Reflections

When people asked me the goals for this season, I always struggled to answer. Usually everyone uses FIS points to base progress and how successful a season was. When I did my first attempt at a 'full time' season points were all I wanted. I became obsessive and when things didn't go well I got really down. I realised the focus had completely moved from how I was skiing to the numbers.

This season I made a real conscious effort to focus on how I was skiing, not the points. So when people asked me "Nia what are you aiming for this season?" I simply replied "to enjoy my skiing, love what I do and feel satisfied with any improvements I make" some people laughed, some people questioned whether I was actually taking racing seriously. If you look down my FIS biography page, the results I scored were nothing particularly special, I was consistent but I managed to make improvements, no matter how small, across all 3 disciplines. In my last 2 GS races in Pila, I skied some the best GS I have ever skied, the points didn't reflect this but I couldn't have asked myself for anything else.

I can't deny I wished my points had come down lower, even if it's for recognition or to stop people questioning me why I am continuing to race and not going to university. However when I take a step back and think about how many set backs I've had this season, how at times I felt like I was attempting to do it alone, and how I actually managed to get where I am now. I'm quite satisfied with how it's gone!

I don't think I'd recommend travelling a total of 3460km by public transport, alone with all of your ski gear. I probably won't be doing it again if I can help it. At times it was scary and there were too many near misses, but I am thankful to the people who helped me! Special thanks to the American ski team girls who lent me race suits to allow me to race at the Welsh Championships because my luggage was lost, the Swiss Army who at some crazy hour in the morning carried all of my luggage for me off the train and across the airport in Zurich, the countless people who attempted to help me carry luggage at stations in Austria and attempted to understand the request for directions in terrible German, and the taxi drivers in Slovenia and Croatia who hilariously requested photos and autographs but kept me entertained with funny stories. Some people would say I'm mad and to some extent I will agree with them, but I did it because I love my sport and I felt like I was doing what was best for me. It probably didn't do the best for my performance but I don't regret it at all!

Again even more thanks to my sponsors for this season who helped me on this crazy adventure - especially Jack Wills who show so much belief in me, 2Pure Active who provided me with awesome POC gear, Reusch gloves who came to the rescue when I injured my thumb again in January, X-Bionic UK for providing me with base layers I'm not sure how I managed to survive without before and Bounce Balls who kept my energy levels going all season whether on the race hill or on a 5am train across Europe!

Of course the biggest decision is where to go from here... At the end of May I embark on my crazy journey around the world provided by STA travel as part of my prize from Jack Wills. Importantly I am going to continue my summer with it mind to continue ski racing. It is a huge decision to make. I have deferred my entry for university twice now ( I am forever thankful for Manchester University for this!) but I cannot expect them to do it again a third time. Many people will think I am stupid for this. At the moment my true passion is skiing, and I don't want to throw myself into a degree when my heart is somewhere else. However realistically, if I can't get my funds together for a season I will have no choice but to finish, so i've got some hard work ahead!

Few days off for rest now then the summer physical training starts again, let's go!

Tiredness, tears and Tignes

When I last blogged I explained I'd be moving back to Les Houches to finish the season training with the British Ski Academy. I'm happy I made the move,and I think I'm now in a much better place mentally.

I've done a few races since being back in France, a night slalom in Morzine, a GS in Les Gets and the French National Junior championships Super G and Alpine Combined in Les Menuires. The races were pretty good, in slalom I still feel like I'm struggling and that's reflecting in my results. In Les Gets I managed to score my best GS result, it was a huge surprise I really didn't think I deserved it from how I skied but it was a score nonetheless. The french nationals were tough but a really good experience, especially when some of the French World Cup women's team turned up to practice for the World Cup Finals in Meribel. Super G is definitely not my strongest discipline, I never manage to train gates and in comparison to slalom and GS I spend much less time on the skis. However I really enjoy skiing it so I like it when I get the chance. Results wise I've been super consistent this season no huge improvement but knocking off a couple of points here and there.

In the run up to the British Championships in Tignes training arrangements in Les Houches have been pretty difficult, it's meant we have had to train in Courmayeur, Pila and La Thuile in Italy.

Travelling further everyday has been tiring and meant I've much less time to rest and relax compared to usual. It was good to train on different pistes and in different conditions, being in Les Houches all season can get a little boring and you can get too used to training on the same hill.

