Last week I competed at my second Australian uni Games. This year it was held in the notoriously wet and foggy Buller (sorry Kat but its true). I was under a little pressure going into the week after taking 5 gold and 2 silvers last year I had a reputation to uphold. This year the competition was harder as I was joined by my new team mate Anton Grimus representing Melbourne uni. We had quite the battle for the overall Alpine title, which I regrettably lost by .01 of a second in the slalom, so frustrating, I HATE losing. The one good thing is that Anton and I have a new-formed rivalry. I’m so thankful he has made the move to skier cross he is going to be an incredible skier and a great team mate because I’ll train harder than ever to never be beaten by him again.

Charlie gearing up for his debut in the GS

I picked up my shattered ego and took to the rails to grind up a storm and somewhat redeem myself. Finishing tied first in the skier cross, 4th in the moguls and 2nd in the slopestyle I had done enough to secure the overall freestyle title for the second year. In my excitement to compete at the uni games this year I made the foolish error of signing myself up for the cross-country. I’ve been on cross county skis twice before in my life neither time being a memorable experience. The course was 6km and the warm slushy conditions made it difficult even with my impeccable form. On the 6th  lap course I was lapped twice by Callum Watson, a very impressive display of uphill skiing. Its safe to say I don’t see myself with a future in cross county.

Last week Buller also hosted the Shred of Origin (SoO Airtime) where the glorious NSW took on the lesser team Victoria. It was great to catch up with all the boys and I can’t wait to see the respective team videos. Check out this short video Boen put together.

Jordan about to drop in at the Rip curl Pro

Thredbo early morning

The thredbo Milo kids

Bushfires on the drive back to Sydney

I qualified in first and then went on to win the event. My brother Luke skied incredible and came away with third place, i think its the first time we have shared the podium together. In Sydney for a couple of days then off to Buller for the uni games which should be a very fun week, will keep you posted.

Luke and i on the podium, not bad for a freerider it must have been my Olympic jersey he was wearing

I qualified in second in the first race behind new team mate Anton Grimus. I skied well in the heats though and came out with a win. I was on a mission for qualifying on Sunday after being beaten the previous day and won the run by 2 seconds. The final four was really competitive, I was in second to the young Russian the entire way down the course, trying to find a spot to pass on the narrow track. On the final turn I managed to make a pass on the inside and skied into the lead over the last jump and into the finish line

Overall its was a great weekend, its been a few months since I have raced skier cross so its feels great to be in a competitive environment again and I feel more motivated than ever to train hard and prepare for the Northern Hemisphere season.

This is the first freeride event I have ever entered so I was unsure what to expect or how to execute the run I had in mind. This certainly showed in my first run where I over shot the double stage drop at the bottom and blew up just short of the finish line. I chose a slightly different run for my second attempt and it payed off qualifying for the finals in third position behind Watkin Maclenan and Johnny Libzker. The highlight of the day though was watching Chris Booth send the bottom drop with amassive cork 360 and a gigantic180, unfortuately he didn’t ski away but the non the less incredible to witness.

The finals were scheduled for either the Wednesday or Thursday however rain and high winds didn’t allow lifts to run and the event was cancelled. The results were then based on the qualifying round and I celebrated my 3rd place result. All in all it was a great event and I’ll be back next year to go two better.

On the way to Hotham this afternoon for two skier cross events over the weekend, should be a fun drive on the wet dirt road. Will upload a video and some photos once I get a solid Internet connection.

http://www.perisher.com.au/winter/tubemyride/tmr_show.php?id_entry=38

Doing my best to pull of the infamous “blue steal”

Jono brauer, myself and Will Clifford

Crossing the line struggling to  stay in a tuck