NEWS
November 25th, 2007 - Training Going Well
The last few weeks I have been amping up the intensity of training for this weeks slalom races in Keystone. My focus right now is to get my hips up and forward more than last season. This will allow me to release my turns better like I was so good at a few years ago. As requested, I have put up some video of my recent training in Canada. Nakiska/Norqway Training Video
November 16th, 2007 - Reiteralm Skipped - Training in Canada
The medical staff and I decided it best to take a little extra time before beginning competition. Crossing off Reiteralm Slalom from the calendar, we decided to
take an extra couple of weeks of training and begin racing late November at the Nor-Am competitions. I am in Nakiska, Alberta training at the moment and will move over to Norqway for a few days before heading south. I am undecided whether I will be competing in early season GS races until I can get more days of training under me.
Dates to look for:
Keystone Nor-Am Slalom - November 28th and 29th
Bad Kleinkirchheim World Cup SL - December 9th
October 11, 2007 - Scope done on Knee / Camp Greene gets Dumped on!
After a week of pain free skiing in Farnham, my injured knee took a turn for the worse. The team
doctors and I decided it best to get the minor surgery done before the season. I had the scope of
my lateral meniscus done at the civic hospital by Dr. Liew on Wednesday. Recovery seems to be
going well. Seven hours after the scope I was on the bike getting the joint moving. I hope to be
ready to ski in three week to prepare for Levi. As seen below, over a meter of snow has fallen
within a week at the base of Farnham glacier.
Dates to look for:
Soelden World Cup GS - October 28th
Levi World Cup SL - November 11th (my first race)
October 1, 2007 - Farnham Glacier
Training is going well up on the glacier during our first week of fall training. Earlier this summer I had a scare when I crashed training Giant Slalom in Argentina. I suffered a mild second-degree tear of my MCL, bone bruise, and torn lateral meniscus. I am happy to report that the recovery has been speedy through intensive physio, and no surgery will be necessary
at this point in time. Up in the tented city of Camp Greene there have been
some improvements making life a little easier at 2100m. Some of these
include TV and video room, updated internet routers, and 3 new waxing
trailers. I will remain at Farnham until the 17th of October, at which point I will be off for two weeks before heading to Finland for the first
World Cup Slalom in Levi.
August 9, 2007 - Striking Gold in the South American Cup
Patrick kicked off the season with two podiums in Argentina at the south
american cup races in Ushuaia. Patrick won the slalom on Wednesday and was
third in the giant slalom on Tuesday.
"I am excited at how the races went. The two races fell on only the second
and third day on snow down in south america. The conditions were a little
rough, and it was hard to find a good balance on my skis. I was able to
take a big lead in the first run of the slalom, and then hold off team mate
Paul Stutz and British racer Noel Baxter in the second run. The races were
a great start to our camp down here. We will be training here in Ushuaia
until the 24th of August. It was sad leaving summer back in Canada, but the mountains down here are incredible, and the training excellent."
August 1, 2007 - Summer Dryland Comes to an End
The Canadian Team has just finished its final summer dryland training camp in Mt. Tremblant. For the eastern athletes, there were three dryland camps in Tremblant over the summer and one in whistler. The camps ran Monday to Friday during which time athletes would meet twice a day for two to three-hour sessions. I always get asked what I do for dryland training. Mostly it consists of a lot of squats, a lot of power lifting, a lot of biking, jumping, running, stretching, and rolling; pretty basic stuff. On the road skiing, the intensity of dryland goes down and switches to maintenance work. We will resume full dryland training upon our return from Argentina in September.
The different teams will now split up into their respective training groups heading to different ski areas. I will be heading down to Ushuaia on the 2nd of August with the men's world cup technical team.
July 19th, 2007 - Tommy and Lefebvre Warehouse Sale
Patrick was recently spotted at the opening of the Tommy and Lefebvre summer warehouse sale on Lancaster Road. Apparently the deals were so hot, even Patrick had to check them out, despite getting his skis for free! The warehouse sale will continue until labour day weekend. Visit tandl.com for more details.
June 15th, 2007 - Back on the glacier in Farnham
Patrick returned to his skis after a few weeks of rest and dryland training in Whistler. Patrick was joined by new technical head coach Wolfi Erharter and new technical coach Kip Harrington. "It was great to work with these new guys! They brought a lot of basics back into my skiing. I think this will be very benificial as the year moves on. It was a little disappointing to see Mika [head tech coach last season] leave. He taught me a lot, and will be missed by all of us." Patrick will be doing dryland training until the next ski camp in Argentina beginning in August.
May 25th, 2007 - Tour de New Hampshire
Due to university commitments, Patrick was not able to attend the Canadian Ski Team Tour of Champions from Lake Louise to Whistler. To make up for lost training, Patrick took part in his own tour where he rode six straight days through the towns and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. The longest day was recorded at over eighty miles. "I was a little disappointed that with the scheduling of the tour de champions, I could not attend. It would have been quite an experience! I did my best to fill in my schedule with the appropriate training. It worked out really well for me as I could adjust my rides based of how I was feeling that day. I was also fortunate to have some great classmates to ride with. Evan Weiss (ex US ski team member, NCAA champ) was a big help in getting me over some of the larger peaks, and pushed me a lot."
May 20th, 2007 - Volkl Ski Testing
Patrick was able to take a break from university at Dartmouth College to test the 2008 Volkl skis in beautiful British Columbia. The camp was ten days long taking place in Whistler and at Panorama. He was excited to find a model of slalom skis to his liking. "I'm feeling really confident on the new skis. I was a little concerned when FIS changed the regulations on ski width and how it would effect the skis performance. Luckily with a few nifty mods we were able to make the as fast as last years skis. I'm also really excited about the GS ski. It's a big improvement from years past, and a move in the right direction for Volkl."
April 1st, 2007 - Nor-Am Success
Patrick finished his year with strong results in the Nor-Am competitions in Panorama. Of the four races, Patrick finished on the podium three times, falling in the fourth. With his strong finishes in the slalom disciplines, he was able to capture a third place overall finish in the Nor-Am slalom title behind Cody Marshall and Tim Kelly of the USA.
February 17, 2007 - 9th Place! The Tommy & Lefebvre World Champs Recap
Things all went well at yesterday's slalom. I felt confident coming into
the race after a week of excellent training here in Are. Conditions were
far from perfect with flat light, aggressive snow, and a long course causing
many DNF's in both runs. I was fortunate to have grown back the lucky
moustache for the championships which brought me good luck. Thanks to all
my sponsors, friends, and family for your support. I head to Garmish and
Kranjska Gora for two World Cup slalom's before returning to Canada.