I've just returned from the British Champs. The results haven't been what I hoped for... I really enjoyed skiing the Super G, the course was really good. I DNF in the NC and made the same mistake in the NJC but managed to complete but the time was slow. Conditions were tough for the NC GS with really hard snow and very poor visibility. I crashed out along with many girls, I've never been to a race where 5 blood wagons were used for 50 girls.....

Onto the slalom - a race I'd rather forget. It was one of those races where when you are skiing nothing feels particularly good, but nothing feels that bad, but when you look at the time it's just disappointing. In the NJC GS it was probably the first time in the week I was actually satisfied with what I was doing, my first run put me in a good start position for the second run. On the second run though my ski released on the fourth gate, and me and my coach have no idea why. I was so frustrated, I didn't do anything wrong but I was unlucky. I ended up falling inside onto my thumb which I had surgery on in the summer. I don't think any serious damage was done, but it made slalom the next day a bit more difficult. I tried to end the week on a high, I wasn't too disappointed with how I skied in the last slalom, my second run was pretty good so I know I can do it!

Welsh Ski Team at the British Championships

Usually the British Championships marks the end of the season but this year I'm lucky enough to stay out for a couple more weeks and fit in a few more races. Hopefully I'll end the season on a high!

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

After a well needed break back at home, I had a pretty good intense training block of slalom and giant slalom in Hinterstoder, Austria. It was then time to go to Bormio for the English Alpine Championships. Bormio is definitely one of my favourite places to race, the weather is almost always perfect and the hills are great for racing!

Hinterstoder

The races didn't go too badly, I think it took me a while to get into it. I didn't feel hugely race ready, its not something I've experienced so far into the season before but I think I managed well. In the first slalom I put down an average first run full of mistakes, but followed it up with a pretty fast second run. I need to find the right mindset to nail it on the first run next time! Then came my first GS start of the season, and it didn't go to plan. I wasn't confident enough and a huge mistake on the flat meant I didn't finish the first run.

Bormio FIS GS

The Super G in Bormio is always great fun. I don't ski a lot of speed, but it is probably my favourite Super G. Despite not being on my skis since October and not had a proper Super G run in gates since February last year. I was feeling pretty good and confident. I was happy with my performance, I would have liked to have been a bit closer to the leader but I skied to my points in the first, and scored points in the second - can't argue with a personal best!

I got a second attempt at the GS a day later in the NJR races, I think skiing the Super G made a big difference. I was happy with my performance, although I didn't make points I'm now definitely ready to get some more GS races under my belt. 6 races in 5 days is a pretty intense programme, I finished the week with another slalom race, on a pretty strange hill but came away with a personal best score in slalom which I was pleased with and I know there is room for more :)

Chamonix Valley

After Bormio I returned to Les Houches. I decided to leave my team in Austria. I wasn't happy and wasn't sure things were working out. I think its hard to perform your best when you are in an environment you aren't happy and comfortable in. I think I made the right decision and hopefully things will get a lot better towards the end of the season. I'm now back training with Ali at the British Ski Academy and things are working out well. I've got 3 races lined up for the end of this week (providing snow conditions are good) 1 slalom in Morzine and 2 GS races in Les Gets. Fingers crossed I can my head down and put in some good performances!

Back to Business

I did finally reach Champéry after the journey from hell! Once I arrived in Geneva I was faced with the situation everyone dreads when flying; your luggage not appearing on the baggage carousel and with both airports and easyjet not having a clue what could have happened... With only a ski bag and a race bag to carry it did mean taking the train was made a little easier than before. Thinking it couldn't really get much worse, someone was mugged opposite me on the train going through Lausanne and the police were called and started an investigation delaying the train therefore missing my connection onwards.

I was hopeful that when I got to race in Morgins I would finally get a GS start under my belt but the GS race was changed into another slalom as it was decided the piste wasn't really suitable. Luckily friends helped me out and let me borrow clothing and a race suit so I could actually race! The first slalom I was happy with the way I was skiing but unfortunately crashed out on the first run - injuring my thumb again in the process... Thankfully my lost luggage finally turned up 4 days later so for the second slalom I was in my own gear! Again happy with my skiing in general but still looking to get a quick first run in, rather than having to make up the lost time on the second! I didn't score my lowest points but I got my second best result and claimed the Welsh Slalom title! 

