End of 2014......

It's been a crazy last few weeks, with the well publicised snow shortage across Europe it's made training and racing pretty hard for everybody. I've spent the last couple of weeks training between Mölltal glacier and Kronplatz in Italy. Although it's been slightly stressful and tiring we've made the best out of the training we got. All of the races that I had planned to do before the end of 2014 have been cancelled. It's frustrating, I'm keen to know where I stand and to see if all my training is paying off.

GS training in Mölltal

Initially I was quite happy in delaying the start to my race season, I wasn't satisfied with the way I was skiing and didn't feel ready, my confidence levels were pretty low. A solid but exhausting 4 days training in Kronplatz of slalom and GS helped me get back on track. With snow forecast over the next week or so, I can get my race face on and get some starts!

Now back in England for 3 days to enjoy Christmas before flying back to Austria on Boxing Day. 2014 has been a crazy year, I'm so grateful to be in the position I am in. At the end of April I thought it was my last season racing, but now I'm back and doing more than ever before! I'm recovering successfully from surgery on my hand, And i've received more support than I could ever have imagined. I would like to give a huge special thanks to Jack Wills for the belief and support they've given me. Everyone at X-Bionic UK, NinePointNine Ltd (POC UK and OsmoNutrition), Bounce Balls UK and Reusch UK you are best. 

I'm determined to kick off 2015 with some good training and good results, at the beginning of January I'm heading over to Chamonix for the Scottish FIS races. Having skied the race hills so many times before, I'm hoping it will be a needed confidence boost. Let's start the new year with positivity!!

Happy Christmas everyone, I hope it's a good one! See you in the new year!

Where's the snow?!

After a month in the UK I flew out to Austria on the 2nd. I spent a day in Salzburg sightseeing and looking at all the Christmas markets. It's quite nice to get the chance to see a bit more than just the airport when you fly everywhere!

Our base for the winter has now changed, I won't be based in Innerkrems this winter, but in a small village near Nassfeld. However due to Europe's snow shortage it hasn't opened yet so we've been training in Mölltal on the glacier. The conditions here have been pretty good and free skiing has been fun in the powder. We're just hoping it gets colder and the snow gets harder to get better gate training in! 

Enjoying my GS training and free skiing with my new POC gear, I love it! Huge thanks to 9point9ltd and www.2pure.co.uk

My first races of the season should be in GS in Leogang next weekend followed by SL in Kranska Gora, they've started making artificial snow in Leogang so hopefully the races will go ahead!!

x

Hintertux October

I've just returned from two weeks in Hintertux with Motion Team, it was a huge relief to finally go back out in the mountains, it was the best reminder of why I put in so many hours in the gym in the last couple of months! 

Me and fellow Motion and Rossignol UK team mate Kirsty Guest

I had a day of free skiing to get the feelings back and to get the feel of my new Rossignol equipment! I really like the new set up!

 It was straight back into GS gates for day two. As it was the week before Sölden, Hintertux was pretty busy with big national teams preparing for the races. It was cool to train alongside Tina Maze and the Italian World Cup teams there aren't many sports that give you the opportunity to train in exactly the same environment as the top athletes in the world. So I feel very lucky! Talking to some of them on the lift I was surprised but also relieved when they said they were finding the conditions really tough too! Despite not skiing for a couple of months I was really frustrated with how I was skiing and I think I found it more difficult than I was expecting.

Had a selfie and a lift queue chat with Elena Curtoni :)

With Davide SImoncelli, Giovanni Borsotti and Luca De Aliprandini

We couldn't train for the next two days because of the weather, the mountain had to close. Over a metre of snow fell in 48 hours at the top. Even where our team were staying at just 850m altitude we had 40cm. It turned the place into a winter wonderland, so we made the most of it and did a team snowball fight in the woods, watched a whole season of Suits and did fitness training sessions in an underground car park! 

  

When the bad weather had passed it was back to hard training. For some days we managed to do some double sessions of either slalom or GS in the morning with Super G in the afternoon. The slalom and GS wasn't going so well but I managed to get some good feelings on the Super G skis.

Conditions were almost perfect everyday for the second week. I managed to get more sessions of slalom in. I have to be careful training slalom because it's so easy to injure my thumb again.  Skiing slalom courses with only stubbies on the right foot turns looked a little odd, but at least among the sea of gates we could tell which course was ours... Hopefully when I am back out training again I can ski full slalom courses as I would in races.

The final day training was the best day for me. After a frustrating two weeks when I felt my skiing had not been where I wanted it to be. I finally started to feel like changes were being made and I got more confident skiing giant slalom. It was a good way to end the camp. 

