The Andy Blog

Steamboat Sickness

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 20:16:18 -0700

This winter has really turned out to be amazing for skiing, the amount of snowfall around Colorado has been record breaking. I’ve been hanging around Steamboat Springs for the last couple weeks, the powder has been too good to miss out on and is ridiculously light.
The last couple days has seen almost non-stop snow here, with the latest storm system bringing the total snowfall this year to over 300 inches.
Sweet.
I woke up today to a storm that dumped 14 inches overnight and was falling at a rate of almost 2 inches an hour!
A perfect day to hit the hill with the new BRO ski the guys at PMGear sent me last week.

Access Anything

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 22:10:52 -0700

Here in Steamboat I met up with Craig and Andrea Kennedy, who run AccessAnything.net, a website dedicated to providing information to people with disabilities who want to travel and enjoy life to it’s fullest.
From their website:
The mission of Access Anything is to improve the quality of life for millions of people living with disabilities in the United States and around the world by encouraging them to enjoy life to its fullest through the sense of freedom provided by travel, adventure, and a never give up attitude. It is our vision to spread awareness concerning the need for better accessibility by writing guidebooks and articles for people with disabilities, consulting with travelers and industry professionals on improvements in this industry, and establishing a common ground where people and information can come together and work to expand the rapidly growing adaptive travel industry through motivational speaking and general educating.

FKNA™!, I Got Me Some BROs

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:28:03 -0700

The guys at PMGear, my new sponsors, sent me a couple of their BRO Model ski last week. It’s been an impatient few days while I’ve waited for them to make their way from Reno to arrive here in Steamboat.
Today they arrived, and are already in to get mounted with bindings, w00t!
So as soon as there are ready (and they BETTER be ready tomorrow, ski tech dude) I’ll be chasing the stoke with these big boys.
In my excitement I forgot to take pictures of them before I reluctantly handed them to the ski tech, but no doubt I’ll have plenty of pictures and video of them in action soon enough.
A huge thanks to PMGear for sponsoring me to be a ski bum, FKNA™.

SitSki Diaries Video

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:57:28 -0700

I’ve been trying to get some decent video of my skiing, it’s not easy as I mostly ski my myself but I’ve got a few clips from the last month or so in Colorado and put them together.
My BROs should be here any day now, and hopefully we will be able to sort out some HD footage in the backcountry for the PMGear website not long after I get the ski’s.

Steamboat Powder Cat Trip

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:43:22 -0700

A fresh six inches overnight in the backcountry, on top of one of the best winters in years meant that the powder was deep and inviting in Steamboat. The Steamboat Powder Cats took us out for a great day of skiing and I got to ski on the BRO 300 prototype at long last, what a blast.
The powder was ridiculously soft and I had none of the problems I’d had with the outriggers catching the snow when I ski’d Vail pass. I spent part of the day on the K2 Seth I got from ben at Vail Powder Guides after I broke the binding on the BRO hucking off a small drop (I still landed it though, steeze!).
Being in the backcountry only strengthens my feelings that skiing is all about freedom and enjoying the mountains, not competing to be 1/100th of a second faster than some other guy down some ice.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 18:04:36 -0700

So my big mouth gets me in trouble again
From Wikipedia:
“Rocky Mountain oysters, mountain oysters, prairie oysters, Montana tendergroin or swinging sirloin are American culinary names given to buffalo, boar or bull testicles. They are usually peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, sometimes pounded flat, then deep-fried.
It is a well-known novelty dish in parts of the American West and the Canadian Prairies where cattle ranching is prevalent. The name is derived from the Rocky Mountains. In Oklahoma and North Texas, they are sometimes called calf fries but only if taken from very young bulls. In many parts of Mexico they are referred to as "criadillas" and are colloquially referred to as huevos del toro (literally, "bull’s eggs" but huevos is also a Spanish slang term for testicles) in Central and South America. Rocky Mountain oysters are sometimes confused with lamb fries or animelles (lamb testicles), which are served in a manner similar to Rocky Mountain oysters. Boar (hog) testicles are served in some Midwest areas such as in Illinois and Iowa. In other countries, testicles are known as sweet meats.”
After getting the sitski fixed, we decide to stop and get something to eat. I look at the menu, see Rocky Mountain Oysters and jokingly ask Olivia if she would like them. When she didn't believe me that they are the amputated testicles of some unlucky calf I asked the waitress to clarify and some how get forced into ordering them as an appetizer(?!).
And by forced I mean my manliness was questioned in the very slightest of ways, so I felt an obligation to prove my masculinity by eagerly eating the fried essence of bovine masculinity. It’s a man thing. A stupid man thing.
So anyway, they bring out the balls, thinly sliced and coated in a batter accompanied by a dipping sauce and I give them a try, because I am a man.
I would like to tell you how they tasted but to be honest I dont remember, much like a trauma victim conveniently forgets the details of the event that would otherwise mentally scar them for life. It is banished to my subconscious.

