Competition season

Comment Share Posted on Sunday September 19th at 9:55 p.m. Tweet

NZ Open, Gnomes Freeride Weekend, Chill Series and Ruapehu Extreme

First up keep those votes coming in at http://purefutures.co.nz/neil-williman.aspx so I can make it back to Europe for the next season. Please please please please please! Thanks.

Y'all know that the photos are slideshows, click em through and check the captions.

The short version:

NZ Open- Came 5th. Happy with my top air but skied the middle section a bit slow and missed my bottom air.

Gnomes Freeride Weekend- Went off. I couldn't make it up this year but it was cool to see an inter-university freeride compeition that I started last year get even better.

Chill Series- Came 9th, though I hipped checked the ground and pulled a muscle in my hip during my run, and didn't hit my bottom air because of that.

Ruapehu Extreme- Crashed and almost broke my ski, was happy that it was my ski and not me though cause it hit a rock pretty hard!

All in all a good time travelling all over the country with friends.

The longer version:

NZ Open

Motutapu Chutes was the venue again this year. Snow was good at the top (nice and chalky for you skiers out there), but rain affected and frozen at the bottom. I aired 'Smallies Gap' at the top (a transfer over a chute) but skied a bit slowly through the middle section and then went the wrong way at the bottom on accident. I ended up 5th which was OK, but would've liked to ski my whole line the way I wanted to. A huge thanks to my workmate and photographer Taka Nakanishi for the photos below, check out his website at takahironakanishi.com

My buddy Zak Hogg came 4th and I was stoked for him,it's his best result yet. Sponsor that boy!Fraser McDoughal came 3rd which is a great return to form for him after his injury problems in the last couple of years, an American called B took second chucking some park style into his run and Kiwi veteran Alex Lyndon won on his 8th entry to the Open, well done Alex! You can check out the video at http://nzfreeskiopen.com/tv/10 the footage of my drop is aroundabout the two minute mark.

Gnomes Freeride Weekend
In my final year of university last year I started a competition called 'Gnomes Freeride Weekend' at Temple Basin. This was CUSSC (Canterbury Uni Snowsports Club) vs CUBA (Canterbury Uni Boardriders association) vs OUASC (Otago Uni Alpine Sports Club), competing in freeride (big mountain). I couldn't make it up there this year because I was busy with work in Wanaka but the CUSSC made it happen even bigger and better, hosting the event in the lodge they own at Temple Basin. A big thanks to Erin Farrell and Andrew Patillo for organising and Hannan McFayden for DJing. Check out Lucy Clinton-Baker's blog about it and Hannan's music at www.myspace.com/spagnetbrown

I headed up to a Big Air comp at Treble Cone that weekend, and overotated a backflip, scary. Photo below. Actually hurt my back a bit and it's been bugging me, bummer.

Chill series was next up, an epic roadie from Wanaka to the Clubbies with the crew. Stopped to BBQ some fresh salmon by Lake Pukaki on the way, so beautiful! It was for our Norwegian buddy Kristina's birthday, and a great NZ stop for all nationalities present, including American, Swedish, Australian, English and Norwegian. Excellent idea from Marc Walker.

In the comp I qualified 5th but crashed in finals and pulled a muscle in my hip that I hurt in that crash at the big air the week before. I couldn't hit my bottom air but still managed to come 9th. Big props to Romain for a killer run to take first (all Euro podium) and super grom George Pengelly for making the top 10! This kid is 15 and throwing doubles in the park too. Ridiculous! Check out the vid below.

Big thanks to Chill for a great competition, always a pleasure. Pity the clouds didn't play ball so Olympus could happen but the skiing was great! They have mad spring deals on now too so get up there for some cheap skiing, great meals and a hot tub. Check them out at mtolympus.co.nz

Ruapheu Extreme was the last comp of the year, and another roadie, all the way from Wanaka to the Central North Island. Us ski bums got about 5 different campers on relocation deals and then had to spin elaborate yarns on why they weren't in Auckland on time since the weather delayed the comp and our 5 day free hire was up.... hmmmmm.

With $14,000 ($10,000 USD) on the line for first in the mens ski division the level was high. I tried to take on a bigger cliff than I should've since I hadn't been skiing a lot for the past couple of weeks due to the injury I picked up at Chill Series. It felt like I could've had it but I found my way into rocks instead of back onto my feet after backslapping the landing, lucky to walk away with a messed up ski instead of a messed up me. Check out the footage at http://snowtv.co.nz/channels/pinnacles/ my drop and crash is at about 3:40, and the photo of what it did to my ski is below. There will be more footage coming up in my helmet cam season edit, watch out for that it's coming out soon! Teaser snapshot below.

I was stoked for Romain to win and take home the $10,000 USD as well as a wildcard to the Freeride World Tour stop in Kirkwood, California (since he won NZ series from this result combined with winning chill series and coming 6th at NZOpen). He's been killing it for years and he broke his leg going too hard on his second run, but he's got 4 months to get better and ready for the next level of freeride compeitions along with Smoothy. Anyway that's enough ranting for me this time, I've gotta go make money to head back to Chamonix in December. Helmet cam season edit should be out in a week or so, till then see you on the spring slopes.