I am now home for a month before I head out to Innerkrems in Austria. Hopefully my first races will be middle of December. Now it's the last final push to get stronger and ready for the winter and make the most of the time at home!   

Ready to go!

It's been a pretty good past few weeks! I've made quicker progress with the rehab for my thumb and wrist than my surgeon originally expected. As it's got stronger I've been able to vary my training and I'm feeling good! I've just got to be extra careful when I get back on skis and not to push it too hard.

Yesterday I was in London to meet my mentor, as part of the Jack Wills Young Brits prize. Stewart Castledine works for James Grant In the sports division - one of the biggest media and sports agencies in the UK. It was really cool to see the work they do for some of the biggest sports stars in the UK and their support for me and what I do was really encouraging. Probably one of the funniest parts of the day was being stopped by the police outside Piccadilly Circus tube station in the rain in rush hour...They suspected I was carrying a firearm.... but I was just carrying a pair of Super G poles I'd collected from Ski Bartlett that were wrapped in plastic. Not sure who was more embarassed, the police officers or me!

More good news! I'm so happy and thankful for the support from 9Point9Sports Ltd for their help and support from POC. I've used POC helmets, goggles and gloves for years as they are a brand I trust and I know suit me and my requirements so well! 

I'm now all ready to start training again in Hintertux! Also huge thank you to Jack Wills, X Bionic and X Socks, Reusch UK, Bounce Balls UK and Rossignol UK. Your help has made such a massive difference! 

I will keep you updated with how my training goes, don't forget to keep checking www.blog.jackwills.com for young brits updates too!

x

Thank you!

Big smiles when the post came today! 

My new gear from X-Bionic and X-Socks UK arrived! Massive thanks to Ardblair Sports Ltd for helping me with the support. Can't wait to get out training in the new kit! 

Check out www.x-bionic.co.uk for more high performance sportswear not only for wintersports but cycling and running too!

Nia's Everywhere....

Well today was the day the Jack Wills Young Brits Award Winners 2014 went up in stores all over the UK! I popped into the Norwich store to say hi today, it's surreal!

To follow the story and to see my fellow winners check out www.jackwills.com and for my interview and video follow www.blog.jackwills.com this is where I will also be posting my updates throughout the winter. For anybody interested in applying for 2015 there's information on the site!

In thumb news I'm now seeing my hand therapist regularly and have started physiotherapy. My thumb is healing well and I will be back on skis at the end of October! For the time being I'm doing fitness training 5-6 times a week to make up for the time I lost after recovering from surgery! 

Nia x

BIG NEWS

Quite a lot has happened in the last month! My focus has mainly been getting back to full health so I can return to training properly. 

Two weeks ago I went to Les Houches to see my old team mate Jazzy, I was meant to be easing myself back into training gently... But we decided to go hiking both days, each taking 5 hours each and climbing 1000m vertically each time! It was hard work and I was stronger than I thought so now I'm super motivated! It was weird going back to Les Houches in the summer and climbing up the pistes I'm usually racing down, and the views from Chamonix - Lac Blanc definitely made the effort worth it! 

As soon as I returned back to England I was working for BSA again at Norfolk Snowsports Club for the race camp before the All England Championships. I was with working the youngest group, most of them all too young to race in the championship but I look forward to seeing them race in the next few years! A huge well done to two of the boys who I've had great fun coaching when I've been at Norfolk Alex Ogden and Joseph Thompson who are now U10 and U12 English Champions! 

Now a BIG announcement to make!! Over the past few months people have been asking me what happened with the Jack Wills Extraordinary Young Brits award 2014. I am thrilled to announce I was a winner in the Endurance category!!! I've known for about 2 months and it's been so hard to keep it a secret!!!! This means I've won £5000 to help fund my winter season, and round the world travel next summer. I'm also extremely lucky to receive mentoring throughout the winter to help manage my season. It's a fantastic opportunity and I'm having so much fun! Over the last few months I've done photoshoots and interviews, and I will feature in Jack Wills stores from the 18th September! I would like to thank EVERYONE who has helped support by voting and sharing, I could not have done it without you! I'm now super excited to see how this winter goes and hopefully help raise the profile of British Ski Racing!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the behind the scenes pictures from my photoshoot! (Pictures were taken by the awesome Matt Holyoak!)

 

 

I've now started back fitness training and progress with my thumb recovery is going well. I've had my cast removed and I now have a removable splint. Fingers crossed I will be able to get back on skis at the end of October!

Will keep you updated!

Nia x

Post Surgery!

I finally had surgery to repair my injured thumb on the 1st of August! Surgery went well, it was slightly different to originally planned. They managed to create a ligament to support my thumb but they were unable to reset the break and they confirmed I have early onset arthritis that will require surgery again in the future.

