Exciting News!

A few weeks ago I found out that my application to the Chill Factor^e (the indoor ski slope in Manchester where I train) for sponsorship had been successful. Last night I had a meeting with the Chill Factor^e during which I received my sponsored athlete jacket, had my photo taken with the other sponsored athletes for the year, and was given information about what this entails.

 

I am very thankful for the opportunities both the Chill Factor^e and the Disability Snowsport UK base there have given me, without them I may never have learnt to ski again after my HSP took away the use of my legs, and I certainly wouldn’t have been aiming to ski in the Paralympics one day.

The help given to me by both the Chill Factor^e and DSUK has meant that I have gone from this…

to this.

Skiing has given me back a sense of freedom that my wheelchair can’t, and has massively helped me to accept my disability. Thank you very much to both the Chill Factor^e and Disability Snowsport UK, I am very proud to represent you.

The First Ever Para-Alpine British National Championships

March Part 2: Tignes

After a very short stop at home, I was soon back out on my way to Tignes, France, to take part in the British National Championship races. This was an amazing opportunity for me and I learnt a lot.

The week began with some training, thanks to my brilliant coaches my skiing improved quite a lot, and I got a lot more comfortable on steeper slopes, as well as refining my chairlift exit strategy (not easy in a sit-ski). I spent a lot of time working on using the trunk control I do have to make my turns quicker, and I am now in the process of adjusting my rig so that it is set up for me to make the most out of the function I have, as the backrest comes up quite high. This was beneficial when I was first learning to ski as it held me in a supported position, but now blocks my movement at the waist as I have gained more strength in this area.

Then it was time for the main event. This was the first ever Para-alpine British National Championships, and I was to be the only female sitting competitor in the slalom race, this was really exciting, although I was incredibly nervous. Before the race had even started there were slight problems, as my coaches didn’t want me to waste my energy on getting to the top of the course the usual way (I was told that it was rather narrow and steep - conditions I still need to work on), so I ended up being towed by a skidoo, tied to the back! This was rather unusual, but did a good job of distracting me from what was about to happen.

 

After a quick course inspection, it was time for the race; I was one of the first competitors to go. I set off, but annoyingly, when I am nervous about skiing, I stiffen my arms up, which makes it a lot more difficult to turn and make the ski do what I want it to. I also wobbled coming out of the start gate. I managed to hold on for a while, but eventually gravity won, and I fell over, meaning that the result of the race for me was ‘did not finish’.

This was a bit of a disappointment, but I soon realised that this just shows me what I need to work on; namely getting out of the start gate cleanly and relaxing when under pressure.

That afternoon, once the pressure had been taken off me, my skiing was much better, I managed to relax and ski the way I had wanted to earlier in the day. I may have even relaxed too much as on my last run of the day I managed to hit a bump, fly for a few seconds and land on the tail of my ski, completely snapping it! As we still had quite a way to go to the bottom of the mountain, I was not told quite how bad it was, only that I had to be slow and careful. When I did reach the bottom it was rather a surprise to see that the entire back end of my ski was pointing upwards, and the video of the crash makes for some interesting viewing!

 

My time in Tignes was fantastic, (despite the crashes I had), I came away knowing what needed to be altered on my rig and skis to maximise my performance, and I had a great time with my teammates.

March Part 1: Obersaxen

In March I set off on my next skiing adventure, this was my first time skiing on my own ski (before this I had been borrowing one from DSUK Manchester), this made a massive difference to my performance as I was able to tune the ski to my preferences and it was in much better condition. First I travelled with the team to Obersaxen, Switzerland, later we continued to Tignes, France for the first ever para-alpine British national championships.

The work began in Obersaxen, here I did a bit of training with the intention of racing the slalom race of the Swiss national championships. Unfortunately a nasty crash the day before meant I had to pull out of this race, as I had hit my head quite hard and was a bit dazed as well as being very tired (fatigue is a big part of my HSP, and this can affect my skiing quite a lot, although in Obersaxen did earn me a ride on a skidoo). For this race I sat out and cheered on my teammates, resting for the next part of this trip.

 Despite having to miss the race, this was not a wasted trip; here I gained a lot more experience on steeper terrain, which is something I find more difficult (this contributed to many of my falls). I also value all aspects of skiing in the mountains, as it offers much more variation and allows me to become a more versatile skier than I would be if I trained exclusively indoors.

And then onto Tignes...