Back On The Shred Mission – Heading For The Far East!

Things have picked up since i last wrote…..

I am back pretty much to full fitness and have had a week or so skiing properly and testing the knee out, which has been a hell of alot better than sitting at home in the flat looking at all the snow, generally being hungover!!!

Lee who has been looking after my knee for me, giving me treatment on it for the last month has done an awesome job and has got it back to full strength, so thanks loads mate! The aim was to be fully fit for Japan and we managed it, as i write this i am sat in a very wet London getting myself organised as i head off to Jappers tomorrow with Nic Watkins of Run Jump Fly Productions to meet up with Camilla Stoddart and Beanie Miln Home, who have already been out there for a week. We are heading to a place called Hakuba first, so its going to be a mental bit of tube and train action from Tokyo to get there, and as mine and Nic’s Japanese is non existent it could be pretty interesting!

So i got back on the planks about ten days ago and spent the first few days doing some gentle training, testing the knee to see if it was hurting or weak in certain positions but it all seemed to be working fine and the physio was happy with it so i started to build it up and after 5 days was back in the backcountry skiing fast and hitting some airs on fairly hard landings, all was good and i got full confidence back in the knee!

Last week i was invited to coach the Peak Leaders Gap course students in Verbier for a couple of days with Andy David and Oli Coorkhill in Freestyle and how to teach freestyle once they have passed there BASI exams. Coaching is something i really enjoy, but due to my other commitments don’t get much time to do anymore, the couple of days were great fun and the students were a good bunch and all comitted to everything we got them to do! We taught them the basics, like how to ski switch, 180’s and how to hit a kicker. We then took them to a backcountry booter and threw them off it! The guys and girls did really well, everyone hit the booter and some of the guys were landing backflips, 3’s and frontflips by the end of the day with no injuries, which was awesome, well done guys! You can check out there blog at http://www.peakleaders.com/course_blogs/Verbier.

Coaching the Peak Leaders on hitting a backcountry booter!

The coaching was also a good chance for me to get back into jumping as i hadn’t done any since before the new year and before my injury, and a backcountry booter onto a soft landing is the best thing to practice those tricks you haven’t brought out for a while! So there was the “odd” crash in front of the students with me trying to demonstrate differant tricks, but the knee held up so was all good!

Trying to remember how to do a backflip!

We had a brilliant leaving party, which was obviously fancy dress! It was “Chav” night at the pub and we all dressed up for the occasion, myself and Chris going in matching outfits, awesome night out!

Chris and Me "chaving" it up at the bar!

So off tomorrow to Japan, cant wait to get there as much for the culture as for the skiing, looking forward to trying some weird foods! Camilla said she had raw horse yesterday, so i will keep you updated with what we eat… Nic wants us to try Blow Fish, which if not cooked correctly can kill you, so dont think its the knee i need to be worrying about!

I would just like to wish Chris Southwell, Nick Southwell and Sam Smoothy good luck for the Austria and Chamonix Freeride Qualifier comps that are happening over the next couple of weeks, bring it home boys! I will try and keep this blog updated as much as possible whilst i am away, not sure when i will have internet though.

Cheers and speak soon. xx