Unfortunately I won't be able to be back on skis for almost 3 months, I really need to give it time to heal as there is a chance that I could rupture the ligament again! This does mean I will miss 3 weeks of glacier training in Hintertux in Austria in October and the end of the summer indoor season. I'm pretty disappointed as I had scored good points in the indoor series at the beginning of the summer but I'm really looking forward to focusing on the winter season!

Recovery so far hasn't been easy, it has been painful and I've struggled with a combination of sleep deprivation and illness! I get my cast off on Wednesday to be replaced by a more comfortable removable splint. This will hopefully help me get back into training, I was really happy with the progress I had made in the early parts of the summer in terms of fitness and strength so I'm paranoid all of my good work will be undone! I think for the next few weeks my training will mainly be cycling (on a stationary bike), sprints and interval training, lower body weights and core. Thanks to Bounce Energy Balls I've got the healthiest way to keep my energy levels up when I'm training! I will keep you updated with how it goes!

Next week I'm going to Les Houches to see my old team mate Jazzy Butcher who has been there for the summer. I can't wait to be back in the mountains, go hiking and just chilling in Chamonix! It will be nice to see it all in the summer!

I also need to say a huge thank you as I'm really happy to announce that Reusch Gloves UK have kitted me out with gloves and mittens for the new winter season! The best brand to ensure warmth and protection for my newly healed thumb! Also a big thank you to X-Bionic and X-Socks UK who will also be supporting me this winter by providing compression base layers and ski socks, its essential to be comfortable to get the best out of your training and X-Bionic are perfect! Check them out! 

I've played around with the layout on my blog, I'm no expert in web design but I'd love to hear any feedback and tips to make it look and work better! I've also got some cool things to announce over the next few weeks so I will keep you updated!

x

Summer Training in Tignes

It's been a long while since I last posted, so here's a brief update on what I've been up to!

Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Jack Wills Young Brits Award 2014, I've made it to the Semi Finals - the final 10! I will keep you all updated with how it goes from here! I would also like to give a huge thanks to Bounce Balls UK who are continuing to support me for this next season. Keeping energy levels up while training is really important and eating the right things while training makes a huge difference! High protein and natural foods are the way forward and the new Mint and Cacao flavour are delicious - I have a new favourite, check them out!!

Most of my time has been spent focusing on my fitness preparation for the winter season. At the moment my training is a mixture of weight training in the gym, sprints, speed and jumping, supplemented with cycling and balance/core exercises. 

(Completing a 110km bike ride with Jazzy Butcher)

I've just returned from 10 days glacier training in Tignes. This was with Motion Team, the new ski team I will be training with this winter. We'll be based in Innerkrems in Austria. It will be a big change for me after skiing with the British Ski Academy for so many years but I think it is time for a change and I'm really excited for this season!!

I've never done much skiing in July/August before so I was really excited to get back onto the skis earlier. In general the conditions were really good, there were only 2 days which we couldn't ski. On the days we did ski, we managed to do full mornings from 7.30-12.30 averaging 20+ runs a day and managing to split the morning between slalom and GSq. The camp was entirely focused on technical work so most of the time was spent perfecting drills and trying out new things. As I normally start skiing again in October, I usually miss this phase of the season of concentrating on technique. I'm really happy with the work I've done over the last 10 days so hopefully it will put me in a better position this winter.

Every afternoon we did dryland fitness training. Luckily in Tignes the facilities are amazing so you have so many options for training, and can mix it up a bit to keep it fun! We managed to go Kayaking, swimming, badminton, use AstroTurf for speed and agility training, and have the use the gym.

Practising Sprints!

Chilled walk round a lake with the team

(Strength training - the gym was great!)

Unfortunately I had to cut my training short. I finally have the surgery to repair my thumb on the 1st August so had to return home. After having the injury for almost 6 years I'm looking forward to having a pain free, fully functioning hand! Unfortunately due to the slight change to the surgery I am having and the risks surrounding it I will be unable to ski or do any real sport involving my hand for 3 months. I am gutted that this means any training I had originally planned to do up to November has had to be cancelled. I'm hoping that I will still be able to continue fitness training involving sprints, leg strength core and agility. I'm really happy with the progress I have made on my fitness this summer and really don't want to lose it. So let's just hope the surgery and recovery go to plan!

I'll keep you updated with how everything goes! Thanks for all of the support and encouragement!

x

Now summer training starts...

