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Its a strange feeling to be out in Saas Fee, Switzerland, skiing in the middle of July. Jane Sowerby, myself and Stuart Dickson (Team manager) took the 10 hour drive from England in the old trusty team van. (plus the other 9 hrs for stuart from Scotland!) Even when the van started to struggle up the mountains towards the resort I didn’t really feel like I was off skiing. The Sun had been beaming down all journey and we were surrounded by green grass and trees, not the white powder I would normally expect or want going in to the mountains, not a flake of snow in sight. Then as you get to the car free, gorgeous old mountain town of Saas Fee you see the glacier rise up. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Even without snow covering everything!

The week has been a great success. We came out to train with the able bodied team to see if we could work closer in the future and if it works. It was great to ski next to the future of Snowsport GB and the existing greats like Alain Baxter. Not only was it great to have more contact with the team other than at the British Nationals in Meribel but to show what we can do on the snow and that we are equals. Getting tips from the coaches and athletes was of great benefit to us, to see their programme on and off snow and dedication.

We could not have asked for better conditions the sun was shining all week except for one afternoon when it rained in the afternoon when we were down from the mountain and it snowed up top! other than that the snow held up really well till around 12:30. We got 7 days of really good training on snow. In the Afternoon we went for a couple of big handcycles through the mountains. Was glad I had borrowed the bike as they were amazing rides and now really want one myself. we also did a couple of swims and stretches so had a good programme all week.

On top of all the fitness and skiing and other than the Snowsports GB guys and girls we met some great people and contacts. There was a real core of the skiing community out there who were great to meet and were really interested in us and our story. Check out the following features coming out soon www.snowzone.tv did a feature on Jane and myself and we were interviewed by www.welovetoski.com and the sunday mail both of which will hopefully have features later on in the year as the ski season kicks off. Watch this space.

A big thank you to Wolfgang and all the Snowsports GB team, The Guys at Warren Smiths Ski Accadamy, and Nick Southwell. I look forward to doing things with all of you again in the future.

I have now settled back down at home and beginning to feel a bit more with it and recovered from the long season. With the sun making an appearance over the last couple of days I even hit the lake for the first water ski of the summer. I felt very rusty but imagine it will take a few more skis before I get it again. I have also started training in the race chair again but still wait for one more bolt before I can really start ripping it up on the track.

I have also been busy the last couple of weekends in meetings with the Paralympic GB and the Ski Team rapping up the season gone and looking forward to next year and our strength and conditioning programs for over the summer. After my success of this year and my points just been off qualifying for the world cups I have been promoted to the A Team. Very exciting news but I don’t think I will be really satisfied until I qualify hopefully after the first couple of races next season.

We also heard that the TASS funding that I have received this last year is been reduced by half the amount of people so the chances of getting it have been hugely reduced. This is a big blow and means that trying to secure more funding to cover my costs is essential. Good news on the other hand is that Mars Refuel are thrilled with the way things have been going and look to continue their great support. 

I have now been home for almost two weeks and after a long season feeling very happy and relieved for the break from skiing and rest! I am thankful for the fact that I will no longer have to cope with jet lag and get to sleep in my own bed for a while.

My last two weeks in France despite mixed emotions and drama have gone very well. After only a couple of days at home returning from Canada and recovering from jet lag we were all off again to Meribel for the last race of the season the British Land Champs. Despite not been a points race for us. It is an important race for us to gain experience on a great race hill professionally run. It’s also important for us as a team to compete next to the able bodied athletes and show them what we can do and impress!

Conditions throughout the week were spring like and a little on the warm side for ski racing but all the events successfully went ahead. On the first day while warming up for the Super G race the frame of my sit ski snapped leaving me to have to slide down off the hill and frustratingly have to sit out and watch the first race not knowing if I would be able to get it fixed and ski all week. Thankfully the piesters were on hand to do an excellent welding job and get me back on the snow.

All I could muster for the Downhill was 4^th behind the other boys as I battled with my own demons, been tentative on my newly fixed rig and letting the mountain get the better of me thinking it would run faster than it did.

This year was the first that we have been allowed to do the slalom which was moved to the evening to make the most of the conditions. I was able to pull myself together to take first place. (Thanks to Sean needing SatNav!) I had the honour to be awarded my plate by HRH The Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward)

The GS turned out to be the battle of the week with less than a second splitting Russ, Sean and myself. With the Girls all falling on the icy 8 o’clock morning conditions they threatened to pull us till later while I was in the gate and in the zone. After some debate I went coming 2^nd to Russ but ahead of Sean the 2^nd run saw a complete change of conditions becoming very soft this time it was Sean the took the 1^st place doing enough to take first overall while despite coming 2^nd again just ahead of Russ not enough to take 2^nd overall and had to settle for third. Russ and myself then came 2^nd joint overall with Sean deservedly after a great season taking the top spot!

