Scots on top at the Brits
April 8, 2009 on 12:08 pm | In Snowboarding | No Comments
I have just been at the British Snowboard and Free Ski Champs in Laax in Switzerland. The week was a busy one, with two different events held on each day, one ski and one snowboard.
The week was also a very successful one for the Scottish entrants in the contest and for the Spey Valley in particular. Bachory’s own Ben Kilner had a great Championships after competing on the World Cup Tour all season in preparation for next years Winter Olympics.
Ben won the men’s half pipe title in front of fellow GB team mates Dom Harrington and Dan Wakeham. Lesley McKenna made the halfpipe a double victory for the Scots winning the ladies halfpipe in front of fellow GB Team Ladies Kate Foster and Laura Hill.
Clare Hughes kept the dies up for Scotland in the ski halfpipe comp coming in a very credible 3rd place. Ben Kilner jumped on the podium again in the slopestyle comp coming in 3rd place and kept it rolling by winning the all out speed event of the Red Bull Home Run on the last day, for the second year in a row!
Lesley was also on the podium in the boarder X comp, coming in close behind the World number 5, Zoe Gillings to take second place while Clare Hughes claimed 2nd place in the skier Big Air.
In the other age categories the Scots also held strong. Stevie Trolland won the masters boarder X comp and Andrew Forewood won the junior boarder X and slopestyle events with Abi Dempster riding in to third place in the youth ladies slopestyle event.
Angus Leith also put out a strong performance in the pipe and slopestyle, just missing out on the medals in the pipe while Calum Andean had a big of a mishap in the boarder X on the first day and had to sit the rest of the week out as a spectator.
The Scottish riders are now heading home to ride in the Highlander Event on Cairngorm this coming weekend and in the Vans Dawn of the Shred comp the following weekend, also on Cairngorm. The conditions on Cairngorm look really good for this time of year and everyone is looking forward to a great couple of weeks riding at home.
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
Scottish Winter Park Time
March 23, 2009 on 10:25 pm | In Snowboarding, Uncategorized | No Comments
As Easter gets closer and the Easter storms are coming in I am looking forward to getting in the park and riding in the longer hours of sun light and hopefully also getting out into the Scottish wilderness for a bit of spring touring. I am still hopeful of a big dump so that the big lines are doable but even if it just snows a little bit in the next week, which it is doing right now, the touring will be great and the park is already pretty good on Cairngorm at least.
I just got back to Scotland from the World Cup finals in Italy where I was competing in the pipe with the other GB team members, Kate Foster, Ben Kilner and Dom Harrington. Banchory local Ben Kilner came of best of the bunch in Italy with a personal best 9th place putting him in strong contention for an Olympic place next year.
I did not fare so well in Italy falling in one run and not really laying down a smooth run in the second to come in 16h but I was 10th in the penultimate competition the week before in Spain, also meaning I am in a strong position to go to the Olympics for a third time!!I now have a much needed few days at home before making another trip to Europe to go to the British Snowboard Championships in Laax in Switzerland.
The Brits, as it is known, is celebrating it’s 20th Birthday this year, making it one of the oldest snowboard national championships out there. The first ever Brits were held on Cairngorm in 1989 on the fiacaill ridge, the half pipe being dug by hand by the keen group of competitors before the comp. I remember it distinctly as the snowboarders kept getting in the way of our little race course.
I was training with the Cairngorm Ski Club at the time. The half pipe is now a 22ft monster pipe cut with a state of the art machine and prepared throughout the season by the Laax resort. Things have changed a lot in the world of snowboarding in the last 20 years!As well as half pipe there will be slopestyle, big air and boarder X events at the Brits. Many of the riders competing there will then head back to Scotland in time for the Highlander event on Cairngorm on the 10 April.
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
Stormy Scottish Weekend
March 9, 2009 on 1:24 pm | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
The snow is still falling today on the Scottish mountains as the weekend storm continues to add to the snowy coating already covering the hills. Ski-ing and snowboarding conditions in the last few days have been great under foot but pretty awful from the feet up as the wind has been blowing the proverbial, ‘as it had blown it’s last’ and standing up straight was becoming a challenge.
With the wind due to drop and more snow forecast the conditions on the Scottish hills are likely to be good both under and above foot in the week to come. There are a few events to look forward to this coming weekend as well, including the Nevis Mammoth Descent which is a race from the top of Aonach Mor to Meall Beag by ski or snowboard and is a whole lot of fun.
Check out the Nevis web site for more info. Conditions are also fine for many of the other outdoor activities around the ski resort towns if the weather does decide to argue. Many of the mountain bike trails around the Spey Valley have been re surfaced and up graded in the last year or so and the mountain bike centre at Wolftrax, between Aviemore and Fort William, at Laggan, is always in excellent condition and well worth a visit if you can not get your adrenaline fix on the snow.