Since I came back from France when the season had finished, there was no time to rest just yet! I was home for only 4 days before I flew up to Scotland to do my UKCP Level 2 coaching qualification. I was at Cairngorm mountain for 6 days, considering how late in the season we were skiing, the altitude and Scotland's reputation for changeable weather the course ran really well. We only missed out on one day of skiing due to high winds, all of the trainees on the camp managed to get plenty of experience setting a variety of courses and the opportunity to run training sessions. 

I passed the course on trainee status so I am now working my way through to log book to get signed off. This qualification now means I can coach athletes up to U16 age group as well as the under 10s and 12s.

The course that I set

The week after I completed the course I went to Landgraaf in Holland for the BASS Indoor championships. I set my first ever full slalom course and managed to referee the second race too. I had to do this as part of my logbook for my coaching but it was good to see how races work from a different point of view. I was nervous about setting as sometimes racers can be quite vocal with their opinions on the courses they ski in races, but I felt more pressure from myself as I foreran I was determined to ski what I had set well otherwise it would have been embarrassing! 

SnowWorld Landgraaf

As you may remember I am currently on my gap year and I was meant to be going to university in September. However I enjoyed this season so much and I feel I have the potential to go even further I have decided to defer my entry to university again, so I can undertake another full time season! It was a big decision to make, but i'm glad I made it. So now my time is mostly being spent in the gym or on the bike to get fit for next season. I was at Chichester University at the weekend for fitness testing with some of the other BSA girls. I'm also searching for support and new ways to get funding for next season, I'm desperate to get some training in this summer on a glacier as I've never really had the opportunity before.

I was meant to be having surgery this summer to reconstruct the ligament my thumb and to reset the break, I was hoping to have it in early may so I had a chance to ski this summer. Due to hospital waiting lists and other problems I am still waiting. Hopefully I will get surgery in the middle of August, any later and the recovery will be eating into my time for the winter season. It is annoying having the injury, it prevents me from getting the best out of my training especially in the gym, but i'm coping and fingers crossed I won't have it for much longer!

If you follow me on my social media you may have noticed I am currently in the running for the Jack Wills young brits award. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to win £5000 to fund my skiing and as my category 'Endurance' is sponsored by STA I have the chance to win flights around the world! I would greatly appreciate your votes as the support means so much! When you vote you enter yourself in with the chance to win £500 Jack Wills Clothing vouchers! So PLEASE follow this link and vote for me under the 'ENDURANCE' category! Voting closes on the 15th of June at 23:59. VOTE HERE FOR JACK WILLS YOUNG BRITS 2014!

Tomorrow me and my team mate jazzy are going to take a break from being in the gym and attempt to do an 80km bike ride to the North Norfolk coast. We tried to do it on Wednesday but due to the torrential rain and flooding we couldn't do it! It should be good fun and we'll have our Bounce Balls to keep our energy levels up! I'm really looking forward to it!

x

END OF THE SEASON (British and Scottish Championships)

This season has gone way too quickly, it only seems like it was last week we were frantically trying to find some early season FIS races in December! As I've never really done more than 4 weeks in a whole season, I was expecting the 3-4 months this year to last a lot longer!

Val Thorens Slalom

Since the Interschools races, I managed to knuckle down and get more gate training in - working weekends and the occasional afternoon with the younger kids who were on their school holidays. In the run up to the British Championships in Meribel I went to Val Thorens to do two Citizen races - a slalom and a giant slalom. I used to do a lot of skiing in Val Thorens when I was younger and had done quite a bit of training with ESF on the stade. It was weird going back, I really miss skiing there and going back definitely reminded me why I love the place so much. With the resort being 400m higher than the very top of Les Houches the snow was perfect and managed to stay around freezing throughout the races. As far as results were concerned they were pretty average. I skied technically well but had many tactical errors and stupid mistakes. I was more annoyed I hadn't made the most out of the good conditions and my knowledge of the hill but the way I was skiing was encouraging for the British.

My team mates then went onto Meribel to take part in the speed events at the British, I returned to Les Houches to work. Luckily I managed to get 2 days of training in with the children, a morning off and I worked in the afternoons. Towards the end of the season, skiing any later than 11am in Les Houches became hard work as the snow would get so soft, it would reach termperatures of 18-20 degrees! I then joined my team mates in Brides Les Bains where we stayed throughout the races, the day before the National Championship GS. The GS didn't go to well, my first run lacked confidence and attack. I then failed to finish the second run. I think at this point I was beginning to feel the effects of working and training solidly for a week with only one morning off. I was just tired. 

