Freeride World Tour Chamonix: 4th place

After an amazing day of fresh powder and fun cliff drops last Friday with my mates in St. Anton, I received a call saying I have a starting place at the Freeride World Tour in Chamonix. This is an amazing chance for me and exactly what I want: to compete alongside some of the best female big mountain skiers in the Freeride World Tour. Luckily, Saturday was inspection day so I had enough time to drive to the French mountaineering and skiing capital.

On Sunday I was the very last person to start which gave me a chance to watch the first male skiers and snowboarders on the day of the event. It had snowed 30 to 50 cm 2 days before, but before the snow fall the south facing aspects were known to have been very icy. The result was that the fresh snow was sliding off the hard old layer. Forerunner Martin Winkler skied from the top of start 2, the starting choice of the majority of the competitors, and triggered a soft slab avalanche coming into a steep flank. Only a sheet of ice was left. Although I knew snow conditions were variable and challenging, and after much debating with fellow competitor Jess McMillan who ranked 3rd in the FWT 2009, I decided to pull through with the original line I chose from starting gate 2. I skied my line fairly fluently considering the conditions. To be honest I was happy to have stayed on my feet and land the 2 cliffs I had planned. New Zealand’s Janina Kuzma and I had a very similar run but finally the judges decided the place Janina 3rd since she skied over more exposure than I did. Fellow Austrian skier Eva Walkner skied a fast line placing her in 2nd position, and the winner of the day in the end was Jess McMillan! Her decision to not shred the gnar, but shred the pow, payed off with an original line over some nice airs from starting gate 1. Overall the level of girls skiing was very strong.

Checking my line ©NISSAN FREERIDE DE CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC 2010 / T. REPO

©NISSAN FREERIDE DE CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC 2010 / D. DAHER

The competition in the male field was intense. In the end Candide Thovex, international freestyle legend, persuaded the judges with a super fast and fun line also from starting gate 1. Swedish Kaj Zackrisson is one of the veterans on the tour, and a Chamonix local since 10 years. The strong skier took second with an extremely powerful and consistent run, taking clean and big air. American rising star and newcomer Tim Dutton impressed the judges as he chose an original line down the face; creative, exposed and finding the good snow. My mate Stefan Häusl had the run of his life and came in 6th after some huge aggressive airs. The most consistent run among the snowboarders was Austrian Mitch Toelderer’s line, with an interesting line interpretation in the middle, steep section of the course, and taking two solid airs towards the end. Austria is looking pretty strong for this year’s Freeride World Tour!

Next stop for me are some Freeride World Qualifiers in Flaine, France and Engadin, Switzerland and then the Freeride World Tour in Fieberbrunn which is going to be amazing! Fieberbrunn has finally received some fresh snow and conditions there are good.

“Pentes de l’Hôtel” face at the Brévent ski area

Competition Season 2010

During December and January I’ve been training hard in Lech Zürs to get into the best possible shape in time for the competition season. The biggest highlight for me will be the women’s Freeride World Tour stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria, for which I received a wild card. It is an honour to ride with the world’s best female big mountain skiers and my chance to show what I’m capable of. Fingers crossed! Furthermore, I’m one of 3 women prequalified for the finals at the Engadin Snow, a 3-star Freeride World Qualifier which earns riders double the points of a 2-star Qualifier event.

Check out this impressive teaser to get you pumped for the FWT in Fieberbrunn from 11 to 18 Feb:

Girls Ski Movie

In an interview I once said that one of the things I still want to do is become involved in an all-girls ski movie. This season my chance has finally come! Sandy Lahnsteiner – fitness traininer, mental coach, ex-racer and a woman of action – contacted me in July about the chance to be one of 6 skiers in an all-girls ski movie. The story revolves around a road trip the girls undertake, each to their own home ski resorts. We will travel from Gastein, Austria, to St. Jakob (Eastern Tirol), Cortina (Italy), Lech am Arlberg (Austria), Oberstdorf (Germany) and finally Verbier (Switzerland). As well as some beautiful skiing action, the film looks at how the girls find inspiration from each other to ski the best lines possible. Our goal is to inspire as many people – foremost women, but also men – to grab a group of friends and head to the mountains for some fun skiing action!