Click here for a post race interview with Patrick
February 7, 2007 - Arrival at the World Championships
After competing in a couple of giant slalom FIS races following Schladming,
I returned to my appartment in Innsbruck for some time off. I took this
time to get re-energized and do some weight lifting. I noticed a
significant loss of strength and energy after being sidelined for three
weeks. I have arrived in the northern land of Sweden today, stopping over
in two countrys on the way (Holland, and Norway). The weather here is cold
and sunny, -20 degrees celcius. The slopes look good, and I will begin
training tomorrow morning. I will have to qualify amongst the other
Canadians to compete in the GS, but have a secured spot in the slalom on the 17th. Thank you for your messages of support!
January 28, 2007 - Back in Action!
Saturday and Sunday World Cup slaloms marked the first
races back after being sidelined for three weeks. The time resting at home
without excercise was noticed while on the race course with fatigued legs.
The two races were good for getting some feelings back which I will need for
the next World Cup in Schladming this Tuesday. Despite skiing much better
in the second slalom, I missed the cut for the second run by half a second. problems on the upper section were to blame. After schladming I will be staying in europe where I will train and race preparing for the World Championships in Are.
January 23, 2007 - New Race and Training Videos
With Patrick temporarily sidelined, the news has been a little slow for a typical January. To keep you going, we have put up some video of Patrick's early season training and racing. Click on Media to check them out.
January 10, 2007 - Thanks to Camp Fortune Ski Club for your continued support
After hearing about Pat's mishap in Sunday River (see below), his home club put together a nice fruit basket full of healthy goodness to help him get back onto the hill as quickly as possible. Here is a picture of Patrick with the gift.
January 9, 2007 - “Play it Cool” – Going Carbon Neutral
Twenty years ago the World Cup Circuit took place on all natural snow. Today, the classic race courses of Europe are struggling to hold there World Cup races even with huge advances in snow making equipment that can make snow at above freezing temperatures. Glaciers that have remained plentiful with snow for hundreds of years are disappearing within a few decades. What might not be so evident to the average Joe is crystal clear to a ski racer. Global warming is canceling our races and crippling our sport. There’s no denying it, carbon in the atmosphere is greater today than at any point in the earth’s history. History has shown that when carbon increases in the atmosphere, so does it’s temperature. What we are witnessing now is just the beginning of what could possibly come. Don’t let alternatively motivated global warming ‘deniers’ convince you otherwise without taking a look for yourself.
I sincerely urge you to investigate the issue of global warming by viewing the Al Gore documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, recently promoted and discussed on the Oprah Winfrey Show. An excellent and recently released book, HEAT - How to Stop the Planet From Burning by British author George Monbiot, is a must read.
It is imperative that we recognize that we are duty bound as stewards of this earth to pass to our children and our children's children a healthy planet. “Global warming threatens the winter sports we love and that help define us as a nation,” says Thomas Grandi. “If we continue business as usual, we’re going to lose that cultural identity and all the recreational opportunities that go with it.”
I have recently been making many lifestyle changes to try and reduce the amount of energy consumption and emissions I release into our precious atmosphere, but since chasing my dreams requires me to travel the world, I have decided carbon credits are the best way for me to make a difference in reducing global emission (air travel is a major emitter of greenhouse gas). Here's how it works: if you add polluting emissions to the atmosphere, you can effectively subtract them by purchasing 'carbon offsets'. Carbon offsets are simply credits for emission reductions achieved by projects elsewhere, such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency projects. By purchasing these credits, you can apply them to your own emissions and reduce your net climate impact.
With the initiative of Thomas Grandi and his wife Sara Renner, we have been in contact with the David Suzuki Foundation who sells high quality carbon offsets. It would cost each person on our World Cup Team approximately $530.00 to offset 20 tons of carbon emissions. That takes into account three flights to Europe plus one to South America, 3500 km in a VW Diesel Van and 150 nights in hotels. The price the David Suzuki has assumed for the offsets is the going price for Gold Standard offsets, which go through a rigorous verification process to ensure they do what they are intended to.
Will you take the challenge? Reduce, and what you can’t reduce, offset. Play it Cool!
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/play_it_cool.asp
Not sure how you can reduce? Visit these websites for more information:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/
http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/overview/
January 6, 2007 - A Shot to the Family Jewels
During the second run of the Nor-Am race in Sunday River, Maine, I ran into a problem at the bottom of the course (literally speaking). As I was trying
to run out the line of the final few gates of Tuesday's Giant Slalom, my
line slipped a little too far, causing me to straddle the final gate of the
course. Despite getting my hands up to block the initial impact, the flag
did not release from the gate as it should have, catching me between the
legs. After an ambulance ride to the ER and a miss-diagnosis by the US
doctors I returned to Canada hoping to fly to Europe the next day.
Unfortunately complications arose at which point I returned to Ottawa. I
was admitted to the Civic Hospital on the 5th, more tests were done, and I
was diagnosed with a ruptured left testicle which was operated on the night
of the 5th. I am glad to say I still have two living family members between
my legs, but unfortunately I will be out of racing for a minimum of three
weeks. This comes at a bad time of the year with four of the classic slalom
races being bunched together in January. The positives are to look at
careers of athletes like Thomas Grandi and Alois Volg who did not experience
World Cup victories until after the age of 30. Despite this untimely
setback, there are many races still to come in my young career.
January 1 , 2007 - Happy New Year
Patrick was home for the holidays and there are a few new pictures up on the media page now from his training session at Camp Fortune. He is now headed to the Nor Am GS races in Sunday River prior to heading back to Europe for some more World Cup races.
December 24, 2006 - Christmas Update
I've just returned home from Europe for Christmas. I recently competed in my first World Cup Giant Slalom races in Alta Badia and Hinterstauder. Despite having good sections in both races, I was unable to qualify for a second run. The races were good experience, and a good marker for knowing where my GS has to go. The Slalom in Alta Badia was a dissapointment for me. Warm weather made for unfavourable conditions for the later numbers. I was skiing well on the top section before loosing my footing and skiing backwards through a hairpin (putting me a few seconds back at the first split). I will regroup at some GS Nor-Ams in Sunday River, Maine before flying back to Europe to race in Adelboden, Switzerland. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Hope to see you around the slopes in Ottawa.