And if the wind is the problem, then why not make use of it and get yourself out on the water at Loch Insh Watersports centre for a bit of sailing or windsurfing. Warm wetsuits are provided for rent at the centre so do not be put off by the cold!
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
Start scoping your line now
March 5, 2009 on 8:06 am | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
As predicted a couple of days ago, the March storms have started bringing with them the usual great new snow. Cairngorm, for one, has a nice new white coat and good ski-ing and snowboarding to be had. I am sure there will be more snow to follow so in anticipation get yourselves up there and start scoping a good line for when the conditions are ON. Alternatively, cruise the lovely new powder and enjoy the amazing views of the white mountains around the Spey Valley.
I am currently in Morzine in France coaching on the Roxy snow camp for a week before heading to Spain for the next World Cup event where I will be competing in the half pipe. I am very much looking forward to making back to Scotland in the next few weeks to get in those lines I have been planning!! And to ride the various snowparks around Scotland. I hope to see you there!
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
Mad March sessions
March 3, 2009 on 8:46 am | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
The start of March brings the mad March Hare to the Scottish hills, or at least seekers of mad March hair-raising snow escapades. There is always a dump of snow in the first two weeks of March and it is very often a large dump so be prepared as the exisiting base coupled with the great few months of on snow and good weather practice will no doubt bring the long awaited return of the extreme Scottish ski route.
Spurred on by the relatively new breed of Scottish snowboarders, many who have never been around the witness the more daring side of Scottish back-country riding, the many very talented home grown skiers who like to test their limits and pit themselves against the mountain will be out in force to get that line down Aladdins or Jacobs or drop that cliff or cornice or buttress they have not seen done for many a year.
And the snowboarders will be hot on their tails if not leading the way!! The last few seasons in Scotland have been a build up to something even better. There has been gathering momentum and a coming together of like minded back-country folks. These folks, definitely not backward at coming forward,unless riding switch that is, have had their beady little eyes on various lines and drops around the Scottish mountains just waiting for the right snow and weather to put them ‘in condition’ so to speak.
Like the big wave surfers who wait for years for the once in a lifetime storm to bring them their mega hit in the form of a huge wave to ride on, out own adrenaline junkies have been hanging out waiting for a season where they get in enough home practice to feel ready by March to take on THE LINE and this very well might be the season.
Watch this space as we wait for the inevitable March storm to hit and hope that it brings plenty of the white stuff with it, like it did last year, so the home grown snow mavericks can get their all to rare fix of ground breaking adventure adrenalin. I for one will be at the Top of Jacobs Ladder ready to jump in to the couloir and straight line the chute.Here are some pics from the last few weeks to get you motivated. See you on the snow!
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
Skiing and Boarding on Cairngorm
February 23, 2009 on 6:31 pm | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
The snow arrived at the right time this year, so that the conditions were great for the start of the mid term holidays! This meant that everything was open and running really well during this period.
The staff on Cairngorm have reacted well to this and everyone has really pulled the stops out to ensure that it runs as well as possible. Many customers are unaware of the amount of unseen work that goes on to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Our hats go off to them all but in particular to the ski patrol, pisting and engineering staff who come in very early (when most of us are still in bed) to clear the road, piste the runs, open lifts etc. Below is a picture taken down the Day Lodge poma track showing a full car park!
During the half term the weather was a bit warmer and so snow was gradually lost over this period. As of today we could still just about pick our way down to the Day lodge, but some of the other runs are now broken. The Day Lodge poma, West Wall poma and Car Park T-bar now all require more snow to operate.
Despite this, the top still has plenty of snow and is good skiing and boarding, and you can still get down the White Lady and Cas.
For those people who are unaware of the Scottish ski resorts the freeze/thaw cycle is completely normal, and just a product of our weather systems and being a relatively low country on the edge of the Atlantic!
We should get some more snow soon and I fully expect to be skiing and boarding well into April (or even May) like the last 2 years.
Our ski and snowboard school is teaching kids from the local primary schools during the week over the next month, and I am sure that our Snowlimit programme will again have over 100 local kids on it each weekend. This year we have over 65 instructors, all of whom are passionate about their sports and have a desire to pass it on to others.
Inevitably however, this job is made easier if we have good weather, and our customers can have a memorable experience!
Mike Shepherd
http://www.theskischool.co.uk
In the winter I am the Director of The Ski School and The Snowboard School on Cairngorm Mountain, which employs over 65 ski and snowboard instructors each winter. In the summer I am a dinghy sailing Coach and run courses all over the north of Scotland, as well as dabbling in many other watersports.
November Skiing and Snowboarding in Scotland
November 27, 2008 on 4:02 pm | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
The Lecht was first to operate in Europe when it opened for an early start to the season on Friday 31st October. Since then, 1,559 skiers and snowboarders have enjoyed this autumn’s winter conditions over a full seven days of operation.
