGR and Warren Miller Entertainment, noticed a lack of opportunity for female exposure in the extreme sports community.
“I’ve been skiing professionally for 6 years and have been frustrated by the limitations of filming opportunities based on sponsorship alliances and existing film paradigms. I feel like if you’re doing things that are film-worthy, you should be filmed. Subsequently I decided to ripple the waters a bit: I want to give all girls an opportunity to be seen.
Thus, FemaleWolfpack.com was born. The website is a video-only, online hub for female athletes to showcase their skills. It "is unprecedented, unprejudiced, and unrestricted" says Rachael. Anyone can submit an edit for publication.
"It is a place for any online viewer interested in action sports entertainment to go and watch incredible footage without spending time weeding through viral clutter."
Sounds like magic to me. FemaleWolfpack.com will be launched New Years Day 2013, so keep your eyes open for some jaw-dropping action. In the meantime, check out the Femalewolfpack teaser that was released today.
Femalewolfpack_Teaser from rachaelburks on Vimeo.
As the age old adage goes, 'if you want to get something done, you've got to do it yourself'. It is with this in mind that professional skier and infamous badass, Rachael Burks, created FemaleWolfpack.com.
Rachael, after spending many years shredding the gnar, competing in the Freeskiing World Tour and filming with the likes TGR and Warren Miller Entertainment, noticed a lack of opportunity for female exposure in the extreme sports community.
“I’ve been skiing professionally for 6 years and have been frustrated by the limitations of filming opportunities based on sponsorship alliances and existing film paradigms. I feel like if you’re doing things that are film-worthy, you should be filmed. Subsequently I decided to ripple the waters a bit: I want to give all girls an opportunity to be seen.
Thus, FemaleWolfpack.com was born. The website is a video-only, online hub for female athletes to showcase their skills. It "is unprecedented, unprejudiced, and unrestricted" says Rachael. Anyone can submit an edit for publication.
"It is a place for any online viewer interested in action sports entertainment to go and watch incredible footage without spending time weeding through viral clutter."
Sounds like magic to me. FemaleWolfpack.com will be launched New Years Day 2013, so keep your eyes open for some jaw-dropping action. In the meantime, check out the Femalewolfpack teaser that was released today.
Femalewolfpack_Teaser from rachaelburks on Vimeo.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)