Snowboarding

I worked at Tiffindell Ski Resort in South Africa as a ski instructor back in the mid-90s. Every day at Tiffindell, we had internal training. Not only were we getting better at skiing and teaching, but once a week we also did cross-over training: skiers had to snowboard, and snowboarders had to ski. By the end of the season, which ran from mid-May to late August, I bought a snowboard. I naturally drifted into carving and then got my first slalom board.

For a number of years I trained and raced in snowboarding races - namely Parallel Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom. I took part in local races, European Cup, World Championships. I won South African Championships many times and placed 2nd in Polish Championships in PGS.

In the late 2010s, I collaborated with Never Summer Industries - a snowboard manufacturer from Denver, Colorado - on some of their carving snowboards, in particular on The Chairman and The East. It was a great experience to have a real influence over how the boards perform for one of the best snowboard companies in the world.

I just have fun riding. I've been at it for 30 years now and enjoy every minute of it.

Nowadays, I ride almost exclusively in soft boots (although their flex is 8/10). I am not an equipment geek; in fact, I do not give a hoot about it. Some of my most fun days were on set-ups that were sub-optimal for the conditions. That's when you need to bring your best skills forward, and I enjoy such a challenge. A perfect board on perfect snow in perfect weather is still nice, though.

Sometimes I help people find their edge on the snowboard, but I do not teach regularly. You can call it mentoring. Interested? Reach out.