Patrick
December 17, 2006 - Patrick competes in his first World Cup GS in Alta Badia
Although it ended in a DNF, Patrick had his first taste of World Cup GS today in Italy. Following some very strong GS skiing in training, he earned himself a starting spot among the very strong Canadian Team, showing that he is more than just a Slalom skiier. Make sure to watch Patrick compete in tomorrows World Cup Slalom in Alta Badia.
December 5, 2006 - Movember Update
Entering the new month of December brought me bad luck in Beaver Creek. Was it really the new month or just something missing that had been a part of me for the past month? As many people had notice though the month of November I had been growing a moustache to raise awareness for mens health and raise money for prostate cancer. I was introduced to the Movember program from Aussie team mate Jono Brauer (www.movember.com.au, Mo being short for moustache). The moustache had brought me good luck in Levi and through the Nor-Ams in Keystone. Not realizing it would alter my performance those next few days, it was promptly shaved off on December first before the race in Beaver Creek. Maybe I should have just kept it going for the rest of the year. Maybe it had nothing to do with my Beaver Creek DNF, which claimed 32 of 70 racers in the first run of the slalom. But one thing I won't miss with the moustache gone is the thick layer of ice that builds up when flying down a mountain in negative twenty-five degree temperature.
The technical team will do some training in Norquay for a couple of days before heading to europe. Hopefully there will be some snow there apon arrival! I am scheduled to race in two europa cups before competing in Alta Badia Slalom on the 18th.
December 1, 2006 - Website Down Nov. 29 and 30 - Why we are happy!
You might have noticed that patbiggs.com was down Nov. 29 and 30th. We apologize for the outage due to exceeding our bandwidth and are working with our host to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Although having a website down is not normally a good thing, we are also drawing on the positive here. November was by far the busiest month ever for patbiggs.com, and the season is just getting started. So thank you for visiting the site and we will continue to work hard to bring you Patrick's latest news and updates.
November 31, 2006 - Patrick puts in some great runs at the Nor-Am Cup Opener
Each year the Nor-Am Cup series kicks off in Colorado with a nearly world cup field as everyone is trying to get set for the North American World Cup tech races. Patrick once again put in some solid runs, showing he is looking strong again this year. In the first day of GS, he threw down a quick second run, placing 3rd on the run. Then he kicked off the slalom by winning the first run and ending up in 3rd overall. The second day of slalom Patrick finished just off the pace set by team-mate Michael Janyk to end up third in the first run. Following a second course that got very rough for the leaders following a top 30 flip, Patrick moved back slightly, ending up just .13 of a second off the podium. With good finishes at the Nor-AM and a strong race in the World Cup opener, Patrick is looking forward to Sundays World Cup Slalom.
November 12, 2006 - Patrick places 19th in World Cup Opener
Benjamin Raich won both runs in Levi, showing that he is once again the man to beat this year. From bib 53, Patrick put in a solid 19th place finish scoring some points, helping move himself closer to once again regaining a top 30 ranking in the world. It was a strong day for the Canadian Team with Janyk and Grandi finishing 7th and 8th respectively. Stutz unfortunately just missed qualifying for the second run finishing 31st on the first leg.
November 10, 2006 - New Pictures and the World Cup Season Kicks Off This Weekend
There are some new photos in the media section from the recent training camp at the Farnham Glacier. (Farnham pictures and building the Inukshuck) In addition to this, the World Cup starts up again this weekend with a set of male and female slalom races held in Finland. Patrick will be racing on Sunday, so make sure that you sign the guestbook and wish him good luck.
October 30, 2006 - The Final Pre-season Camp Update
On the 18th of October I flew over to Europe where I drove ten hours from
the Munich airport to Tignes, France. We were greeted with bad weather and
a foot of snow. This was not good news for me having qualifying for the GS
in Solden only a few days away; soft snow not being my strong suit. In the
first heat of qualifying I was sitting in 6th of 7 spots open for the race.
After falling in the first run of the second heat of qualifying, then making
a big mistake in the second run, I moved back to 8th position. I was upset
having missed the opportunity to qualify for the first World Cup of the
season. A day later I heard that the race would be canceled due to warm
weather and unfavorable snow conditions in Solden. The glaciers in europe
have taken a big hit over the past few years from global warming. Despite
the best coarse preparations, a World Cup GS can not be run in forcasted
seventeen degree Celsius weather.
I have moved into my new apartment in Innsbruck which I will be sharing with
team mates Mike Janyk, Thomas Grandi, and Australian Jono Brauer. (See
pictures) I will be training nearby Innsbruck for the next week, before
heading to Moltal, Austria for the final training block before leaving for
Levi, Finland for the first World Cup slalom.
October 13, 2006 - New 2006/2007 Season Website
patbiggs.com just recieved a facelift in preparation for the new season. The core of the site remains much the same with its easy to navigate layout, however the backgrounds of the pages are now quite different. Although last years site with the beach theme was a good portrayal of Patrick's personality, many people didn't understand the connection to ski racing. On this years home page we have brought that beach theme to the mountains. The pictures this year are also not only slalom skiing . . . . after some great summer training, it looks like Patrick will be a strong contender in GS this year as well as Slalom. Anyways, hope you all like the new site and please leave your comments in the guestbook.
October 13, 2006 - Farnham Glacier Training Camp Update
I just returned from two weeks at the immaculate Farnham glacier in beautiful
British Columbia. Farnham glacier for those of you who don't know is a project
started by the Canadian Olympic Development Association located near Panorama
BC, designed for summer training of the alpine disciplines. We were probably one
of the luckiest teams on the world cup circuit to have conditions like we did
here in our home country. We had rock hard ice to train on and test skis while
many other teams struggled to find glaciers in Europe that were operational.
Although the Farnham glacier is not as developed as some of the European
glaciers, we had everything necessary to perform at our best. We were lodged in
a village of tents, only a few minutes drive from the base of a glacier, which
in some sections is over a hundred feet deep. A logging road put in earlier in
the year provided access most of the way to our remote camp, with the final
section put in with the generous donation of the Greene family and
CODA.
Camp Green consists of about 16 tents: One kitchen, one gym, two bathrooms, 3 service tents and the rest sleeping. The tents were made from a highly insulated material, and heated with electric heaters. Although we were isolated about 50 km drive from the closest town, we could stay in contact with satellite TV and Internet. Water was filtered from a nearby lake, and electricity generated from diesel generators. Future planning ideas are to install an enviro-friendly hydro-electricity station to power the camp and operations.
Conditions on the glacier were ideal for testing skis. I played with ski flex, boot canting, mounting position, binding height and ramp angle until I found something that I felt comfortable with. I have been working hard with my suppliers to find the fastest setup for this season.