The crew consists of:

Riders: Sandra Lahnsteiner (Gastein), Mel Presslaber (St. Jakob), Giulia Monego (Cortina), Lorraine Huber (Lech am Arlberg), Pia Widmesser (Oberstdorf), and Laura Bohleber (Verbier).

Camera: Mathias Bergmann from sweetshots, some of Europe’s best outdoor sports photographers.

The road-tripping girls from ski resorts across the Alps (pic by Mirja Geh)

Pics by Mirja Geh

Together the girls will find and ride the best lines in each of their home ski resorts (pic by Yves Garneau)

Join our fan page on facebook to follow us on our road trip. For more information about how to get involved in our all-girls film project, please contact me directly.

HIKE Premiere in Innsbruck

The Leokino in Innsbruck was bursting at the seams last night. The audience was treated to 2 special Tirolean movies: Coconut Production’s “Immer Höher, Immer Weiter” about Reini Sampl’s monoski descent of the 3768m Wildspitze (Austria’s second highest mountain), and Whatever Film’s “HIKE – A Freeride Project in the Austrian Alps“. HIKE is the finished product of some of the hardest but most rewarding freeride lines I have skied to date. Click here and here to read my blog entries about these “missions”.

Reini Sampl surrounded by his friends, who ultimately made it possible for him to climb and ski Austria's second highest mountain, the "Wildspitze", on his monoski.

“Immer Höher, Immer Weiter” which can be translated as “Always Higher, Always Further”, is a moving documentary about one man’s determination, despite all odds, and the strength of friendship which can make dreams come true.

Click here to download our movie HIKE on Vimeo for free.

Warren Miller Film Tour for “Dynasty”

November was a busy month involving travelling to Boston and being present at 11 “Dynasty” shows in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. After the first couple of shows (Hartford attracted over 5,000 people!) I lost my shyness on stage and gained a new-found confidence speaking in front of large groups of people. A great experience!

I wonder what I was saying in that photo, our MC Brent looks pretty shocked!

There were also 4 other shows to visit in Germany and Austria. All of them a great success!

I literally signed and wrote personal messages on hundreds of these posters.

The best news is that I’ll be filming with Warren Miller again this season, this time in my own home stomping ground: the Arlberg! Joining me are freeskiing super star Hugo Harrisson and Norway’s Karine Falck-Pedersen, both in the Kästle Pro Team.

1st place Export Gold Xtreme, Mt. Ruapehu

From Temple Basin we drove in convoy with Smoothy and Pete to Blenheim, stayed the night at Pete’s place and took the ferry the next day from Picton to Wellington.

Ferry ride from Picton to Wellington

The boys catching up on some reading on our way to "the Kune"

Our destination: Okahune, the town at the southern gateway to the Tongariro National Park World Heritage Site, at the foot of Mt. Ruapehu. One of the world’s most active volcanoes which last erupted in 2007, Mt. Ruapehu is actually New Zealand’s largest ski area offering two different ski areas: Turoa and Whakapapa (and yep, you pronounce the “wh” as an f). The latter was to be our playground for the next week, which is the perfect description for it. Never before have I seen so many cliff bands and rocks to jump off.

The Turoa ski field side of Mt. Ruapehu

Perfect corn snow conditions in the sunny aspects prevailed,  however the take-offs over rocks had melted so far back that one could only ollie over features with a truck load of speed to take any air. Challenging for spoilt me, used to skiing in Europe. Oh and did I mention that it’s pretty exposed here?

Terrain at the "Policemen's" for the Export Gold Xtreme

We had 2 comp days – the weather gods truly blessed our event as so many good weather days here are unheard of – 2 runs each day, a total of 4 runs, with the 2 highest scoring runs going toward the final score. I skied a nice solid 1st line in some exposed terrain, the snow had softened up by the afternoon and it was great! For 1 day now I had been eyeing a straight-line at the bottom of the venue which required you to ollie into it blind. I decided after much lining up and psyching myself up, that I just had to do it.

