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Posted on Wednesday September 16th at 6:00 a.m.
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M - Finally an end to the last epic two days we've had! The VNC Cocktail Downhill - the third and final day of the World Heli Challenge is today. I thought today would be just a fun day of celebration but when we arrived to our third and final undisclosed destination for our "Chinese downhill" I realised that no. I would get the butterflies one more time before celebrating the end of an awesome event!
Checking out Mt Albert from the road after the big mountain day
Lifting off for our last day of the World Heli Challenge!
Takeoff....
M - We were able to scope out and ride the run chosen for all of us. It started with quite a steep drop into a flat of roughly 100 metres or so riding towards a blind roller - after rolling over this the face welcomed you with a steep, long run which was as if it was made perfectly for today!
M - Both Janina and I were to race against our own categories - Janina against the other two female skiers and me against the three other female snowboarders.
G - My thought was to stay far right since it looked like the fastest line. I was out in front most of the way, but in the end it was Jacqi who took it out for the ski ladies. Maria was the only competitor out of the whole event to wear a backpack for the race... Yeah you dungy... maximum weight for maximum speed I guess?
M - To make nerves worse we were to get dropped off at the top of the run at around 9.30am and wait until midday to do the race... Janina was the first category to go. She was in front pretty much the whole way down with Ingrid Backstrom drafting her until Jacqui Pascoe shot out towards the end... another second place for Janina which means the skier version of the Kuzma twins is the overall female ski winner for World Heli Challenge 2009!!!! SO STOKED!!
M - I was up next and while waiting for the "shovel to drop" which was our key to make for it - I felt a massive build up of adrenalin and nerves. Susan was out front in the first flat section and then I took over for the rest of the run. All in all a very close race! Good to know that all the snowboarder ladies - like the skiers - were all pushing each other throughout the whole three days.
Getting ready to go
We don't want to leave!
The windlip Mike Wilson hucked a triple backey on!
G - Yeah so Maria takes it out for the lady Snowboarders. I'm stoked to say that Maria had a clean sweep win. All three events 1st place - taking it out! So Maria is the overall winner for the female snowboard for the World Heli Challenge 2009! Then she busted off to the North Island (Whakapapa) for the Export Xtremes - more info on that to come!
G - Ater the Chinese downhillrace was a VnC cocktail bar set up for us and lots of cocktails to be drunken. Everyone joined in including our ski guides and medics... yeah boys...Then all the athletes joined in and we all session this sick windlip with Mike Willson throwing down a triple backey. Probably the sickest thing i've seen all season.
G - So throughout the comp we were told that there was a big surprise for us after the VnC Chinese downhill. Leaving the venue sight we headed down into the valley but not back to the car park in the helis but to the river bed where 2 jet boats awaited. So amazing. What a sick way to end the heli challenge. More adrenalin!!!
M - So all in all THE MOST EPIC three days and THE MOST EPIC competition ever... big thanks to Harro and the organisers. We salute you!! Have a look below if you want to see a video of the day.
Cheers!
M & G
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