NEWS

October 17th, 2008 - Tignes, FRA 2008

I've arrived over in Europe for a final preparation before the first race in Levi, Finland.  We began training in Soelden, AUT, but because of poor snow conditions, we left for France for a few days on the ice.  We were able to train with the french in their slalom course.  It was the first test of the season against another nation, and seemed to go very well.  Tomorrow is a time trial for the final spots to race the GS in Soelden.  I'm not expecting to much from my GS skiing at the moment, but the race simulation will be good practice.  There are some new video and pictures up in the media section. Check them out along with the 2008/09 schedule.

September 16th, 2008 - Coronet Peak, NZ 2008

The past two weeks I've been training in New Zealand on our second ski camp of the season.  We're skiing at Coronet Peak and staying at the Millbrook resort, both just outside of Queenstown.  The resort offers incredible views of the mountain, great food, and two eighteen hole golf courses for some fun on the days off.  Training is going well up on the mountain despite some warmer conditions this trip.  I have started to amp up the intensity as we move closer to the races.  One more week here and I'm on my way home for some R&R.  Check back for pictures and video coming soon!

August 8th, 2008 - USHUAIA, ARGENTINA 2008

After two days of traveling we arrived in Ushuaia with all our equipment and ready to train.  We started off training at a blistering pace.  In the first three days of slalom I logged 1800 gates.  I feel strong, fit, and ready to keep with this high volume, high pace training set by the coaching staff.  So far the only downside of the trip is all the snow.   It just never seems to let up, making snow conditions soft and the courses rough.  For the second night this week the coaches have used water to harden the slope.  We're now hoping the snow will hold off for a few weeks and conditions will improve.  Below are a few turns on the new skis.  Check it out!

July 17th, 2008 - Back to the White Stuff

Last week marked the final week of dryland training camps at Mt. Tremblant.  I will be training in Ottawa until our departure for Argentina on August 2nd.  We are heading back to the same resort as the past 2 seasons. Cerro Castor is located 30 minutes drive from Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world.  Ushuaia is a major hub for fishing, and the final port for cruise ships heading to Antartica.

July 7th, 2008 - Play it Cool

For the second year I've joined the 'Play it Cool' athlete initiative aimed at fighting climate change, thus ensuring a future for ski racing.  Check out their website by clicking on the icon below.  .

June 9th, 2008 - Switching to FISCHER

After 3 weeks of testing different companies this spring I have decided to sign with Fischer through 2010.  The Fischer set up inclulding skis, boots, and bindings allowed me to be more consistent and balanced than in the past.  I feel more confident pushing at 100% top to bottom regardless of the conditions.  With the success that Fischer has had on the World Cup this past season, I feel confident with my decision.

Currently I am working hard in the gym before heading off to Argentina in August.  I hope you're all enjoying summer and are excited for the snow to start falling soon! Well... not too soon! 

April 14th, 2008 - Wrapping up the Season

Friday marked the completion of my 2007/2008 season.  The end of the season faired well for me with a victory in the Nor-Am slalom in Collingwood.  The strong finish secured my world ranking as 31st with FIS slalom points of 6.00.  This will be a big advantage coming into next season with World Cup start numbers in the early 30's.

After the national championships in Quebec, the technical team rushed to Panorama and Whistler for a two week training camp.  We were able to test out the Olympic slalom track on a full length course to become better familiarized for the races less than two years away.  To finish off the season I made one last trip to europe to test some ski equipment for next season. 

Feb. 22nd, 2008 - Straddle in Zagreb

It was another disappointing day for the mens tech team.  Although we had some superb skiing as a group, non of us were able to make it to the Zagreb finish line except Trevor White who narrowly missed the flip in 34th.  For me I had a slow start out of the gate.  When I started to let the skis run more and get into the rhythm I hooked my ski on a gate. I'll be competing next in Collingwood at the Nor-Am final Slaloms.  With another strong Nor-Am finish I could secure my world ranking in the mid thirties again for next season.

Good luck to everyone in the Pontiac Cup races at Camp Fortune.  I wish I could be there!

Feb. 16st, 2008 - DNF in Garmish

After a couple of weeks of training and a few FIS GS starts in Italy, we made it up to Garmish for the WC Slalom.  The race course finished in the historic Olympic jumping stands, in front of a lively, enthusiastic crowd.  The top section of the course I skied very solid and with good splits that would likely put me in the top 20 at the finish.  Unfortunately I got caught up and lost balance going into the royal flush coming onto the flats and skied out.  I'll have another chance in the World Cup in Zagreb on the 17th.  Be sure to check back for the results!

Jan. 27st, 2008 - Schladming 23st Place!

It was a rodeo ride first run down Schladming.  Rain and heavy snow hours prior to the race cause for disastrous conditions in the first run.  I was able to squeeze in for a second run in 30th position over four seconds back.  In the second run I took every risk possible to make up some time on the leaders.  Unfortunately I ran into some problems when I caught a gate low on my boot causing it to knock my other ski out to the side, and spinning me off course.  I was able to skate back on course to finish in 23rd.

Jan. 21st, 2008 - Kitzbuhel 21st Place!

It's great to be back top 30 on the results page.  I had a great race with two solid runs.  I can't say it was something miraculous that brought on a good result today, just a build up of positive feelings over the past weeks.  A special thanks to the four guys from Ottawa who made the trans-atlantic flight to cheer me on.  The boys were pretty excited about the trip, especially about the Londoner pub in Kitzbuhel who partied like true Canadians before the race.

Jan. 13th, 2008 - Wengen World Cup

Things have been looking up over the past few weeks.  I had some excellent training after the Christmas break in St. Anton.  The rock hard injection let me nail down my ski setup for the coming month.  I had a strong start to Adelboden World Cup before straddling.  Last weekend at Wengen I was ever so close to qualifying for the second run, finishing in 31st, five hundredths from 30th place.  This weekend I will be joined in Kitzbuhel by four fans from Ottawa that have made the trip over to watch me compete on sunday in the slalom.

Dates to look for:
Westendorf Night Slalom - January 17th
Kitzbuhel World Cup SL - January 20th
Schladming World Cup SL - January 22nd

December 9th, 2007 - Bad Kleinkirchheim World Cup

It was a difficult start to the World Cup season yesterday.  Coming in the race I had some excellent training and excellent race results, but with limited or no training on an injected surface this year I struggled to make the adjustments in line and pressure to ski fast.  I will have some more time this week to make minor adjustments in my skiing from the more aggressive Colorado snow to the icier european conditions.

Dates to look for:
Obereggen Europa Cup slalom - December 12th
S. Vigilio Europa Cup slalom and GS - December 13th and 14th
Alta Badia World Cup SL - December 17th

October 29, 2007 - Winter Park Nor-Am Cup Win

It was an exciting day up at Winter Park.  After finishing 5th in the first slalom at winter park yesterday I was able to build off of the strong feelings and come up with the victory today.  It was a tough race with a deep field, especially with the hot young French skier Fanara present.  Interestingly enough the Winter Park Nor-Am venue back in 2003 was my break through race that allowed me to travel with the Canadian World Cup team to europe giving me my first shot at the Europa Cup Circuit.   Once again Winter Park treated me well.  Thank you to all the medical staff who got me back on snow in great condition.

Dates to look for:
Tchagguns FIS slalom - December 3rd and 4th
Bad Kleinkirchheim World Cup SL - December 9th