My line on comp day 1 for the Export Gold Xtreme

I felt really good during my second run and decided to go for it. After all, I had everything lined up and it has just got to be here, right? Well without hesitating I launched myself – I knew I didn’t even have to go that fast to make it over the rocks into the straight line – and landed with both skis smack bang on the rocks. Aaarrrrggh! The moment I touched down I tried jumping right off the rocks again, did a forward somersault and miraculously just skied out of it, albeit in a lot of pain. I got a good smack on my upper back and neck, ouch!

The boys put on an awesome show, with Geoff Small in the lead but plenty of younger skiers on his heels. Sam Smoothy had a scary crash above exposure on his first line but got it together for a second solid run. Pete Oswald skied a really nice, technical line no-one else attempted, airing over exposure onto a small snow pocket followed by a gnarly straight line requiring a whole heap of commitment. Mt. Ruapehu local Nathan Johns skied mostly in the fall-line, straight-lining basically through the gnarliest terrain and just able to hold his speed together during the second half of his run. Click here for the video of comp day 1 on snowtv.

My goal for comp day 2 was simply survival skiing: on pain killers and after much icing I hiked up to the start for my run. I pretty much decided already that this was going to be my only run for today, so I wanted to make it solid. On inspection even the smallest drop seemed kinda big to me, I was hurting and not really having much fun but I had to get this run done to get a score and those Freeride World Tour points. I choose to ski the venue on the skiers left today, with an obligatory cliff band to drop in the middle. I was so nervous at the top of my run, but my nerves settled as soon as I was given the all clear to start. Now I could just concentrate on my line, which I (almost) skied as I had planned. Nice!

Smoothy managed to come out on top by a mere 0.2 points after an awesome and very balsy line. Geoff Small had the crowd cheering with a 360 over his last cliff, the guy can spin! All in all it was an amazing show and an awesome after party.

Click here for the video of comp day 2 on snowtv.

Women's podium ski

Smoothy and I got some cash!

1st place at the Black Diamond Big Mountain, Temple Basin

After everything I’d heard about Temple Basin and its amazing terrain, I was stoked to be able to compete in the big mountain event held for the first time with Black Diamond. After two absolutely epic powder days at Treble Cone (according to the locals the best conditions in 4 years) we started the 7 hour journey to this legendary club field on Arthur’s Pass.   We arrived the day before competition and it soon became clear that conditions were going to be very firm and that a late start would be necessary.  The wind had done it’s magic up here and scoured the snow pack down to blue ice, especially in areas around cliff take-offs. The landings on the other hand were filled up with wind-blown snow and quite good. I went to bed excited about the first comp day.

Comp venue day 1

Pete, Smoothy, and Williman working on their tans...uhm visualising their lines

We inspected the venue at 11am, much too early. Inspection did more good in making me nervous about the icy conditions than in instilling confidence in my line. I couldn’t quite get into the right frame of mind and skied a quite conservative first line. Not feeling entirely happy about my previous performance and with conditions softening up considerably, I vowed to myself to step it up for the next line. I felt much better skiing my second line and built in a number of smaller to medium sized airs. I also knew that Claire Yvinec, a French competitor and ski-instructor at Temple, had skied really well and that I would have to do something special to come out on top.

What happened on day 2 of the comp is best described by the BD Big Mountain press release, quoted here:

“The women’s title was closely contended between French skier Claire Yvinec of France (Temple Basin ski instructor) and Lori Huber, based in Austria. All was on the line on the final day, with Claire dropping first out of the two and skiing a solid line to lock in a good score similar to that of her first run on Saturday. Strong, fast and technical skiing by the French-woman had her primed to take the title, with just Huber left to drop.

Huber’s Freeride World Tour calibre was evident in her final run through the course, choosing to utilize the new addition of terrain on skiers left and skiing a strong and fast line, impressing the judges. Dropping in above some fairly exposed terrain, Huber held nothing back. She skied fluidly and aggressively above the cliff band, before lining up a chute entry to a 25ft air, stomping the landing and ‘straight-lining’ the run-out as a vocal crowd showed their appreciation. Taking the honours by just 2 points, an ecstatic Huber took her second victory in a week after claiming the K2 Big Mountain title a week earlier.”

