Austria - Hochfuegen Freeride Camp
>So i'm in Innsbruck again almost one year later from the Youth Olympics and the flight here was so funny in
unusual ways, the first was the hassle trying to get my avalanche airbag for
snowboarding through customs at the airport. I was pretty surprised none of the
customs staff had ever seen an airbag, But guess not many people send it way
out down cliffs in Manchester! so after about an hour of checking in my airbag
again i was finally on my way. I could tell there was a few nervous faces about
once people had overheard a guy with an air cylinder in his bag had been
cleared through customs to carry it on the plane, probably in honesty aswell
you don't really see many black people skiing and snowboarding which i reckon
didn't ease the moment. I get on to the flight and into my seat and a big fella
is sitting next to me, he was funny had a good sense of humour about the
circumstances, he was two of me so the space i was saving in the chair made up
for his extra baggage. The flight was pretty straight forward, i bought a
scratch card and lost, boo : ( On the approach into Innsbruck there was a
sudden loud crackling and rumbling underneath the plane and then the exit
lights came on which was freaky, i was thinking in my head we've scraped a
mountain but we got down safely and the rest was history.
There was a tiny moment thinking i wouldn't clear customs because of the stunt me and anna pulled at the youth Olympics last time in Austria but it was all ok and very friendly.
Once back at the Innsbruck hostel i started talking with my new roommates dan and sebastian and after a decent meal we decided to break out on the town which meant checking in at the one and only treibhaus! As the night went on there was some very deep conversation and turns out we were all like minded people which is rare to find back home never mind by chance all staying in the same room in Austria, anyways i'l definitely keep in touch with those guys!
The next day i said goodbyes and i was on my way to fugen for the linecamp in Hochfugen! I had great help along the way on the train and bus to Hochfugen, The people in Austria do feel reserved at first but are really friendly once the ice is broken. I was speaking to a girl on the train who was really nice but i was surprised on her views on snowboarding and skiing as Austrians are all about winter sports which is like the national sport. She did say she was from Germany originally which might explain it. I made it up Hochfuegen resort by bus which was free which is always good, Walked about 500 metres to reach the hotel panorama which is situated directly in front of the main cable car which couldn't have been any more convenient, The hotel was part of the package with camps but i wonder how much that one would cost a night, I know it can't be cheap for sure, in fact we only seen one other family staying during our time there in the hotel.
The afternoon we all met up for intro's and theory session based on freeride and the tour. The head coach Flo Orley a world champion and local snowboarder was really laid back and just you would imagine a snowboarder who has accomplished so much and loves snowboarding and the lifestyle. I wish i had more time to talk about not just snowboarding but the lifestyle and day to day things everybody has to overcome with a pro lifestyle, hopefully i will see him soonish anyway at the Chamonix world tour stop and be cheering him on.
The group were nice and a mix of shy to all out badass! some i got to know better than others but we all got along very well in the end. The next day we were ready to go practice lines and inspect the face for analysis etc so we hiked up and dropped in. The weather was up and down all day and we had the worst of it on this day of all days. My first line was way too difficult, I had a small gap of opportunity to achieve my line and i ended up missing the narrow turn in point to reach the next feature of my line, the only way down from here was over a cliff so i had to slide my way down mostly on my ass and ride away. I was disappointed but i know i set the difficulty too high and the margin for error is small so i was setting a very difficult route which was unnecessary for the first day.
One of the girls had a huge cliff crash and injured herself pretty badly and eventually went home early which goes to show the dangers and risk involved, Everybody crashed at one stage but some came out better than others. The second line was smooth but in less demanding terrain but everybody had a good line.
Later on it was theory then onto the bar which could have been a lot worse than how it ended considering we finished on 65% shots, we all pulled through and were fresh and ready for the final day.
We also did some bc sessions which were fun but pretty tough to learn and remember the terrain, i took a huge gully gap jump but not before bailing in the powder a few times. I thought i was the only one who bailed so many times but looking back at the video everybody had some funny strange crash moments, everybody ripped it though.
The next day was a contrast of fortunes which ended early. I took the biggest line I’ve ever had in snowboarding but later in the day smashed my face on rocks. The line i chosen was tough but if i was to overcome a few fears during this trip i definitely broken a few barriers on this one. I knew i had to go big and there was no way out. I fell on a slide strangely in the Icey approach to the couloir which was a definite no fall zone. I made it out and my legs were burning but i realised how big the line was and was happy and relieved at the same time, the group couldn't believe it either.