We will never talk of this again.

OKTHNXBYE.

New Years Dog Sledding

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 17:05:38 -0700

So I haven't been living in a van all the time, for 10 days over New years Olivia flew up to meet me in Colorado and we stayed in a hotel in Winter park, sheer luxury!
It took a while to get the ski fixed after it broke on Xmas day, so instead of skiing we drove around and had a look at the local area, then went dog sledding.
It was the day after a pretty severe storm system had passed through the area so it was pretty cold, but the crisp air made it a beautiful day.

Xmas Day At Copper Mountain

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 20:43:19 -0700

I’ve got the Copper Mountain/Winter Park season pass but have only ski’d at Copper a few times so far. I was there on Xmas Eve with TJ, one of the guys I was Cat Skiing with at Vail Pass, the snow was awesome and I decided to hang around to ski Xmas day there too.
Copper is smaller than Winter Park, but I found a few runs that were a complete blast. Once I got away from the main runs populated by gapers and out-of-control-learners-wearing-fake-rasta-hats, the snow was still fresh from the storm a few days before and big pillows provided face shots all over the place. Awesome.

Vail Powder Guides

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:43:20 -0700

Taking time out to free ski and enjoy the snow has been great, I hate the feeling of getting to the bottom of a race course and being frustrated and upset at my performance. That isn't what skiing is supposed to be about, for me it’s about the freedom of being in the mountains again and not having the annoyance of trying to maneuver around obstacles. Racing means sitting at the top of a race course for an hour or so, waiting for your chance to slide down an ice course that dictates exactly where you go, that sucks!
Ive been skiing at Winter Park, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain lately, just enjoying the turns and the terrain. The snow has been great and the winter is shaping up to be completely epic. But I wanted to get out of the resorts and into the backcountry, to ski in powder and really be free.
I gave Ben and Jenna at Vail Powder Guides a call and we arranged to head out for a day in the deep stuff. These guys are awesome, they have never had any experience with sitskiers before but instead of making up an excuse about not being trained, not having the equipment or some other crap, they simply said “right on, lets do it!”.
I didn't have a powder ski (race ski’s are just too narrow for powder and will just sink) so Ben and Jenna met me a couple days before to get one of my bindings to fit on a powder ski for me.

Breckenridge Races

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 18:44:27 -0700

The first races of the season, my first NorAm races ever, and the first time I have been through gates for almost a year. It was supposed to be the beginning of an epic season and I hoped to do fairly well, I wasn't expecting a top 10 but I did hope to actually finish the courses.
I completed the first Slalom course, but in a truly pathetic time, and crashed out on the second run. Hoping to make things better with the GS race, I pushed things too far and was too aggressive too early, crashing out of the course and not even qualifying for the second run.
I had been naive to think that I would be able to simply get back into the race courses at the same standard I had been at before last season. Through injuries and problems with the sitski I only managed to ski maybe a week last season. The first time I actually went through race gates since January was at the first slalom race in breckenridge. A couple weeks freeskiing in Banff wasn't enough to get me back in the game.

All Roads Lead To........Colorado.

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:43:19 -0700

Canmore to Breckenridge. 3 days and LOTS of road. The adventure has begun and for the next two months I will be living in the back of a 1999 Dodge Caravan Minivan.
I headed off and made it across the border and into Montana before settling down for my first night in the van. The weather was pretty cold, but inside the van everything is golden. I spent a couple weeks getting everything ready and insulated the windows with carpet to keep in the heat and keep out prying eyes. I’ve covered the inside roof with a heat reflective emergency blanket and my bed is a -30ºC Sleeping bag, on-top of another sleeping bag, on-top of 4 inches of foam.

Road Trip! The One Man Ski Extravaganza

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:15:44 -0600

5691 Kilometers
3536 Miles
60 Days
8 Pairs of Ski’s
4 Ski Resorts
1 Van
Oh yeah, it’s road trip time.  The races in december and January are down in Colorado and Utah, not exactly spitting distance from Canmore, but close enough to drive. The only other option would be to fly down for each race and then fly back to Canada in-between, which would of been terrible and drastically cut down on my time on the snow.
I first decided on the road trip idea because come spring and summer, Canada and the US are invaded by people on holiday in RV’s. All those huge mobile homes on the road and most of them are rented out from Calgary, there most be at least one or two that have been converted for people in wheelchairs, right.