My line on comp day 2. The yellow line depicts air time. Yeehaa!

So in the end, I really learnt how to ski out of my comfort zone at this comp, and that was such an important learning curve for me. It’s time to take a bigger bite, as my mate Simon Guthrie would say.

Watch the Black Diamond Big Mountain video clip and visit the License to Chill page for full results. Here’s another cool Temple Basin competition clip seen on Sky Sports.

Ready to take on the Export Gold Xtreme aaarrrgghh!

Chill Series Part 2: 1st Place at Mt. Olympus

From the start it was clear that the normally 2 day big mountain event at Mt. Olympus of the 2009 Big Mountain Chill Series would be reduced to skiing on Saturday only; so far the event had been plagued by wind, rain, and gale force winds, and the same was forecast for the last day on Sunday. Luck was on our side though as we awoke to blue bird skies on Saturday – comp day! The chosen venue this year was a ridge line referred to as “Little Alaska”, where competitors are given the chance to ski two lines to impress the judges: one on the left and one on the right of the venue .

Comp venue 1, Little Alaska, Mt. Olympus

Comp venue 2, Little Alaska, Mt. Olympus

The first line I skied was more technical than I usually choose at a comp, but I liked the challenge it posed for me and I decided to hit it. I carved the first two turns in beautiful dry powder over a spine and wind lip before the terrain narrowed into two tight chutes (tighter than I had anticipated!) separated by two large rocks. Taking the skiers right chute I managed to stay on my feet, a couple of hop turns between 2 boulders, and then I came maching out of the chute at full speed. The remaining 150 vertical meters went by in a blur of 3 huge turns. Thankfully I managed to hold it together, what a rush!

My first line, Little Alaska

I really was looking forward to skiing my second line – the face was quite short but packed with features to play with. As I was watching the competitors before me at the start, it became quite clear that the conditions were icy. Should I change my line? Ski a more mellow one but be sure to stay on my feet? No I decided, I know I can do this! Finally it was my turn to start. My heart pounding, I waved my poles above my head before dropping in. As anticipated, the snow was wind-scoured and icy, and I was only just able to make a turn to the left and to my first drop after my steep entry. Two turns later and I was at the first cliff, I hesitated briefly seeing some rocks in the landing, but managed to land to the left of them. The snow was fast, but I could use the terrain to my advantage by making a long turn to the right, taking out speed before turning to the left towards the largest cliff at the bottom of the venue.  Sliding over the snow band on the top of the cliff, I jumped at an angle to the left and stomped it! I was so stoked to have skied my line just as I had planned!

My 2nd and winning line, Little Alaska

I was able to take first place, with Katerina Kuncova from the Czech Republic and Naomi Richards from Australia taking 2^nd and 3^rd place respectively.

Marc and Jake enjoying a well deserved beer after a strenuous comp day

1st place at the Big Mountain Chill Series 2009

Chill Series Part 1: Craigieburn Valley

The Chill Series big mountain competition, held this year for the 10^th time at Craigieburn Valley and Mt. Olympus, is renown in New Zealand for its challenging terrain and positive vibe. I couldn’t wait to be part of it this year and finally get the real New Zealand “club field” experience. The club fields are usually non-profit organisations run by enthusiastic club members and seasonal staff. They exist solely for the purpose of skiing and snowboarding, not for commercial gain. These grassroots, unpretentious club fields also have one more enticing element—namely, steep, gnarly terrain that remains relatively untouched. Bowls, chutes, cliffs, short and long hikes are the flavours of the day. Terrain is accessed using high capacity rope tows and so called nutcrackers – more about that little adventure later!

After a 6 hour drive from Wanaka with Jake and Freeride World Champion Susan Mol, we arrived at the cosy alpine lodge nestled in the native bush of the Craigieburn valley. It had been absolutely pouring all day, so our expectations regarding the snow conditions weren’t too high. Furthermore, we were being pounded by gale force winds of up to 120 km/hr. The rope tows were forced to remain closed the following day, so we made use of a brief clearing to explore the area by foot, before it started snowing again in earnest.