The next run ended my day. We hiked up again to drop in and take a line, All was going great until i approached a cliff and made a split decision to take it full speed with a wrong angle approach still slightly slanting sideways on approach. Anyway i paid for it and knew straight away i wasn't going to make it and crashed hard into the snow and rolled eventually over rocks and came to a stop. I looked down and could see blood coming from somewhere and could feel my nose really sore, i thought i had either just busted a nose bleed or broken it, the blood did not stop flowing and i knew it was not a quick fix so after picking myself up, riding off the face spitting blood a few times i covered my nose with my glove and sent myself to the nearest first aid stop. The staff patched me up and said i would need stitches asap so i got a ride down by ski patrol in a ski emergency bed stretcher back down to base which was strangely relaxing, got up too onlooking spectators surprise and was on my way to the docs for 3 stitches to the face.
A few hours later i was back in the resort and meeting with the others to say goodbyes for the end of camp training, Hopefully i will see them out there this season for the freeride world tour.
There is a strange divide with pro riding and just everyday, the riders who push themselves and live for the sport all share the same level of commitment and motivation so you can understand eachover where with casual riders there is an imbalance of intentions and dedication and i start to understand this more than ever now, not everybody wants to be pro and take big risks or just dedicate the time and effort into it but the people who do share a general mindset and presence so it’s easy to relate to many things in not just sports but life and the trials past present and future. >Today i decided to go scope the sidecountry patched up but still functioning as normal. A lot of people were concerned if i had a head injury from the crash but i came out of it without further problems (i think). The riding today was just nice tracking powder lines in the bc, i got a lil lost at one point but made it out. I also spent the afternoon in the bc terrain overlooking the main face we were dropping into the day before, This give me the opportunity to further learn the face and be accustomed to the surroundings if i come back for the big mountain Hochfuegen. The day was just fun and was a great end to the trip, I've still got another half day free tomorrow before my flight to go snowboarding but i'm going to call it finished as my face is beginning to reveal the full extent of the crash and my neck is which lashed from the amount of turns and crashes I’ve clocked this trip, I could do with a massage and a rest horizontal for a while. The next stop is la Clusaz France jan 8th so i need to patch up and get ready.
I guess this trip has made me think about a few things, Definitely one is not to take these moments for granted, Two I’m not invincible and although i take huge risks sometimes I’m just fortunate to come of things on a less serious scale, three is about my lifestyle and i really needed just to be back with similar people to refresh and confirm my reasons for why i love to do this despite the many choices I’ve made to reach this stage, I'm happy for good and for bad I’m doing what many don't have the confidence to do stepping away from a more secure stable lifestyle and living the dream and not looking back.
There is a really nice girl where I’m staying who is so enthusiastic and just outgoing and has loads of sports interests which like me she will do even if she has to go it alone. I kind of wish i could tell her more but circumstances always will get in the way which i guess is one of the bad points to living the dream. Anyway time to fly home tomorrow, Just need to finish the Zillertal marzen then i think i will settle in for the night and rise and shine for the morning. I've still got no idea what to do tomorrow but I’ve got almost a whole day , Maybe some Xmas last minute gifts will give me an excuse to visit the Innsbruck Xmas market.
There was a tiny moment thinking i wouldn't clear customs because of the stunt me and anna pulled at the youth Olympics last time in Austria but it was all ok and very friendly.
Once back at the Innsbruck hostel i started talking with my new roommates dan and sebastian and after a decent meal we decided to break out on the town which meant checking in at the one and only treibhaus! As the night went on there was some very deep conversation and turns out we were all like minded people which is rare to find back home never mind by chance all staying in the same room in Austria, anyways i'l definitely keep in touch with those guys!
The next day i said goodbyes and i was on my way to fugen for the linecamp in Hochfugen! I had great help along the way on the train and bus to Hochfugen, The people in Austria do feel reserved at first but are really friendly once the ice is broken. I was speaking to a girl on the train who was really nice but i was surprised on her views on snowboarding and skiing as Austrians are all about winter sports which is like the national sport. She did say she was from Germany originally which might explain it. I made it up Hochfuegen resort by bus which was free which is always good, Walked about 500 metres to reach the hotel panorama which is situated directly in front of the main cable car which couldn't have been any more convenient, The hotel was part of the package with camps but i wonder how much that one would cost a night, I know it can't be cheap for sure, in fact we only seen one other family staying during our time there in the hotel.
The afternoon we all met up for intro's and theory session based on freeride and the tour. The head coach Flo Orley a world champion and local snowboarder was really laid back and just you would imagine a snowboarder who has accomplished so much and loves snowboarding and the lifestyle. I wish i had more time to talk about not just snowboarding but the lifestyle and day to day things everybody has to overcome with a pro lifestyle, hopefully i will see him soonish anyway at the Chamonix world tour stop and be cheering him on.
The group were nice and a mix of shy to all out badass! some i got to know better than others but we all got along very well in the end. The next day we were ready to go practice lines and inspect the face for analysis etc so we hiked up and dropped in. The weather was up and down all day and we had the worst of it on this day of all days. My first line was way too difficult, I had a small gap of opportunity to achieve my line and i ended up missing the narrow turn in point to reach the next feature of my line, the only way down from here was over a cliff so i had to slide my way down mostly on my ass and ride away. I was disappointed but i know i set the difficulty too high and the margin for error is small so i was setting a very difficult route which was unnecessary for the first day.
