by Chantelle Heroux October 1, 2008 - Sometimes you just have to trust yourself.
If I hadn’t, I would’ve missed out on one of my greatest experiences in New Zealand.
Going with what your heart says isn’t always easy. In fact, most of the time it’s illogical in every sense. But there is a saying that goes, “it’s better to regret something you’ve done, than regret something you didn’t do.” With that in mind, it’s easier to let loose and start an adventure - and that is exactly what I did.
First, I had to convince myself I made the right decision to rent a car that had over 200,000 kilometers on it and a funny rattle that you could hear over the ‘Hit’s of 1997′ mixtape included with the vehicle (I know what you’re thinking – 1997 - there were no hits in 1997. Actually, there was a whole tape full of them - think Hanson!).
Amazingly enough, I made it to where I needed to go. It only took an hour to find out the emergency brake was on (may or may not have contributed to the funny rattle), about seven hours to figure out how to drive on the opposite side of the road, and a couple of wombats’ lives (were they wombats?!). Needless to say, I made it. Gratefully.
Arriving at the bottom of an access road in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, it was recommended that all two wheel drive vehicles and camper-vans park and drivers-passengers hitchhike up the mountain. So that’s what I did. I was glad to get in a car with a group of friendly skiers. I buckled my seatbelt, only to have the driver look at me in shock and say “Umm, you won’t want your seatbelt on. If I say bail, you’ll want to bail!”
June 18, 2008 - In China, it seems anything is possible - even snowboarding in summer. Indoors. In the city. To prove it, Beijing introduced their newly constructed Burton sponsored indoor snowboard park to the public last Saturday.
The Qiaobo Ice and Snow World is about 40,000 square meters and can accommodate about 3000 people. The Ski Dome is equipped with a Children’s Snow Paradise, Easy Ski Run and Advanced Ski Run to satisfy the different needs of skiers. With the unveiling of the all-terrain snowpark, which boasts a kicker line, wallride as well as rail and box combinations, more people may get into snowboarding since it gets hot as hell in the city and the humidity is unbearable.
The project is yet another sign of the growing affluence of China’s rising middle and upper classes, who are discovering new ways of spending their income and leisure time. We may well see some of the top snowboarders in the world come from China soon. So girls, next time you head to Beijing - be sure to bring your board.
June 17, 2008 - Waking up at 5:45 am isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do. In fact, I think I’d rather stay awake until 5:45 am than go to bed to get up at that time. But I’ve realized if I don’t wake up to go to the gym, an entire day can go by without me going.
There’s an ad I once saw that had somebody running and it said something along the lines of, “If you decide not to run today, would it matter that nobody but you noticed?” I guess that ad has always stuck with me. I mean, if I decided not to get up in the morning, would it really matter? I doubt anybody would know. And if they did know, I doubt they would really care.
But the point of the ad is this: If I chose to sleep in instead of going to the gym to train, I’m the one who would feel bad about it. I would notice, and I would care. So I go, and by 8 am, I feel great. I’ve already accomplished a huge amount in my day before most of my friends have even awakened.
In the past I’ve been a huge fan of the, “well my cross-training for skiing is skiing” motto, I’ve also been a big fan of the non-exercise-exercise: you know, skateboarding, wakeboarding, tennis, etc… Not that I feel I didn’t get exercise from these methods, because I know I did. But I know that if I want to progress to the next level of skiing, I need to become stronger physically. So I’ve started sacrificing my late morning sleep for cross- training, and I’d have to say, I believe it’s well worth the sacrifice.
June 10, 2008 - Skiers who are not ready for summer to start will get another chance to take to the slopes this weekend. Woohoo!
The Aspen Skiing Company will open up Aspen Mountain from June 13 to 15 for skiers and snowboarders. The company says record winter snowfall has left the mountain covered with snow, leaving behind an average of more than 3 feet of snow on the upper slopes.
So, for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aspen will open seven runs and about 45 acres of mostly intermediate terrain that is accessible by the Ajax Express chairlift. The slopes will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ski jackets optional.
March 28, 2008 - In 2002, Anmaar Habib was the first female skier to represent Pakistan in any international ski event. She now has her sights set on an even bigger goal: to represent her country at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Habib, who prefers to be called AJ, is an 18-year-old high school senior and competitive skier. She lives and trains at Sugar Bowl in Northern California but it’s approximately 8,000 miles away, in the mountains of her native country of Pakistan, where AJ intends to make her mark.