Huge thanks to my sponsors for this season! 2PureActive (POC), Rossignol, Bounce, X-Bionic, Jack Wills, Reusch UK

The rest of the week I foreran for the U16s Welsh Championships and helped out with the Dragons U12 racers. Conditions were perfect and it was a good way to end the week. I decided to go home for 5 days, I felt like it was time to take a break and I had to see my surgeon for my final review on my thumb. Injuring it in the slalom didn't do it any good, but no permanent damage was done. As I'm still struggling with the strength of my right hand, hearing that it won't get any stronger without further, quite drastic surgery (not ideal for someone my age) was hard to hear. As long as I look after it in the near future I should be ok for another 10 years or so! A huge thanks to Reusch UK for providing me with new gloves that have even more protection for my thumb, it's gives me a bit more peace of mind!

Now back to Austria for a training block before the English Championships in Bormio - hopefully with some time on GS and Super G skis! I had the usual crazy journey by plane then train to Hinterstoder, Motion Team's new base. With a delayed flight, delayed baggage, traffic jams, every single lift/escalator in Salzburg station being out of order (resulting in me falling down the stairs with 2 pairs of skis, and 40kg of luggage) and making my train with only 2 minutes to spare. I'm hoping it's the last time I'll have to experience public transport with ski kit across Europe! 

5 countries, 7 days...

I finally managed to get my first few races underway at the beginning of this year. On the 3rd of January I started my mega eurotrip from Weissbriach to Chamonix. Getting a train from Austria to Ljubljana, a flight from Ljubljana to Zurich and then a train from Zurich to Geneva. I have to admit travelling all of that distance by public transport with 2 pairs of skis, suitcase and race bag wasn't the easiest of things to do, but it was really cool to see new places.

5am wake up calls and no time for breakfast - bounce balls come in handy!

The programme was to have 2 FIS slaloms and 2 FIS GS races. The 2 slaloms ran as planned, the conditions were really tough! The slalom hill was still injected from the men's European Cup event only a few days previously, and after heavy rain the night before the race and it freezing to -10 meant it was really icy. It was also the biggest girls field I had ever raced in with 94 girls starting. I knew it was going to be tough, I hadn't trained in conditions close to those at all so I just gave it my best shot. The first slalom went much better than I expected, I was fairly pleased with my skiing, for the first race of the season I didn't have huge expectations due to training situations... But I managed to score my best slalom points of my career, finish top 20 from a start number of 62 and finish as first British girl. I was really happy! 

Second slalom didn't go as well, conditions seemed even harder on the second day and I felt more nervous for some reason. I think I definitely ski better when I'm relaxed and not thinking too much about the outcome. My first run was full of mistakes and the time showed it, second run I straddled gate 6 lost my ski and crashed out. 

Between the races I had a couple of days to free ski around, managed to get some limited time on my GS skis, th snow conditions have been so bad I hadn't been on them in over 2 weeks. In Les Houches the snow was really really bad you were pretty much limited to 2 pistes and one of those was the race piste for the children's races. I headed up to Argentière to do some free skiing with my Dad. It's the sunny days, views like this and the great snow that make me miss this valley so much! It was so good to be back!

My GS races were eventually cancelled due to a combination of lack of snow and lack of safety netting. The TD decided it wasn't safe enough to race. This meant an earlier return back to Austria. I spent a night in Zurich before flying back to Ljubjlana then getting a train to Austria. The journey went pretty smoothly apart from getting chased by a drunken homeless man around Ljubljana train station. Running around with all my luggage wasn't really the fitness training I had in mind but I made it safely to my train. 

I spent only one night back in Weissbriach, followed by a short morning session of GS in the rain in Nassfeld before our team left for Croatia to do 2 slalom FIS races in Sljeme, Zagreb. Another tough set of slalom races. The World Cup slalom events had been held there just a week ago so the hill was still in good condition. The 20cm of snow we had just before the races made the conditions even harder. The girls field was small but with a really high standard. On the first day only 11 girls finished out of the 38 starters. I was happy I managed to finish a really tough race. I was really tired and probably not in the best shape considering I hadn't had any rest from racing and training in the previous week and the travelling. I wasn't happy with the way I was skiing - all of my bad habits came back. Didn't score any points but wasn't too far off. On the second race I think the tiredness, mentally and physically got the better of me. I had a poor first run and in the second run I made so many mistakes I had nothing left in the tank to make the recoveries I needed and came out. 

