Jamie- Learning what is needed

I have had a busy 2 weeks based in the French Alps, with my racing not going exactly to plan but none the less I am learning a huge amount.

It started with a Europa Cup race in Alp D'huez, France. I made it up the famed Tour De France stage that is even stepper than it looks on TV with endless 'hitch-back' turns.

Alp D'huez road.

In the qualification race I placed an agonising 33rd (just 0.02sec from the 32 to proceed onto the finals)
I had a costly mistake where I knuckled a jump loosing valuable speed and had to wait for the 2nd to last competitor to bump me from a final spot.

Alp D'Huez

-Moving on to Les Contamines, FIS World Cup.
We arrived on the training day to a course with some huge features, super icy injected snow, and very little space between each aspect ensuring that you did not have time to think about your head rattling like crazy.
Unfortunately around 50 cm of fresh snow feel, pushing back qualification a day and slowing down the track. My race run was not spectacular to say the least, I was way off the qually time, but learnt a huge amount with what it takes to be fast on a course like that.

Dumping!

Les Contamines track.

-Megeve, World Cup.
I was lucky to have my older brother join me for this race and act as my 'super coach' helping me out with a lot of things I usually have to deal with by myself. The track was not the safest or easiest, some jumps we were completely overshooting and landing on the flat resulting in some good 'shin bang' and unfortunately 3 athletes had season ending knee injuries just in the training!

Final jump & pitch/ dumping pow!

My race run did not go as I hoped, I could not bring through the changes I had made in the training days and finished in a disappointing 59th....

I have learned a huge amount these past few weeks and I now know what I need to change to be fast. The way you work terrain and also jumping transitions/ air-position plays a huge factor and is very different to alpine technique. I now have 4 days training in Switzerland before my next race on the 25th Jan. Time for change!

Check out the video below from a powder day at Chamonix- Mt Blanc, 16th Jan

Nick- Getting paid

This past week I have kicked off my European racing campaign with some positive but not perfect results.

Our first race series was 2xGS National Junior Races (NJR) in Obersaxen, Switzerland. After falling the first day with a podium well in my sights, I came back the next day to place 3rd and earn my first ever prize money of 50 CHF!!! (I am probably still at a net loss...just)

Moving onto Garmisch, Germany for 2xSG NJR and 1xGS FIS. The race track there is an awesome piste, running on the top half of the 2011 Mens World Championship DH track.

In the SG's I just missed the podium in 4th place and blew the second race with a heavy mistake coming off the pitch.

In the GS an average first run held me in a creditable 13th place. In the second run I performed much better, however spun out 4 gates from the finish. Bugger!

I was disappointed in my average skiing, however the times were still right in there which shows my progress is definitely tracking on the right path.

I am about to head out for GS training at Leogang and looking out the window, it looks like an epic day! A few minor changes need to be made then I will be back into the racing at Maria Alm, AUT for two GS's.

Check out the pictures below.

 Panorama GS

Obersaxen podium

Chilling out inbetween runs

Garmisch pitch

Team mate- Jackson Coull at the top of Garmisch