Listen to this NPR interview and hear about the challenges AJ faces. Arduous journeys to the Karakoram mountain range, Taliban control of the one civilian ski resort in Pakistan and restrictions on women’s ski clothing are just some of the hurdles in her path. Still, AJ is determined to use her downhill skills to ski into history.
March 13, 2008 - American Lindsey Vonn is practically assured of claiming the prestigious World Cup overall crown after finishing second in the final women’s super-G of the season Thursday.
Vonn’s best friend and closest rival, Maria Riesch of Germany, secured the super-G crown after finishing sixth in the race, won by Swiss upstart Fabienne Suter.
Earlier in the day Vonn’s compatriot Bode Miller also did enough when finishing 12th in the final men’s super-G, where his main rival Didier Cuche failed to take any points to lose the title by a point, to all but secure the men’s overall crown.
A double overall victory for the US would be the first in 25 years. Phil Mahre and McKinney both won the men’s and women’s overall crowns in 1983.
March 13, 2008 – American Olympic Gold Medalist alpine ski racer Julia Mancuso and her British counterpart Chemmy Alcott take the lessons they have learned through a lifetime of sports participation and join Right to Play in their journey to bring those same life-affirming lessons to one of the many impoverished and underdeveloped communities in Africa.
As Right to Play ambassadors, Mancuso and Alcott want to experience firsthand how the charity uses sport and play to enhance child development and also to simply put a smile on even just one child’s face. They launch their endeavor June 1st, 2008 to first climb Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro and then visit a village in Tanzania.
“We believe in the power of sport and play and that it can enhance child development and literally change lives and eventually societies” says Mancuso, adding “we want to offer our support, not only financially, but physically to the organization and the volunteers in the field who touch lives and make it all happen on a daily basis.”
March 08, 2008 - In a big day for American skiing, Lindsey Vonn earned the title of best U.S. downhiller. Vonn won a World Cup downhill for the 10th time to break the U.S. record set by Picabo Street (1996) and Daron Rahlves (2006).
I’m really honored,” said Vonn, who already clinched the World Cup downhill title. “Picabo has been really behind me my whole career. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to talk to her.”
Vonn won in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 1 minute, 23.57 seconds. Her fifth downhill victory of the season extended her overall World Cup lead. She is going after her first overall World Cup crown and has a 150-point lead on Austria’s Nicole Hosp, who finished 27th Saturday.
WHISTLER, British Columbia, Feb. 22, 2008 - - Lindsey Vonn clinched the World Cup downhill title Friday, becoming the first American woman to claim the crown since Picabo Street in 1996.
Nadia Styger of Switzerland won the race in 1 minute, 45.30 seconds. Vonn made a mistake near the bottom of the course and finished 0.01 behind Styger.
American Julia Mancuso finished third in 1:45.49 on the same course that will be used for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Britt Janyk of Canada was fourth in front of a hometown crowd.
Vonn, a four-time World Cup downhill winner with two runner-up finishes this season, has 655 points. Her nearest rival, Renate Goetschl of Austria, has 368 points after a fifth-place finish Friday.
Janyk, who has a win and a third-place finish this season, is third in the downhill standings with 350 points.
The women will compete in a super-combined Sunday - a super-giant slalom and slalom - and won’t race again in Whistler until the Olympics
Feb. 4, 2008 - Ophelie David of France won the women’s competition and jumped to first place in the women’s World Cup ski cross standings. Sasa Faric of Slovenia was second, followed by Emilie Serain of Switzerland in third.
“The starts here were really important. I had to really concentrate,” David said. “During the race the key was to find a good balance between aggressiveness and keeping the skis smooth.”
Langely McNeal (Ketchum, ID) was the only U.S. skier in the women’s finals. She finished 16th.
World Cup ski cross has a bit of a break before resuming competitions overseas in Sierra Nevada, Spain. However, many of the skiers will be competing Feb. 8-11 in the Jeep King of the Mountain tour in Squaw Valley, CA,
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2008 FIS FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
Park City, UT - Feb. 2
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Women’s Ski Cross
1. Ophelie David, France
2. Sasa Faric, Slovenia
3. Emilie Serain, Switzerland
4. Meryl Boulangeat, France
5. Magdalena Iljans, Sweden
by Chantelle Heroux
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