2007/2008 Upcoming Race Calendar

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:14:26 -0600

The 2007/2008 ski season is make or break for me. After last season’s disaster of not being able to race because of a combination of injuries and dodgy equipment I’m going all out to improve in every area, and the area that matters the most is racing.
I’ll be starting off the season training by myself in Canada, skiing at Sunshine Village and Mount Norquay in Banff, plus Lake Louise and Nakiska depending on conditions and the availability of courses. Sunshine is due to open on the 8th of November.
The first races of the season are in the first week of December, I need to really hit the slopes and get as much training in as possible before then, the snow can’t come soon enough.
I’m entering all the NORAM events this season and just want to get as many points as possible from valid finishes to bring my points total down in the hope of qualifying for the World Cup in the future.
The British Team are meeting up for a pre-season training camp in Hintertux, Austria at the start of November. They will then go on to race at the European events while I’m racing the North American ones, which run concurrently, and we will meet up when they all come over to Canada later in January.
I decided to stay and ski in Canada and the US rather than joining up with the British team because logistically it makes more sense. I can have more time on snow by staying in Canmore and skiing at Banff each day for the whole of November than I would if I was to fly to Austria and back. I will miss out on some really high value training and am leaving myself without a coach, but hopefully I will ultimately benefit.
So here is my race calendar for 2007/2008 as it stands at the moment:

Ski’s: My 2007/2008 Quiver

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 14:11:27 -0600

So preparations are well under way for the new season and I’m hoping it is going to shape up to be a great one. With just a couple weeks until the resorts open I’m almost ready, a new seat and shock absorber for the sit-ski should give a lot more control and offset some of the injury problems I had last year. All that is left is to get my ski quiver up to par and ready for the races.
I’m a big fan of Völkl's and have decided to go with their ski’s for pretty much everything this season, here’s my quiver as it stands at the moment.

Roll Tide: Alabama and American ‘Football’

Wed, 8 Aug 2007 02:27:59 -0600

First of all, Alabama is a college team, as in all its players are students at the University of Alabama. In the UK if a university team was playing any sport then there would be maybe a couple hundred friends, family and other students watching the game from the car park or side-lines on some muddy field somewhere. Most likely in the rain.
Alabama has a 93,000 capacity, all seat stadium.
Thats 93,000 people watching university students play football. Arsenal, obviously the best football (real football, its not called soccer) in the world, and the richest team in the UK, has a brand new, state of the art stadium, it holds 60,000.
College football is massive in the US, and each time Alabama play at home in Tuscaloosa the town is taken over by fans.
I mean taken over. Not just by the 93,000 people in the stadium, who will nearly all be supporting the home team, but by thousands who travel to Tuscaloosa to tailgate.

More Biking

Wed, 8 Aug 2007 02:26:47 -0600

So winter is here and so the mountain biking gives way to skiing for a while.
I’ve been spending a bit of time on the bike now and am feeling pretty comfortable with exactly where I can take it and what it is capable of. While I was back in the UK I had a chance to do a bit of riding in Scotland, which made a nice change as I didn't have to worry about getting attacked by canadian bears.
The One-Off is great and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a handbike that will let them get off the pavement and explore further afield. I’ve learnt the hard way, which is always the best way, and have come up with a list of things I always carry when I go out on the bike.

Lazy River

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:17:03 -0600

During an awesome trip to California for No Barriers, the weather was amazing and so Darol and I decided a lazy day on the river was in order. No white water, no paddling, just a quiet float down the river enjoying the sun and the scenery.
The Squaw Valley is a great place, and I’d love to go back in the winter and have a few days to rip up the ski hill. The resort itself was perfect, apart from the security guard who wouldnt let me bike the ski runs. But I did anyway, despite rolling the bike once or twice, who needs bike hating security guards.
Not much else to say, pictures say it all. Good times.

Freedom For Life

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:17:03 -0600

Also at No Barriers was Darol Kubacz from Freedom For Life, a US based non-profit organisation helping people with disabilities seek out adventure. Another fan of the One-Off Titanium, Darol took a team of bikes and riders on an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2006.
As good as the One-Off is at tackling rough ground and steep terrain, there are some places that can be just too steep to negotiate with arm power alone, parts of Kili would classify as one of those places.
In particular are some of the scree slopes which can be upto 45° steep. The wheels dig into the soft scree and the rear wheel just spins loosing all traction and momentum. A problem that needed to be solved.