One of the more interesting activities that took place over the two weeks was a team building session organized by certain team members including myself. We decided to build an inookshuk (the symbol of the 2010 games) to look over our camp and guide us towards Vancouver 2010. He stands about seven feet tall, on top of a nearby peak. It took the entire team to hoist the giant rocks into place. It was a momentous occasion when we raised the final head stone on top of the shoulders.
September 14, 2006 - New Summer Training Video
We have just posted a couple of Patrick's runs from his training camp this summer. Check it out in the media section of the website.
August 31, 2006 - Update from Summer Training
The Canadian Team has undergone many changes in the past few months. My coach from last season Dusan Grasic has moved from the hill to the office at Alpine Canada where he has taken the position of Max Gardener as Program Director. Remaining with the Technical team from last year are coaches Mark Gagnon and Johnny Crichton. Joining us is head Technical coach Mika Gustafsson from Sweden. Mika has recently been coaching with the Norwegians team, and previously with the Swedes. He has been a great addition to the coaching staff, bringing new ideas, and new philosophies.
I am happy to announce that I have re-signed with Volkl for another two seasons. I have been working hard in South America to find a new setup on the Volkl's that will make my skiing faster and more stable. Added to my equipment setup this year are handbuilt Slytech shinguards (www.slytech.it) and the Booster strap (www.skimetrix.com).
We arrived in Argentina for the first training camp on the 15th of August. We traveled much farther than usual, heading to the most southern city in the world, Ushaia. The town of 70,000 people is host to two cruise ships a day during the summer months on their voyage to Antartica. The mountain we skied at was called Cerro Castor (beaver hill). Being Canadians, we found this a little odd traveling all the way to the southern tip of Argentina to find a hill named after the beaver. But, like sheep out numbers the New Zealand people, 200,000 beavers outnumber the people of the southern island of Argentina. The beaver was introduced to the island for its fur, and without any natural predators, the beaver has continued to multiply.
The lower latitude in South America allowed us to train at a much lower elevation. At 300 meters above sea level, we were able to get in lots of training with out feeling the effects usually associated with summer training at 3000 meters. During the first half of the camp in Ushaia we focused on the technical disciplines of Slalom and Giant Slalom. The hills were excellent and the snow was some of the best I have seen for summer training. Despite being on the ends of the earth, we were not alone. Joining us at Cerro Castor were the Swiss and French men, and the Croatians and Italian Women.
After 10 days of skiing in Ushaia, we packed our bags and made the two day journey to Portillo, Chile. Here we have joined up with the Canadian Speed team where we will combine both speed and technical training. The first thing we noticed upon arrival was the altitude. At 3000 meters, doing up your shoelace can be quite a task. Our first day here today we spent the morning training GS, and the rest of the day testing out some of the jumps on the speed track. I must say the downhill boys are lucky. Training GS doesn't exactly give you the same thrills as jumping off two and a half meter jumps flying 40-60 meters.
March 28, 2006 - 2nd at Canadian Championships Slalom
Patrick kicked things off the right way at the Canadian Championships, winning the first run by mere hundreds in a very competitive field of Canada's best. As conditions got soft in the second run, starting 30th Patrick took 3rd in the run, good enough to take second overall behind Michael Janyk.
March 17, 2006 - 3rd Overall in NorAM Slalom Standings
Patrick finished off with a 2nd and a 3rd at the NorAM Finals Slalom in Panorama. These results were good enough to move him into 3rd overall for the season.
March 3, 2006 - Olympic Update
My Olympic Experience
Our training leading up to the games
Following the World Cup Slalom in Schladming, I returned home for some much needed rest. It had been three months since I had last been in Ottawa. Home cooked meals, American TV, and my own bed to sleep in were the most gratifying things I had experience in a long time. I returned to Europe
refreshed and ready to begin training again. I spent four days at a world class athletic facility in Salzburg, Austria where I hit the weights to
regain some quickness which I had lost over the past months.
Our team proceeded to a hidden training paradise which our coach had scouted
out in December. At first glance Gressoney looked like any ordinary small
Italian ski town. But the locals, who bent over backwards for us made it
the best training of the year. The small resort with a world class hill,
closed off one of it's two runs for our exclusive use. We hosed it down
with so much water, that the town lost water pressure for hours. Despite
using all the towns water, they continued to show support for a Canadian
Team that they considered there own. Locals would gather at the bottom of
the hill and cheer us on with cameras by there sides, Canadian flags were
raised all over town, and the local gym would open early for us in the
afternoon. Even the town Mayor invited us for cheese and preccuto at his
home. Now the hill glazing with ice, we began our training. Because the
chair did not got to the top of the training hill, the Italian Forestry
Division opened there services to use by shuttling us up in snowmobiles, and
then using the winch of a snow cat we were towed up the final pitch which
was too steep for the snowmobiles.
With two weeks to spare, I decided to take a step back to leap two steps
forward. I simplified my skiing and went back to the basics. Immediately I
was back on form, winning the majority of my runs against the other Canadian
Olympic team members. I had not won a training run since August. *and look
out, I was even winning runs in GS.
I was posting some lightning times, my back and hip were feeling better
every day, and therefore my confidence was growing. Because Mike Janyk and
I were not racing the GS at the Olympics, we headed to Medessimo for some
Europa Cups as warm up on the 21st and 22nd. Things couldn't have gone
worse. I DNF'd the GS which was the qualifier for the World Cup GS in
Korea, and I was so far back it the Slalom, that I didn't end up racing the
second run. Mike who I had been head to head with in the previous weeks
ended up 2nd in the slalom and 9th in the GS.
Arriving In Sestriere
When I arrived in Sestriere at the Olympic Village, I was nervous about how
things would turn out after my poor showing at the Europa Cups. I tried to
put aside thoughts about the previous races and drilled it in my head that
my poor performance was due to bad light and soft snow. I had trouble
sleeping the first two nights. My mind was racing about what I would have
to focus on to perform my best. Little did I realize that falling asleep
would probably be the best thing I could do. Despite my mental unrest, I
was feeling good. I felt rested and sharp.
In the weeks preceding I had talked a lot with teammate Mike Janyk regarding
the Olympics. Some of the biggest pressures at the Olympics come because
most think you only have one shot at it, one chance at Olympic glory. What
we realized was this wasn't the case. We were young, and we potentially had
three Olympics following this one. Thinking of all the opportunities ahead
of me helped me relax.