CairnGorm Mountain also offered skiing and boarding from the funicular for around 750 customers over the first weekend in November.
The Adventure Pass is offering buy one get one half price on day passes to Cairngorm and Nevis Range: www.visitscotland.com/adventurepass
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
Summer time
June 6, 2008 on 10:04 am | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
Waiting for the snow at the start of the season…. The last strips of snow are quietly melting away from the corries and bowls and taking many happy snowy memories with them on the journey to the sea. The sun is out and most people are also thinking of heading beach wards in anticipation of a good summer ahead. Before the happy snow memories disappear all together for another season I decided to put together a small collection of my favourite Scotland snow shots from the 2007/2008 season. It really did prove to be one of the best snow seasons for a long, long time.
I got to ride some real powder, ride a powder kicker in the Cairngorm back-country, do a few lines and generally have a great time riding the pistes and parks right here in Scotland. Can’t ask for more than that. Now all I ask for is a bit of sun shine and a few waves as I am heading to Tiree, following the last of the melt water down to the sea.The Head Wall in full Glory.
My favourite line is on the left, Aladdins Couloir
I hope you all had as much fun as I did right here at home on our home grown snow. See you in the sea!!!!!!!! Bring on the waves…
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
The Last day of the Season
May 7, 2008 on 11:02 am | In Snowboarding, Skiing | No Comments
The last day of the season at Cairngorm Mountain was Monday the 5th of May, which is one day later that the last day in Zermatt, Switzerland! I was in Zermatt for three weeks to do my BASI qualifications and was well aware that I was missing some great on snow action back home in Scotland as I had spent the previous week shredding some great home grown powder on Cairngorm.
Although Zermatt also had a lot of great snow, I was pretty sad that I could not make the most of the home snow. I was happy however, that I had managed to persuade the largest snowboard magazine in Europe to go and check out the great conditions, at last!!
They arrived in Aviemore to bad weather and mist but the boys up the hill had been busy with the cat and they soon had a monster booter built for the two European pro riders who they had taken over to shoot with. Joining the Euros were our very own Angus Leith and Ben Kilner.
They managed to build a 18m kicker, the largest ever built on Cairngorm and got some amazing pictures of the boys. Keep a look out for them in the first issue of Onboard next season! As well as getting some great riding in the Onboard crew did all the great tourist things you can do from Nessie spotting to Whiskey drinking and all in all had a ball.Meanwhile, back in Zermatt I was hoping the snow lasted at least a few days past my due arrival date home.
My patience was rewarded and the snow lasted long enough for me to get in a couple of great days over the weekend and into bank holiday Monday. The atmosphere up the mountain was amazing and everyone was telling stories of the great couple of months of Scottish ski-ing they had just had and all the adventures they had been on.
There were many very happy faces around and a lot of great tricks going down in the park on the jibs and the somewhat melted down Onboard jump. It was great to see the locals ripping it up though and very impressive to see Mike Jahtzy and Chris Mitchell, the local ski club coaches, throwing huge back flips and corked spins off the big jump while the snowboarders also span and flipped themselves well into the evening.
On the Monday night the lifts ran until 8pm and we watched a beautiful sunset growing over the Spey Valley to end what has been one of the best snow seasons I can remember in Scotland, ever. I for one have never ridden such great powder in Scotland as I was lucky enough to ride at the start of April this year. I hope that you all found some too and had as much fun as I did.
I am now very happy to hang up my snowboard for a while and dig out my surf board! Bring on the waves I say!!! See you in the sea.
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
So Much Snow
April 11, 2008 on 8:43 am | In Snowboarding | No Comments
Scotland has some fickle weather and most of the time this tends to hinder rather than help in the pursuit of outdoor action but this past few weeks the fickle and large snow showers which have been regularly passing over the Cairngorms have brought a frenzy of fresh track hunters and have helped to put many happy smiles on many faces. It really is unbelievable on Cairngorm right now and also on the other Scottish resorts, so I have heard. I have been too busy getting fresh tracks on Cairngorm to make it over to any of the other resorts yet. Word on the ground is that Nevis Range is the best it has been for many a year and I can safely say that Cairngorm is definitely the best I have seen it for many a year.
Yesterday I rode all the way to the bottom of Coire Louigh-mor to the Ciste Car park. I have not done that since I was a wee lass. The day before that I got some POWDER turns on the head wall. Proper powder turns in Scotland. It was slightly wind effected but only a bit. Today I am heading west into Coire an t-Sneachda to try and get some lines down Jacobs ladder and Aladdins Couloir the former of which I saw Mike Jhachy charge down a few days ago in a very impressive display of Scottish ski-ing. So, get your skis and boards back out of storage and get on the hills. There are fresh tracks to be had a a lot of fun to go around. I will see you there!!!! 
Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.