One of the girls had a huge cliff crash and injured herself pretty badly and eventually went home early which goes to show the dangers and risk involved, Everybody crashed at one stage but some came out better than others. The second line was smooth but in less demanding terrain but everybody had a good line.
Later on it was theory then onto the bar which could have been a lot worse than how it ended considering we finished on 65% shots, we all pulled through and were fresh and ready for the final day.
We also did some bc sessions which were fun but pretty tough to learn and remember the terrain, i took a huge gully gap jump but not before bailing in the powder a few times. I thought i was the only one who bailed so many times but looking back at the video everybody had some funny strange crash moments, everybody ripped it though.
The next day was a contrast of fortunes which ended early. I took the biggest line I’ve ever had in snowboarding but later in the day smashed my face on rocks. The line i chosen was tough but if i was to overcome a few fears during this trip i definitely broken a few barriers on this one. I knew i had to go big and there was no way out. I fell on a slide strangely in the Icey approach to the couloir which was a definite no fall zone. I made it out and my legs were burning but i realised how big the line was and was happy and relieved at the same time, the group couldn't believe it either.
The next run ended my day. We hiked up again to drop in and take a line, All was going great until i approached a cliff and made a split decision to take it full speed with a wrong angle approach still slightly slanting sideways on approach. Anyway i paid for it and knew straight away i wasn't going to make it and crashed hard into the snow and rolled eventually over rocks and came to a stop. I looked down and could see blood coming from somewhere and could feel my nose really sore, i thought i had either just busted a nose bleed or broken it, the blood did not stop flowing and i knew it was not a quick fix so after picking myself up, riding off the face spitting blood a few times i covered my nose with my glove and sent myself to the nearest first aid stop. The staff patched me up and said i would need stitches asap so i got a ride down by ski patrol in a ski emergency bed stretcher back down to base which was strangely relaxing, got up too onlooking spectators surprise and was on my way to the docs for 3 stitches to the face.
A few hours later i was back in the resort and meeting with the others to say goodbyes for the end of camp training, Hopefully i will see them out there this season for the freeride world tour.
There is a strange divide with pro riding and just everyday, the riders who push themselves and live for the sport all share the same level of commitment and motivation so you can understand eachover where with casual riders there is an imbalance of intentions and dedication and i start to understand this more than ever now, not everybody wants to be pro and take big risks or just dedicate the time and effort into it but the people who do share a general mindset and presence so it’s easy to relate to many things in not just sports but life and the trials past present and future. >Today i decided to go scope the sidecountry patched up but still functioning as normal. A lot of people were concerned if i had a head injury from the crash but i came out of it without further problems (i think). The riding today was just nice tracking powder lines in the bc, i got a lil lost at one point but made it out. I also spent the afternoon in the bc terrain overlooking the main face we were dropping into the day before, This give me the opportunity to further learn the face and be accustomed to the surroundings if i come back for the big mountain Hochfuegen. The day was just fun and was a great end to the trip, I've still got another half day free tomorrow before my flight to go snowboarding but i'm going to call it finished as my face is beginning to reveal the full extent of the crash and my neck is which lashed from the amount of turns and crashes I’ve clocked this trip, I could do with a massage and a rest horizontal for a while. The next stop is la Clusaz France jan 8th so i need to patch up and get ready.
I guess this trip has made me think about a few things, Definitely one is not to take these moments for granted, Two I’m not invincible and although i take huge risks sometimes I’m just fortunate to come of things on a less serious scale, three is about my lifestyle and i really needed just to be back with similar people to refresh and confirm my reasons for why i love to do this despite the many choices I’ve made to reach this stage, I'm happy for good and for bad I’m doing what many don't have the confidence to do stepping away from a more secure stable lifestyle and living the dream and not looking back.
There is a really nice girl where I’m staying who is so enthusiastic and just outgoing and has loads of sports interests which like me she will do even if she has to go it alone. I kind of wish i could tell her more but circumstances always will get in the way which i guess is one of the bad points to living the dream. Anyway time to fly home tomorrow, Just need to finish the Zillertal marzen then i think i will settle in for the night and rise and shine for the morning. I've still got no idea what to do tomorrow but I’ve got almost a whole day , Maybe some Xmas last minute gifts will give me an excuse to visit the Innsbruck Xmas market.
Below is a picture Diary of some times in Innsbruck, training at Hochfuegen and Nordkette
Hightlight : Fighting on with injury in backcountry Heaven
It was tempting, but we didn't go for that big line, straight down the middle
Amazing shot on the chairlift
Leading up to this ridge
I eventually went down the face in front, amazing day
Then the crew went through the slackcountry of Hochfuegen
Stitches but still riding
All gettin ready to drop in on the top of Nordkette
Pat messing about at the Museum
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