National Championship Slalom, Meribel

My next race was the National Championship Slalom the next morning. Heavy rain made the conditions pretty tough but there was still a great atmosphere at the race. Due to the weather I was pretty relaxed, I didn't think I would make a great result so, my aim was just to ski as well as I could. I ended up doing two of the most solid slalom runs all season. I think it just shows I need to think more about my performances and skiing than chasing points. I've felt more pressure than ever to score points at every race due to the amount of time i've spent out on snow, its definitely had a negative effect on my performances in races - definitely something I need to work on!

With Steve Missillier and Alexis Pinturault

That was the British Championships over and done with for me. I then joined the BSA minis at their Scottish and British races for 3 days. We had a fairly small team compared to usual with just 11 athletes, but we still got the results! It was an added bonus that Salomon were doing a ski test with Alexis Pinturault, Steve Missilier and Nastasia Noens in Slalom. It was great to watch and I managed to get a picture too!

On the GS in Courchevel BSA had the whole podium in the Under 12 girls, 1st and 2nd in the Under 12 Boys and a winner of the Under 10 boys. They kept up their performances in the Combi event too! A few more minis joined us for the British races in Mottaret in Meribel, we managed 5 podiums in the two events with great performances from Siena Horton, Nadine Hudec and Jo Christey.

I then had to get back into 'race mode' to compete in the Scottish Championships in Courchevel for 4 days. At this point I was exhausted and was fed up of the 5.30am wake up calls. Probably not the best race preparation but I made the most of it. For the girls the slalom was first. I got off to a shaky start, my first slalom run was slow and full of mistakes. With nothing to lose on the second run I took almost 4 seconds off my first run time on an almost identical course. This gave me the confidence boost I needed for the next day. In the second slalom my skiing was much better but I fell inside midway down my first run. My aim for the season was to get my slalom points under 100, although I didn't quite manage it I know I'm still happy with the progress I made this season.

My final two races of the season were GS, its probably been my strongest discipline all season. I'd forgotten about racing for points or podiums and just wanted to be happy with my skiing. I ended up on my final race scoring my best points of the season. I couldn't have asked for anything more!!

Although the racing has finished I'm still busy over the summer. Next weekend I am off to Aviemore in Scotland for my UKCP coaching Level 2 course. Then hopefully in May/June i'll finally have surgery on my thumb which will be a huge relief, it also means I can do more when it comes to dryland training! 

I have loved this season, at times it has been hard and I have wondered to myself "why am I doing this?" but I am constantly reminded of why I love skiing and racing. I've had the best time and met some great people I don't really want it to end, so now the big decision will be what I do next year.....

St Gervais and Interschools

It's been a long while since I last blogged. After Bormio I went home for 5 days for a rest and to see a hand therapist about my thumb and get a new cast made. I'm looking forward to eventually having surgery and to finally be pain free!

When I flew back to Les Houches, I was working as a coach for 10 days with two of the new younger minis. Most of it involved free skiing and developing their basic technique. 

The children got to go to ski jumping in Les Houches on a Friday afternoon and I went to help and supervise. Everyone managed to go off the biggest jump including Oli who is only six years old! The prize for the biggest jump went to Jack who jumped 24 metres!! 

 

(Jack on his winning jump!)

Once I'd got back into training my next focus were the Citizen races in St Gervais - a slalom and two giant slaloms. My slalom race didn't go very well, I struggled to find the right rhythm on both of my runs so my timing was all wrong. I find it hard to judge the distances between gates and adapt to rhythm changes so this is what I'm going to focus on in training. In the two GS races I skied quite well. I'm still looking to put down two clean runs but it's progress. On the first day I scored my second best points result of the season thanks to a second run charge that moved me up 4 places overall. I felt like I skied better on the second day, it's a shame the points didn't reflect that but I can take lots of positives from my performance.

Straight after the races were the BSA and Equity Interschools races. With 400 kids racing, all of the BSA juniors were on hand to help out. I was coaching the under 12 boys. The hot conditions made the races challenging with the temperature hitting 20 degrees on the day of the stubby slalom! It felt weird skiing around in a t-shirt and sunglasses!

We enjoyed a day off on the Wednesday and decided to go and find a waterfall and went for a hike. It was good for fitness and we had fun playing around with Milo's GoPro.

Tomorrow is my last day training in Les Houches for the whole season! I will definitely miss this place, the season has gone way too fast. It seems only yesterday we were trying to find early season FIS races before Christmas!

I'm off to Val Thorens for some citizen races this weekend, then returning to Les Houches to help out with coaching before going to Meribel, to compete in the British Championships slalom and GS. I'm then staying in Meribel to support the minis in their British Champs before heading to Courchevel for the Scottish Championships. It's going to be a busy 2 weeks but I'm excited and can't wait to race.

(Training slalom with the girls the other day)

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