The day before the race there was free skiing scheduled on the race hill,
which I had never skied on in the past. Because of the heavy snowfall, the
skiing was canceled. Workers were busy preparing the hill for the race. My
first run down the hill would be the race. Instead we trained on the men's
GS hill, where conditions were icy. Immediately I felt comfortable, fast,
and confident. The one setback that day was cracking my race ski during
training, which were my favourite of the four pair that I travel with. Despite the damage to the ski, I decided to race with them anyways.
The Race
Being a night race as it was, it gave me more time than usual in the
morning. Which translated into more time to become nervous. What made me
nervous was not how I would perform, but rather I was nervous about how
nervous I would be in the start. Everyone has seen how some racers become
stiff and static in a big event. I was worried this would happen to me. I
had never been nervous at the start of a race, not even in a world cup, so I
didn't know what to expect.
I stood in the start, and realized thankfully, that I was fine. I was
actually really fired up. I focused pretty hard on some technical cues
until seconds before I had to go. I gave'r full gas. When I crossed the
finish line, I looked at the board for my time, which I couldn't find. They
had already switched the timer to the next racer. With a confused look I
headed for the testing area where they measured my boot and ski height.
While waiting for teammate JP Roy to come down they did a rundown of
leaders. I heard my name in tenth, and thought to myself, "right on!" I was
pretty stocked, and relieved at the same time. It's been a while since I'd
actually made it down an injected race without screwing up or blowing out.
I was feeling pretty good about the second run set by the Croatian Coach.
The first set was a little too turny for my liking, especially down the
lower section across the flats. The second course was straight and fast,
just how I like it. It was one of those courses that you look at during
inspection and give yourself shivers thinking about how fast you could
potentially make it down in. The year earlier I had won the second run at
the World Championships on a course almost identical. It requires quick
feet, and a big set of balls between your legs (which most slalom skiers
don't have). My plan was to go big or go home. I new if I could make it
down the upper section without crashing I'd be golden for the transition
onto the flats which was my specialty. Unfortunately I crashed.
When I take a look back at an average run on World Cup, there are at least 5
gates where my tip will pass around by only a millimeter or two. In this
sport, sometimes the millimeters fall on the wrong side of the gate. The big
problem at the Olympics was the inconsistency of the ice on the hill. The
slalom race hill was injected with water weeks before the race. When heavy
snow started falling days before the slalom, organizers huseled to clear the
snow off the hill. But because the womens GS race came first and was
obviously the priority, snow was left for days on the slalom hill. Light
snow insulated parts of the hill making those sections softer and grippier,
while the exposed sections became harder and icier with the wind passing
over them. Even though the snow was cleared by the time of the race, the
ice was inconsistent and sections of the hill were scared by the groomers
and snow blowers. This made it incredible difficult for the racers to judge
where to start their turn and how much pressure to put on there skis. I
reckon this was the reason for so many DNF's in the race, especially on a
hill that is considered pretty flat for World Cup standards. Coming into
one of the gates on the pitch, my skis griped the snow too hard, causing
them to turn into the gate to sharply. My ski hooked the gate and sent me
in the air.
Sitting only 0.35 seconds behind the bronze medal finisher after the first
run, I was in a position to post a career best. Despite hooking a tip and
crashing in the second run, I am more excited than disappointed with the
outcome. I gave everything I could, and have no regrets from the whole
experience. If I could do everything over again, I'd do it exactly the
same. There's nothing worse than finishing and thinking, what if I gave it
just a little more? Knowing that you gave it your all is often the most important thing.
and here's to Vancouver 2010 where I'll have the home hill advantage!!
Cheers
January 2, 2006 - Patrick's Christmas Update
Happy New Year to everyone! If you haven't already heard, I spent the
holidays over in Europe. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with Thomas
and some of his family in Trieste for a couple of days. Trieste is one of the
prettiest places I've been in Europe, and definitely worth the visit. Christmas,
we spent in Salzburg. I've posted some pics of what the holidays were like away
from home. (Media section)
Thanks for all your comments in my guestbook. They are much appreciated.
Well it's been a good start to the season with the best to come. I've been lobbying to try and get more Technical races shown on TV at home, maybe at least one slalom. If you're interested in seeing more slalom races, write to the networks and let them know what you think. The Olympics will have full coverage. Look for me on the 25th of February. I will try and get some footage of the World Cup races posted on my website.
I wish everyone the best in the new year.
Patrick
January 1, 2006 - Happy New Years!
Well 2005 was a pretty fantastic year for Patrick and with his first Olympics coming up in just over a month, 2006 should be even better! Make sure to check out the Media section of the website for some new pictures from Christmas and the early season races.
December 12, 2005 - World Cup Slalom #2 - Madonna di Campiglo, ITA
Patrick was once again in the top 30 on a day where the Canadian mens team had another strong race. Patrick finished in 20th behind teammates Thomas Grandi in 4th and Michael Janyk in 12th. This finish places Patrick in 17th in the season slalom standings and moves him into sole position of 22nd on the World Cup starting list. Up next for Patrick are some Europa Cup technical races followed by the World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on Decmber 22.
December 4, 2005 - Season Opening World Cup Slalom - Beaver Creek, USA
It didn't take Patrick very long to score World Cup points this year. After finishing 20th in his first run, Patrick put in a solid final leg to move up, finishing 14th in the opening World Cup slalom.
November 30, 2005 - Season Opening Nor-Am SL - Keystone, CO
Patrick finished 6th in the slalom season opener of the Nor-Am series in Keystone, Colorado. As usual, most of the World Cup competitors are using this race as a final preparation for the World Cup to be held this weekend at Beaver Creek, so he definatley has some serious competition. Patrick will be racing another Nor-Am slalom tomorrow, then he is off to Beaver Creek for the World Cup.
November 27, 2005 - New Headgear Sponsor - TELUS
Patrick is excited to announce TELUS as his headgear sponsor for the 2005/2006 season. Check out his new helmet complete with the TELUS logo in the media section.
November 13, 2005 - Patrick's Skiing Tips
Patrick has learned a lot of skiing tricks on his road to the World Cup, so in his new series, "Tip of the Day", he will share some of them with you. His first tip is now online! A new one will be posted every couple of days, so make sure to check back often so you don't miss any!