Recovery run in the amazing sunsets!

Once the races had finished it was time to hit the road again, I took a 7 hour train from Zagreb central station to Vienna to catch a flight to Geneva. I'm now off to Switzerland for the Welsh Alpine Championships in Morgins. Hopefully I'll be able to get my first GS race under my belt, I feel like I have done too much slalom!

Welsh Alpine Championships

ÛIt hasn't been the best week or so for me. Last Tuesday and Wednesday I went over to Champery in Switzerland for the Welsh FIS races. 

In the slalom the conditions were pretty difficult, there was poor visibility and soft snow. I completed my first run in a reasonable time but was angry with myself due the number of silly mistakes I kept making. I made the top 30 flip for the second and going down 4th gave me a good opportunity to make up some time, but I made a huge mistake halfway down the course and didn't finish.

(FIS Slalom start area)

Wednesday was my first GS race of the season. I think I was more anxious than necessary as I'd put a lot of pressure on myself to better my points along with adapting to the new ski. The conditions were brilliant with grippy snow and sunshine and I really enjoyed the first course! I skied solidly on my first run and made the 30 flip. I was so up for the second run and skied well but I didn't ski with my head, completely misinterpretating my line over the terrain changes I missed a gate and skied out.

To get more race practice I fore ran the children's BASS GS. Conditions weren't as good as the FIS race and the course was tough as it was set slightly tighter for children's skis but I think it was a good experience.

(Me and Jazzy Butcher inspecting the BASS GS)

(Me in the start gate)

I was meant to be competing in an GS race in Italy on Sunday but that was cancelled due to poor snow conditions so I spent the weekend coaching the under 10 and 12 weekend skiers in Les Houches. We did a mixture of free skiing and technical work, gates and off piste jumps in the trees. We definitely covered a few miles on the skis and it was good fun.

Yesterday I was back into training, due to the GS in Italy being cancelled we found a double Super G in Meribel to enter, so we got out the speed skis. As it had snowed overnight the conditions were too soft to set, so we just free skied. Unfortunately I managed to crash going over a roller 4th run into the day. I can't really remember what happened...... But I was put in a blood wagon and sent in an ambulance to Sallanches hospital. After spending 6 hours in a neck brace getting a nice view of the hospital ceiling I found out I had concussion and sprained the top 2 vertebrae in my neck. This means I can no longer race in Meribel but fingers crossed I'll be ok to race in two slaloms in Combloux at the weekend!

(On the Super G skis)

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Quick New Year Update!

Happy New Year!!

I arrived back in Les Houches on the 28th of December. New Year is one of the busiest weeks in Les Houches and at BSA so I was helping out coaching the minis and providing race support.

I managed to squeeze in some training on New Year's Day for the Scottish FIS night slaloms in Chamonix.

On the 5th and 6th of Jan, I helped out with the under 10s race support before heading off to Chamonix to race.  Very tiring but worth it. On the first day I DNF first run, I was really frustrated as I felt quite confident in training but was unable to put the confidence into my race runs. The second day was much better. I skied technically well but could have taken more risks. I still ended up scoring a personal best for my SL points. 

As soon as the children's races had finished I had the chance to go free skiing on my super G skis before 2 Super G races in Tignes. Originally I hadn't planned on skiing Super G at all this season. In previous seasons I hadn't had much training so my confidence was pretty low and I didn't want to buy new regulation skis. Last minute I changed my mind and luckily I managed to get hold of some skis. I'm glad I did, they're so much fun! 

The course in Tignes was short, fun and fast! The winner completed the course in under 50 seconds! The start had to be moved down due to the snow conditions. 

I loved the course and really enjoyed the race experience. Girls from the Canadian, French and Andorran teams were racing so the standard of competition was higher than I'm used to, it was great to watch. Added bonus, I scored my best 2 super G results - something I wasn't expecting! I'm looking forward to my next chance to do some speed races!

Now it's just time to get my head down and train hard during the week to prepare for the Welsh Alpine Championships and upcoming Citizen races! I'm still continuing to coach the under 10s and 12s on the weekends, it's hard work but I'm enjoying it!

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