A perfect day in Steamboat

Apologies for previous night complete, it turned out to be one of the best days on the hill I can remember. Day two in town and I had run into so many familiar faces of people who make Steamboat special it really makes one question why I ever left. I meet up with an old freestyling buddy and after a generous fill of coffee and a quick year in review we hit the hill. Whilst the base was a little slushy, the mountain itself had several inches of fresh dry snow and even more surprising for a Sunday – no lines! We made several sensational laps up the Storm Peak express, BC lift and Four Points before running into some other locals being friends of my ski buddy. Our two became five and all the more fun especially since now I had a girl to gossip with on the chair as the boys busied ahead together for the lift. It was one of those days where you couldn’t have wiped a smile from face if you paid me! I was laughing so hard at some points I literally feel over -thanks Eddie! There were so many laughs and even an epiphany on life but I’ll explain this later.

We slide into the base area and with about the fifth high 5 day later we see a minor commotion near ski school and meander over. The day gets better. There is Santa and three of his helper reindeers!! I excitedly jump at the photo opportunity and whisper what I hope to find under the tree on the 25th! What a day :)

To top things off I had run into some other Australian friends the previous day, some who were visiting and others back for another season. Under total duress and guilty conviction they convinced me to join them at Monday night football. I only just stay awake till the end of the game (gotta love jet lag) and after a dozen redraws as everyone else has gone home guess who wins two tickets to the Broncos??? You got it- me!!! Ahhhh so exciting!! I have wanted to go to game since I first arrived in Colorado over half a decade ago and now I’m going!! The question is – who am I going to take…. ??

Steamboat Springs less a key

Arriving in steamboat always brings a smile to my dial. For my fifth winter I've made my annual pilgrimage to the slopes of Steamboat Springs with its famous Champagne Powder and friendly faces. No less than 24 hours in town and I’m off to a Christmas party at the top of the Gondola. You’ve never heard so many Patsy Cline covers (she’s an old school country singer who I actually have on my iPod… don’t judge me) nor seen so many variations of both ladies and gents dress cowboy boots – just two more reasons why I love this town!! Naturally, being a local event I see several people on my list to tell that I’m in town and it’s great surprise as I haven’t been around since spring. A good night is by all until I get home with the realisation I'm less one house key… Feeling like the terrible house guest and deliberating my options for 15minutes (none) I knock and scramble into the warmth. The next morning feeling a little scared (yet to apologise for previous night’s mistake) I then break the tap in the sink… what a day…!! Little did I know the day was going was on it’s way up.

D-town aka Denver

Helsinki to Denver was pleasantly uneventful compared to my trans-Atlantic experience earlier this year and finally had an interesting passenger next to me. He was returning from a tour of Afghanistan and was able to answer some of my many questions of the situation over there. The delay in arrival being 1am however was not appreciated. Luckily one my best girls scrambled out of bed at the call from DIA and came straight away (unlike a previous year where she left me sitting at the bar for 4 hours after arriving from Australia..).

Whilst I only ever pass through Denver as a gateway to somewhere else it’s the visit to see someone there that makes me excited. Some friends whilst you see only occasionally (for me it’s winters) it’s the the good ones make you feel like you’ve never been apart. Jessie is one of them and I’m lucky to catch up with her even if it’s just a day. We finally make it to breakfast after getting lost for probably 45minutes (this is the city where she lives and she chose where were eating….) and then cruise downtown.















It was a hilarious day of meeting her animals, some I've met before and some new. This included visiting Diamond and I was even lucky enough to go for a little pony ride!!! For those who know me I am not an experienced rider after 2 out of my 3 experiences having been bucked off as small child!! Luckily Diamond was obliging and I vowed to give horse riding another chance.

Helsinki

Whilst stopovers sometimes are purely a logistical hassle my forced day in Helsinki was definitely one to be excited about. Checked luggage at the airport is a luxury not always available so was definitely taken advantage of! I love Finland. Unlike most European cities if you don’t speak the local language then some communication can be quite the conundrum. Not here, you get the best of both worlds. The culture, food and people are what one would expect being Europe but not the hassle as most people one needs to engage with speak English with surprising ease. This city, was not made for ankle socks, distressed jeans and mitten less hands. I should know better. Having had one summer in 13 years I know cold and you would expect how to avoid it! I nosied around the Christmas markets filled with local delicacies, reindeer souvenirs and homemade knits selecting gifts those I was about to visit. Overall I was happy enjoying myself and trying to believe that I was actually in Helsinki! Travelling by oneself opens up boundless possibilities and as I have travelled more by myself and grown more game I have enjoyed the benefits. Choosing where to go and when without compromise has its benefits but it also has meant meeting streams of interesting people. From airports, ski lifts and restaurants, sitting by yourself means you often end up chatting to people with very different backgrounds. I think I’ll have chat about people soon as there are so many different people with interesting stories to tell.

Suomo Europa Cup debrief

Just finished the first two Europa Cups for the season in Suomo, Finland. Skied consistently safe in the first event however picked up the pace and lifted my jump scores on the second day. I'm happy and it feels comforting to have placed a couple of consistent runs down, especially since I have had such a limited preparation. The field was twice the size of a normal Europa Cup because the first World Cup of the season is the following weekend and everyone is here preparing. The atmosphere is similar to pre Christmas - full of anticipation of excitement of the week's competition to come. Shame I'm leaving tomorrow for Helsinki. There's always Eurosports..

Going back to the beginning

The most circuitous route to Ruka (Sydney-LA-Frankfurt-Helsinki- Kuusamo) was fairly uneventful with no random explosive residue testing, forgotten sharps in carry on or a missed flights. I did however not receive luggage until my third day. This meant my training time for the first event was halved to two merely days and perhaps a slightly stinky pair of socks.

Finland itself is a little hard to adjust especially with 20hours of darkness and merely twilight from 11-3. Finnish has so many vowels (in stark contrast to the consonant loving Czechs) it's hard to conceptualise how a word might sound when preparing to say it. It almost makes one feel like they have been plucked from reality and placed into a cartoon like country, enhanced by the similarity in physical appearance of the majority of the population - being the standard stunning Scandinavian blond hair, pale skin and wide blue eyes.

The mogul course we competed on first felt quite steep and challenging especially since my limited time on snow for training. Have you ever feel petrified just prior to a public speaking engagement? This is how I felt prior to my first training... eeeekkk!! Seriously high winds and surprisingly warm weather ( -1C and some drizzle) have also enhanced the experience of visiting the edge of Lapland (and seriously making the cold but sunny skies of Colorado enticing). Preparation went well and my muscles were eventually pummelled into tense submission ready to compete.

The final frontier

So work has been fantastic and allowed me to take 4 months leave to head off on my merry way to compete Freestyle skiing for the northern winter. I am stoked? ... OMG yes!!

The season starts off in Finland with the first Europa Cup of the series and hopefully end with the final World Cup in Spain. It definitely feels like the final frontier for my competitive mogul skiing career. Being a little older, wiser and with slightly less cartilage in my knees than when I started, I'm looking forward to giving it my all.

If you're interested in stopping by for a quick glance feel free, and for the folks at home - here it is, my story from afar as promised!

xx KT