November 12, 2005 - Fall Training Update
The season is well under way. I have arrived in Calgary to find freezing temperatures and snow on the ground. Only three weeks away, I will be taking my first push out of the starting blocks in Colorado. I had an excellent camp in Europe, coming home for only two weeks before departing again. We skied in Soelden, Pitztal, Hintertux, and four days at an indoor ski hill in Botrop, Germany. The one bonus with skiing indoors is that you wake up in the morning and look out the window, and realize that it makes no difference what the weather is outside. Conditions... machine groomed ice, about -5 degrees, fluorescent lighting. Not bad. Although after a day or two inside, we realized how nice it is to ski outside. The flat slope got boring, the carpet escalator became tiring, and the billboards lining the walls became old. None the less it was an incredible experience.
After the storms passed and we moved to skiing outdoors, the weather and conditions were incredible. We spent a lot of time chasing the hard snow all over Austria, changing locations four times. But it was worth it. I had some great days, and was able to get a lot of ski testing done that I was not able to do in Chile because of the soft snow. I'm out in Nakiska now. Today had to be canceled because of winds in excess of 140km/h at the peak. Hopefully things will die down for tomorrow.
October 29, 2005 - New Guestbook - Go sign it!
Patrick's Guestbook is now online. This provides a great way of saying hi to Patrick. It also offers anyone a chance to ask him any questions that they might have. So what are you waiting for, go sign the Guestbook now!
September 21, 2005 - Summer Training Camp Update
Now training with the Canadian World Cup Technical Team, I have just returned from our first on snow training camp which took place in Chile. We spent the first two weeks in a resort overlooking Santiago called El Colorado, and another two weeks in a resort bordering Argentina in the South called Termas de Chillan.
The first thing I noticed upon arrival was that I was not the only Canadian spending summertime in the snowy mountains of Chile. Along for the training were Ontario, Quebec, and BC Provincial teams, NCO, Ottawa Ski Club and several other club teams. I think we can all agree that it was a great venue for training and a super camp! If you can believe it we were blessed with too much snow! How could you imagine this being a bad thing? Well, it made for some soft snow conditions for a good block of time, making it harder to train technical events with a full group under good conditions. But you can never complain after seasons when snow is so scarce that you’re dodging rocks. The bonus of too much snow is of course powder days!!! Yeee haaa!! Over waist deep one day! Now you’re wishing you were there.
Well it was not all powder skiing, some rain and cold weather lead to some of the best summer conditions you could imagine. These conditions motivated our coaches to ski extra long days (up to 15 full length slalom runs), leaving us exhausted and begging for a day off. Our motivation to keep going came from a local dog, which we nick-named ‘ Forest’, after Forest Gump, who would run up then down the hill at the same speed as us. We figured if he could do it, we could too!
During the middle of the camp during the largest snow fall, incredible rain fell into the valleys below us causing large amounts of flooding throughout Santiago and many other parts of Chile. We had planned on taking a train after leaving El Colorado to Chillan, but one of the railway bridges had been bent from the forces of the overflowing river. Other transportation via bus had to be arranged. We made it safe non the less, even when squeezing 14 athletes and coaches into a van the size of a Dodge Caravan down a windy mountain road through a blizzard. The driver assured us that he had been doing it for 40 years, and yes, it was more than likely the same van that he was driving 40 years ago.
Once again it was a great experience in Chile. I had some great training and the coaches and I are pleased with how I am looking coming into the season. My next camp is scheduled for October 4 th-23 rd in Soelden, Austria. Right now I am at home in my final building block of dryland going into the season. Check out my photos under the media section.
All the best,
Pat
August 4, 2005 - Summer Update
So you must wonder what I am up too for the summer eh? Well, here’s a quick rundown of what’s been happening. After the season finished at the end of March, I began my 5th term of University at Dartmouth College located in beautiful New Hampshire. With my engineering degree well underway, I entered into a design and implementation course. Paired with a team of 4, we were able to design & build a revolutionary roller ski for Nordic skiers. Our team won the Phillip R. Jackson Sciences Prize for our accomplishment for the top project for the term. It was a lot of fun working on this project considering for the past two years I’ve been crunching through calculus and physics equations.
After University got out in early June, I went for a short trip down under to my birthplace, Australia. Most of the trip was spent visiting family and friends around the Melbourne area. But at the end of my trip I couldn’t leave without tearing up the waves on the Gold Coast of Australia. I’m not much of a surfer, but I’m catching on.
We began training early for the coming season. We were back on snow in Panorama, BC, at the end of April, and began dryland training in early May. We spent a fairly large amount of time at Mt. Tremblant, Quebec, where our dryland camps for the eastern athletes would take place. For the rest of my training, I am at home in Ottawa at the Athletic Conditioning Center. Our dryland training consists largely of weight lifting, running, biking, quickness training, explosive jumping, and a lot of flexibility. Five days a week you can find me in the gym, on my bike or out on the field for most of the day getting physically ready for our next camp on snow. The Technical Team heads off to Chile on the 14th of August, where we will spend 2 weeks in El Colorado, then two weeks in Termas de Chillan.
Other than training, I spend my time golfing, eating, and playing guitar (which I am slowly getting better at). Take a look at my pictures to see some cool shots from my trip to Australia and more.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Patrick
July 13, 2005 - New Website
The new website has just been launched. I hope you like the look, It is still a work in progress but is functional enough now to put up. Look for my 2006 schedule and some more pictures and video appearing online over the next couple of weeks.
April 9, 2005 - Patrick Biggs “Home Coming Ski Day” at Camp Fortune
All Racers from across the National Capital and Outaouias are invited to Camp Fortune to meet, ski, and train slalom with Patrick Biggs.
Patrick is from Camp Fortune and is the current reigning Canadian 2005 Slalom Champion. Patrick’s accomplishments this season include several Europa Cup Victories, Two 10th place World Cup Finishes, and 9th in the World Championships.
This is a great opportunity for all racers in the Region to meet and see one of the best Slalom Skiers in the World.
Time: 9 to 11:30 Slalom Gate Training on Skyline
Followed by a BBQ and Live Music
March 20, 2005 - Patrick wins the National Championships
Patrick Biggs from Ottawa stole the show, winning his first career national title and concluding a successful season. The first day of spring was marked by the first men’s technical events at Mont-Sainte-Anne. The warm sun and the increasing temperatures allowed the fans to enjoy an exciting show, which showcased top skiers battling soft snow on the Beauregard piste. Three of the 98 racers made it onto the podium, namely Patrick Biggs, Michael Janyk and Paul McDonald.
Full Story
February 12 , 2005 - World Championships
Pat Biggs from the Ottawa Ski Club, who qualified for his first-ever World Championships after clinching two top 10 World Cup results and winning three Europa Cup slalom races this season, was aiming for a top 15 result today. But the World Cup rookie surpassed even his own expectations!