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With the Races having come to an end it was off to Whistler for the week. Just driving in to where the 2010 Games are going to be held gave everybody a real buzz. We went down the actual run where the races will be held. It’s going to be fast and very exciting. It was great to unwind and ski as team. The weather was a bit hit and miss but we made the most of it. I stayed on for a couple of extra days after the rest of the guys had left. Leaving Sam (local boy) Murray and myself to go off and ski some of the best powder I have had all year.

Not wanting a repeat of the races in Kimberley the first GS race went a lot better. After delays to the start due to fresh snow the race finally got on the way. A strong first run put me in 2^nd place which I held on to for the silver medal. It even ended up with a GB 1,2,3,4.

The next day saw me put in another good run coming in 3^rd with this time the hundreds of a second going me way keeping me ahead of Josh in 4^th place. Knowing I had to put on a strong performance to keep my place I set of out the gates catching my outrigger. But despite my poor start I was able to hold on to my 3^rd place although allowing Josh on to the podium in 2^nd place.

The next two days were to be Slalom. I was a little tentative having not done slalom in a while, but was able to put in another solid performance on both days for two more Bronze medals.

To top it all off I was lucky enough to meet two past Canadian Olympic Medallist Nancy Green and Ken Read. As well as finishing the races in Canada with four medals and a Mohawk!

Even if I did only finish up in Kimberley with a Mohawk the British team on the whole had an amazing competition getting 17 medals. The Team looked like a well oiled professional team in our matching team jackets. After the races we had a couple of days off before our next set in Sun Peaks. We stopped off to break the journey up in Kicking Horse where we enjoyed the extreme hill and a few drinks to celebrate! Thanks to Stuart and Aaron for putting us up for the 2 nights- much appreciated.

After two weeks training with the team it was time for things to get serious! The slopes have filled up with more Disabled athletes sit skiers, Amputees leg and arm and many more! Causing many curious questions and raising a lot of eyes. As would be expected when a three tracker or someone with no arms comes flying past you warming up!

The first two days we got two runs a day on the course training for the downhill. Despite my times improving with every run I was still off the mark compared too those with more downhill experience.

Well you already know the result of the first downhill race coming 6^th losing to Talan and most my hair! The second run was an improvement. And despite only a couple of seconds separating the leading 6, for me it was still as disappointment.

The next day I was relieved to be off the downhill course having fun it for the past few days and pleased to move on to the super G and hoped for a more technical course to suit me.

The results were again better as I attacked the course more aggressively. And was kept out of the medals by Canada’s Josh Dueck by only two hundreds of a second. Although I was still disappointed to leaving Kimberley with only a Mohawk! I can only take heart out of the fact in real time I would have been on the podium every time.  

Ok maybe a bit of an exaduration but I can say that making bets is stupid and should not be done! After been joined by the rest of the British Team out in Kimberley Talan and myself decided to make a bet that whoever lost the first downhill would get a Mohawk. Now this immediately sounds like a stupid bet as firstly Talan has more experience and generally has the upper hand on me in the speed events and with the run not been the most technical was more likely to suit him. (Just get my excuse in their early!!) Secondly I have a lot more to lose than Talan as his hair is already rather short while mine is rather long at the moment having only having it cut once since last year. After the first couple of days training I was actually feeling rather confident as Talan was having a few difficulties I believe now only to be lulling me in to a false sense of security. But although putting in faster real times than Talan I had to compete against his factor. Well as you can see from the video and photos the result went against me!

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With the Disabled races of the world ascending on Kimberley for the Canadian Norams (North American Cups) the only downhill events to take place this year and two Super Gs the Kimberley ski patrol wanted to make sure that they were up to date on their safety procedures and be prepared for all the sit skiers! Been a regular for the last couple of years I volunteered myself  to be thrown off the lift using their evac straps to make sure they could get us off the lift in case of a breakdown while we were still on it. We waited until the ski hill was shut then set up the lift ourselves. The whole experience was a lot smoother than I anticipated and although satisfying my urge to jump of the lift early every time I was on it the best bit was to have the whole hill to myself for the ski down! Check out how it all worked on the video.