Season 13/14

 

Well its coming to the end, Can't say i didn't try , I've been to over 5 countries this season but the cards weren't playing for me this season nor the last one to be honest, I hoped to make up for last season with some good travel and riding in various countries, Well i got a lot of very fun riding but the comps didn't really work as planned for a number of reasons this time beyond my control, Weather, Bad communication etc, But what can you do except look back and take it as a lesson for the future. I'm still happy though because it marks the end of a chapter and the start of a new adventure in my life and career. 
I definitely have been thinking more into the future and life this season, Well i've had the time to think about a lot of things during my travels hanging around airports for a good few hours for transfers and the long coach rides to these destinations. Everything from people in my life to where i want to be and the career i want to build over the next few years , It's like i've already got the next few years planned out but i guess it never really goes that easy, But i realised i need to change direction now and set off into the horizon on one path before i miss a good chance and other things in life begin to take over as i get older and the path gets a little more narrow on me. 

A part of me is feeling resentment over the season but as always the people i've met this year and different terrain and nature i've been able to see and experience has still made each trip worthwhile from the far north of Lapland to the far east of Europe in Bulgaria.
I travelled solo in attempt to meet others and i managed to do that each time even if the scenario for better or worse brought us together. On my most recent trip to Norway i met fish and ilia in Stavanger which completely made the trip for me, honestly its rare you meet such freespirited people just out their living life, Maybe it was some kind of fate. Also their Airbnb host was really funny and the complete opposite to any Norwegian i have met so far which was refreshing because i was starting to build up some stereotypes of Norwegians because of some cold reception earlier in the trip, It's funny because he reminded me so much of a guy called Darren back in the uk who i grew up with but i haven't seen for a long long time.
I also got speaking to a polish girl who was really cool and pretty cute working in my hotel in Sandnes, I could have spoken to her all day, She was telling me about her experiences living and working in Norway, I kind of feel sorry for her because she seemed a little stuck and fed up hell don't we all at one point but i know she's got some crazy energy inside her to go and do whatever she wants when the time is right.

The snowboarding has been good, The season started out in arctic Norway, The conditions kind of what you could expect up in such extreme locations, The weather started off pretty mild and by the end of the week the town was buried in snow, I did manage to get some riding in but only from hiking to the summit for a few lines down through the trees and back onto the piste which was closed at the time because of the conditions, There is more on this in my post of arctic Norway part 1. 
next was France which was real fun, I had a great time out in the 3 valleys with Damien and his work mates, We got some pretty good riding in too, We found some great spots in Courchevel for some freeride and powder and also our final day we hiked for a nice but kind of sketchy line in Meribel. The board has been amazing this season in terms of performance, I have had no worries and full confidence in the boards strength and capabilities on the bigger terrain, I even had confidence in taking it into the park on a few occasions and again the board held up, Any mistakes were down to me getting a little too relaxed and heroic. 
Speaking of heroic i had a great crash off a sky rail in Bulgaria during the next trip, I had been getting a little too confident in making this big rail about 10ft off the ground and eventually karma bit my ass and i fell off the rail onto the lip backwards coming up short, I am surprised i didn't come out worse from this but it was a horror crash ugh i still remember it! Bulgaria started off warm with no fresh snow but then like the story of the season, towards the end of the trip the heavens opened and we had powder days for 3 days nonstop, In fact i was actually pretty worn out come the end of the trip and i don't think i could have gone for much longer anyway after 6 full days of riding all over the mountain. There was a sketchy moment where i ducked under the lift to reach a nice looking spot until i realised there was a big cliff sitting underneath me and the snow was actually loose and ready to slide, I've been in this position before and the last time i nearly died so i made sure not to make this same mistake again and i climbed back up and out of there. The last few days were amazing, Deep powder, Steep lines on diamond powder runs, tree runs, Everything, I couldn't ask for a better way to finish the trip in Bulgaria and i had met some really great locals and seen more of the real Bulgaria.
The last ride with Fish and ilia was again pretty fun but we didn't manage to get too many days of snowboarding but we still made the most of what we got. We met a very happy Italian guy who showed us around the mountain we decided to ride that day, He was working as ski patrol and a coach and was pretty happy to see us so we hooked up and decided on lapping the single chair for fresh powder runs down the sidecountry area. Such a nice and laid-back day with a great mix of riders with hardly anybody on the mountain, Those are the days you live for in snowboarding, Well for me anyway. 

So yeah the season has seen ups and downs and didn't really go as i planned it from the start but in a way it's not such a bad thing as i would have never have been able to enjoy the freedom of the other times i had, I Yin and yanged it old skool! and i didn't want to get too downbeat over the situations i was facing at the time either, After all i was in a different country doing what i love which is travelling and riding and discovering new things, I can't really complain, I don't think i've got it good because you choose the lifestyle you want to live and make it happen, But i do see things from the real world perspective and appreciate the fact i can do these things in my position so i should try make the most of it.

The season is not quite over, I return back to Arctic Lapland for one of my favourite events the bank slalom! and riding under the midnight sun is my kind of trip! If i missed any riding this season i'm going to make up for it with riding through the day and night until i can't ride anymore. I need to hold back a bit after this trip though, as much i want to keep riding i seriously need to save some cash if i am going to do anything for next season and believe me we already have some blueprints down on the table so it's something i need to get focused on and prepared for in the next 8 months. 

So what's next? I won some free ferry tickets to one of my favourite islands up in Scotland so i'm going to use it as an excuse to head up there for a little break this summer and try and find and snorkel with the basking sharks and whales which are popular in that area. Also sure would be nice to go and get back on the stand up paddleboard this summer maybe across the sw wales coast. 
I'm also thinking of doing some volunteering in the port town of where i jump on the ferry to the Scottish isles, I don't know if ya'll know but i'm pretty big on animals and i would love to do more conservation and sanctuary work, i am not a bird watcher but i love the wild birds and i'm pretty fascinated by their personalities so i want to get more involved with this too in the future. I continue to support WWF and it's great to see the work they are putting in across the world which is making a difference to the animals under threat.
Last but definitely not least is working on design and shaping in the workshop, I want to be get closer behind the scenes and learn how to properly shape and design the boards i ride and hopefully become more established within this field in the future. I know all these things are going to take a good few years of experience and hard work but there is always something to do and keep me busy so i will keep moving on!
I will have some more pictures uploaded next month to sign off the season so check back on that, I will post the pic links also on twitter and g+ once i've got the final pieces together. 
I've also had a new love for discovering new music again, I thought there was no hope for new music but there are still some great artists going under the radar doing their own thing out there and travelling has also opened my ears to different styles of music worldwide. 

I could go on about all the bad over the season, There was times actually i started to write about these events and i was calling heads on everything and everyone that had got on my bad side but i took a step back and breathed and thought what’s the point because it’s done and there is no point holding onto grudges, just move on, The whole emphasis of this blog post is moving on and this is important if you’re ever going to get anywhere, Leave the bad behind and learn from it. 

So i want to end on a good note and say thank you for all the good times i shared with people this season and hope to see ya'll again soon somewhere along the road, Keep riding, Keep smiling, make the most of life, sing, be happy, Until next season! 

 

To be continued……