Craigieburn's Siberia Basin, with 1st to 6th Gut visible in the background.

Day 2 brought more snow and gale force winds, but luckily for us we were able to ski 5 runs before the rope tows were closed again due to the wind. However, the comp was on hold for today. But we did get to learn, albeit in extreme conditions, how to clamp our nutcracker onto a high speed rope for the first time. What scared me most were the pulleys which hold the rope in place – never once did I forget to take my hand off the rope so as not to get it caught in-between the rope and the pulleys. Without a doubt this day was one of the funniest ski experiences ever!

We were almost blown off the mountain but had a great time

Day 3: The Expression Session

Really strong winds again today. The clouds whipped past the mountains so fast it looked like a time lapse. The top rope tow remained closed but that didn’t stop the event staff from organising an expression session in Gut 2 and 3. What looked like a ho-hum little area turned out to be a great playground showcasing the talents of the New Zealand freeskiers: getting super creative and throwing down in terrain a European skier would simply overlook. Super inspired and motivated, I joined the skiers and snowboarders in finding sketchy straight-lines and doing ollies over rocks at high speed, something I would otherwise not attempt. What a great day of skiing! To top it off, I was awarded the best female performance for skiing strong lines from top to bottom. A great way to end the Craigieburn Valley section of the 2009 Big Mountain Chill Series.

3rd place at the NZ Freeski Open big mountain finals!

I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 05:45 am on Saturday morning: it’s big mountain finals day! Competitors staying in Wanaka had to make an early start to make it to the Remarkables near Queenstown at 8:00 am. The decision to relocate the finals to the Alta Chutes at the Remarkables was made yesterday due to the high avalanche danger still present at Treble Cone. I had checked out the venue together with my mate Janina Kuzma yesterday and had mixed feelings about it. Snow conditions were definitely good thanks to the southern aspect of the Alta chutes (the shady aspect in the Southern hemisphere), but I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the sharks (rocks hidden in the snow) or the “rock garden” style of terrain. Here, “billy goaters” would rejoice in the many lines they could hop through and around the rocks. But I made myself stay positive, it definitely wasn’t a bad venue.

The finals venue, the Alta Chutes at the Remarkables ski area

Once I had chosen a line studying the photos I had made the day before, I definitely felt better. But during our inspection run, my heart sank. The main feature I had planned to drop was a no-go. The run out was much steeper and gnarlier than I thought – it meant I would have to straight line down the entire chute over rocks – too risky. Ok, I need an alternative…I quickly pieced together a new line, open but with some nice drops. More my style. Another quick look and I had to ski to the lift and hike up to the start.  10 minutes later I hear the head judge’s voice crackling over the radio: “the judges are ready for Lorraine Huber”. “Ok 5 seconds Lorraine”, you can drop in now.”

A few minutes before my start

I hit my first bump, land, arching turns through the chopped-up, heavy powder, spot my first drop: a shelf on my right, dropped it, so far so good. I ended up further right than I had planned, but could get back to the shoulder on my left without stopping my flow, I had slowed down considerably though. I lined up my next drop, stomped it, and then…I just skied past my final and largest drop! All too quickly I was down at the bottom, panting. 70 seconds of high intensity skiing, but I hadn’t managed to ski what I wanted. Bugger! Man was I disappointed! But I couldn’t stay disappointed for too long hanging out in the sun with my mates and watching some amazing skiing from the guys.

Rebecka, Janina and me after our run

After the comp I hiked back up the venue and skied my line again, this time as I had planed. For some reason I still haven’t managed to ski in competition as I usually do when skiing alone or with my mates.  Finding out why is a great challenge, one that I’m working on right now. Lets see how I go in the K2 Big Mountain Chill Series coming up at the end of the month.

In the end I was stoked to come 3rd at this comp, and especially to compete with skiers like Janina and Rebecka, who are both competing in the Freeride World Tour 201o. Visit the NZ Freeski Open website for video footage and full results.

It was awesome being on the podium with my mates