Full Story
January 9, 2005 - Rookie Patrick Biggs produces fastest second run to place 10th in first career World Cup race
Skiing in his first World Cup race ever, Canadian rookie Patrick Biggs delivered the fastest second leg to finish a stunning 10th in a men’s slalom in Chamonix on Sunday.
Full Story
January 2, 2005 - First update of the year!
Seasons Greetings to all,
It’s been a busy fall of skiing and racing, with 11 races and countless days of training. The hard work in training has paid off. I had my two career best results last week in the Czech Republic where I won two slaloms on the Europa cup circuit. It was a real thrill for me, almost an unexpected one in some aspects. I had been skiing really well in training, winning time trials against the entire tech team in Panorama. I had also won a FIS slalom in Italy a week earlier, but winning was something unheard of by a Canadian in a Europa Cup race. In Europe, the Europa Cup circuit is the building block for the World Cup. A stacked field of World Cup skiers, and young up and comers fight it out to gain entry into World Cup races. A quick example of how deep the field is would be my start number at a Europa Cup in Obereggan, ITA where I started 69. Being ranked 88th in the world, that would mean of the top 88 skiers in the world, only 19 were absent from the start. I had never made the flip (top thirty after first run) in a Europa Cup, so you could imagine what it would feel like coming down in Spindleruv, starting from the back of the pack in rough conditions coming down into 4th position. All week my coach, and technician were telling me that with the way I were skiing I could easily slide into the top 5. It was hard for me to believe until I actually did it. Second run with the reverse thirty, I was starting 27. Again starting in rough conditions, I was at an advantage to the leaders who had run on a smooth course in the first run, I already knew what the ruts were going to feel like. I charged again, making it down with only a 0.06 lead over teammate Paul Stutz. We waited at the finish for the arrival of the final three races, none of whom could match the times posted by the two Canadians. It was a one, two punch for Canada.
I can’t explain exactly how excited I am, not just for my results, but for the results of my teammates. Thomas Grandi with two World Cup GS wins, JP with a fifth place in Alta Badia, Mike Janyk and Ryan Semple both qualifying twice in World Cup slaloms. As Thomas Grandi put it, the Canadian team must be feeling on some scale what was felt by the Crazy Canucks when they were leading the world race. There is a feeling of confidence knowing that we can be the best in the world.
On the second day at Spindleruv I was brimming with confidence. Now starting in the first group, I came down with bib #5 in the first run into first place by over 3 seconds. A few racers towards the end of the first seed posted faster times, but still almost a second behind mine. I held on in the second run to win for the second day in a row. My coach was even more proud of me for dealing with the pressure of being the first run leader, and maintaining composure to win the race.
I’m back at home now for Christmas, spending time with family before I begin racing again at the Nor-am’s in Sunday River, and then to Europe to continue racing the Europa Cup (which I sit in second in the slalom standings), and into my first world cups! I am scheduled to race in both Chamonix and Wengen, both of which are not listed as being televised. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see most of you around over the holidays skiing at Camp Fortune as usual. I was down in Collingwood at the Blue mountain for some night slaloms to help support some of the local races here in Ontario. A little late, but… Merry Christmas, happy holiday, and a happy new year.
Cheers,
Pat
April 2004 - Patrick is officially named to the Canadian Team for 2004/05 season - Update #4
Greetings to all,
Well, I’ll get right to the good news… last week I was officially named to the Canadian Ski Team for the 2004/2005 ski season. I was pretty excited when I got the news and am really excited for the coming season! I’ll do a quick recap of the events since the last update. After a long training block at Camp Fortune with Vern Finckenstein in February I headed to Collingwood for a Pontiac Cup series which I was able to win three of the four races, failing to finish the fourth. I then headed to the nor-am finals in Tremblant. Despite skiing very well, I was only able to complete one of the four races on the demanding slopes of the flying mile. Despite having trouble finishing, I still felt confident and was pleased with posting some of the fastest times in the GS. We headed off to Mt. Ste Anne for a little training before the Canadian Championships. For the first time of the season I strapped on a pair of the long boards for a SG at Le Massif. Since it’s been almost a year and a half since I raced this event, I had to start in the back with all the youngens with bib # 110. To be honest, I don’t know how these 120lb kids can make it down going 90 km/h without there legs falling off in the huge ruts. Anyways, I ended up 29 th which was the fastest time around me by about 3 seconds. In the GS I had one of my best GS races of the year. I posted the third fastest time in second run to finish seventh overall. I had many congratulations from the Canadian team staff who I think are starting to realize I can ski more than just one event. In the slalom I disappointed when I straddled for the 4 th consecutive slalom. I was really looking for a top 3 finish, but fell victim to a problem that I had been experiencing for the past couple of weeks, cutting off the line too much. Despite the disappointing slalom result at nationals, I was able to score a 15 at spring series to go along with my best result of the year in the Sunday River Nor-Am (also a 15), which helped bring my overall FIS ranking down to 90 in the world. I would say that I had a rather successful year, not only in terms of my results, but also in what I learned about ski racing in general. I hope to take this added knowledge that I acquired this year back onto the slopes next season to continue improving both mentally and technically.
The Canadian Team have asked me to move out to Calgary for the summer after I complete my term at University here in Dartmouth. I will be working with Dave Ellis in Calgary, training out of the University of Calgary. We will be doing a variety of weights, cardio, gymnastics, etc. It would have been nice to stay in Ottawa for the off season, but the directors wanted all the athletes to be training together over the summer. A major focus on the team for the upcoming season is fitness, so they have designated a large portion of the summer months to conditioning. I will be on snow in the beginning of August at a location that has not been announced yet. We will return to the Farnham Glacier near Panorama Mountain Resort for 2-3 camps in the fall. As for now, I am training 5 days a week in the gym and on the bike while taking courses here at Dartmouth, trying to plug away at my engineering degree. I wish all the best to everyone. Thanks so much for all the support, it really makes all the difference. And a special thanks to my sponsors who made this year possible,
Tommy & Lefebvre
Camp Fortune / Mt. Ste. Marie
The National Capital Division
Zero G’s Orthotics & Footbeds [call 613 260-8255 for appointment]
Patrick Biggs
March 2004 - Back in Canada - Update #3
Hello!
After a month over in Europe, I’m back in Ottawa. After the Nor-Am races in Sunday River, I flew over to Munich, Germany, where we drove down to a small town in Austria called Turrach (home town of Men’s head coach Burkhard Schaffer) where we training for 2 days before heading off to our first races. The training was some of the best I had all season. The training was early morning from 7 till 9:30. I was interesting showing up to the hill in complete darkness. We would mount the lift and wait at the top stretching to a beautiful sunrise. By the time we were loosened up, the course would be set by the coaches who would have the challenge of setting the course in the dark. We drove down to Abetone, Italy (a nine hour drive) for our first races. After driving for three hours through the vineyards of Italy, we were wondering if there were any mountains this far south in Italy. Fortunately for us there were. Hurricane force winds (not quite) at the top of the mountain forced them to move the races to the flatter bottom section which was quite flat. The races went well, although in both second runs of the GS’s I made rather critical errors which cost me quite a bit of time. My best finish of the four races was a 9 th.
We drove back to Turrach for some more training. Lucky for us we made a quick stop off in Venice on the drive back to see the Canals and the other tourist attractions. An interesting experience despite the rain. Our next races were in Maria Alm, Austria. This area of Austria has some breathtaking mountains. It was dumping snow when we arrived and continued for two days, snowing about 2-3 ft. The first race was postponed a day due to the amount of snow they got. In the first race I crashed really hard after having really strong top section. After the crash I was considering not racing the next day due to a sore knee, but decided to go for it anyways. I ended up third that day having the fastest second run. This was probably the highlight race of the trip winning a bottle of champagne and a trophy speck ham (which they confiscated at the Canadian border on the trip home). A few of the us athletes from Glenn Thomsen met up with the Europa cup guys to head to Slovenia for a slalom. The race turned out not to be worth the 12 hours we spent driving in total. The hill could be compared to Allens Ally with a pitch of 5 slalom gates. I straddled in the first run, and made it back to the hotel to watch Kitzbuhel downhill (not at all planned, but was worth it to see Kristian Ghedina pull a spread eagle off the last jump going 130 km/h).
Our next races were in San Candido, Italy (right on the Austria border) . These races were quite interesting ones. They were run by the military, all the gate keepers, coarse workers were all Italian military men in camo suits. For the Slalom, which was a night slalom, instead of lifts to bring up for the start, they used military snow transport. These vehicles they used looked very similar to tanks without a turret. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride up, I’d recommend sticking with a chairlift for any of you organizing races in the future. I unfortunately went out of the course in the second run after being 8 th in the first run. Our final race of the trip was in Ravascletto. This super hill was the host to the World Junior Championship GS a few years back. Despite the warm weather the race went off very well. I skied very well and ended up as the top Canadian in 9 th. That would be the conclusion of my European trip. I’ll be back at home training locally until my next big races in Tremblant March 9-12 for the Nor-Am Finals. Shortly after will be the Canadian Championships at Mount Ste. Anne from March 19-24.
January 2004 - Update #2
Happy Holidays and all the best in the new year!
I was back in Ottawa now for the first time in two months over Christmas. It was great to be home after being away for so long. My trip to Europe went well. After flying into Munich we drove down to St. Jakob, Austria where I began my first races of the trip. If you haven’t seen the FIS website of the race schedule, I’ll fill you in. Europe was quite short on snow and if you looked down the website page of results, you would notice that over half of the races were being canceled or moved. Lucky for us, most of our races went ahead of schedule, only having 2 races canceled of the 8 planed. St. Jakob was a beautiful little hill in a town the size of old Chelsea. But almost every town in the mountains has it’s own little ski hill, often equipped with gondola’s and the works (but no ski lodges! Ski boots are put on in the parking lot) I scored my second best GS result ever in the first race finishing 23 rd after having a less than spectacular second run. That would be the last of the FIS races we would enter during our trip, it was all europa cups from there on in. We headed down to St. Vigilio, Italy for one GS. Starting 105 on man made snow without water injection caused it to be an extremely rough. With the conditions how they were, I was unable to qualify for the top 60 cut off. Ruts were knee deep in places and some rocks visible. We moved over to a ski hill in obberegan for one Knock-out format europa cup slalom race. The water injection set up extremely well, and the conditions were the best they could possibly be, even starting in the high 60’s. After skiing the top section well, I made a few costly errors from skiing to straight and was about 7 tenths of a second from qualifying for the second round of the knock-out (top 30). Our final races were at a little town called Danersbachwelt. We were staying a little inn at the top of a hill. The first night we arrived and couldn’t make it up the hill, so a friendly Austrian towed came tearing out of his barn and towed us up with his tractor. We opted to buy chains for the next ride up despite the generosity of the local Austrian. The two europa cup slalom races I failed to complete.
After returning home for a little over a week training at Camp Fortune with my old ski coach Vern Finckenstein, I headed down to the Sunday River Nor-Am Races. This was the second series of Technical Nor-Am races of the year. I couldn’t have asked for much better of a series. Conditions were excellent (hard grippy ice). In the first slalom I had my career result, finishing in 5 th place (second Canadian), scoring a FIS result of 15. Only a few small mistakes on the bottom section of the course in the second run were difference between coming down into 1 st place. The second day I had another good day finishing in 6 th and scoring a 20. Coming as a bit of a shock to me was my performance in the Giant Slalom on the second day. Starting 35 th, I came down into 16 th place after 1 st run (quite respectable). The second run was set extremely turny which gave most of the racers trouble. When I came down I was leading the run by almost a second and a half. I ended up winning the second run and finishing in 6 th place. Scoring a FIS result of 20, it was by far my best GS performance ever. The final day of GS I made a few mistakes and ended up 13 th and scoring my second best result of 30. Tomorrow I head off to Europe for 6 weeks to compete in some more europa cup races, and possibly a world cup.
Thanks again to all my sponsors:
Tommy & Lefebvre
Camp Fortune & Mont Ste Marie
2004 - First update of the year!
Greetings to All!
Believe it or not, it’s been a long season already with my first season with the Canadian Team. It all began this summer with two training camps at Farnham Glacier in British Colombia. This superb facility which was set up near panorama offered some of the best summer training I have ever had. Not to mention the we got to fly up to the Glacier in a Helicopter every day and get towed up by snow cats! The camps were very successful, I was keeping up with the fastest skiers in Canada, and even winning some runs in GS. Our next camp was in Mt. Hood, Oregon in late August. The hot summer took a serious toll on the Volcano’s snow field. Because of the lack of snow, we focused mostly on slalom. Unfortunately on the first day of training I hooked a tip in the slalom course and stained a few ligaments in my ankle. The injury put me on crutches for a few weeks. As soon as I got off my crutches I was in the operating room having a scheduled orthoscopic surgery on my lateral meniscus. It wasn't long until both were back on snow with both my ankle and knee doing well.
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