I’ve just got back from one of the best weeks of my life! Red Bull put together an annual team trip, this year we were surprised with a week in Davos, Switzerland. Skiing and snowboarding, paragliding and generally being looked after! I couldn’t go last year so this was my first time spending a week with all the other freesports athletes of Red Bull UK.
There was myself and my brother Gee, also a downhill rider, Sam Lamiroy (one of the UK’s best surfers), Bas Keep and Kye Forte, pioneers for BMX and amongst the best worldwide. Nick and Julz Heany, pro wakeboarders and Ross Mcgaugan and Kris Vile, the UK’s best skaters. There was also Laura Berry pro snowboarder. Thrown into the mix were Tim Warward and Adam Gendle from Lockdown projects, making the best snowboard vids ever, (Redbull hike and ride anyone?) and Nathan Gallagher – an amazing photographer and funny guy. You can check them out at www.Nathangallagher.com and www.lockdownprojects.com
Spending time with all these other freesports athletes really helped me gain some outside information into my sport, and fresh ideas are always good. It really gave me inspiration and I feel so excited about the years ahead. I feel lucky to have met such amazing people who I hope I’ll be friends with for years to come, and if it wasn’t for this trip I wouldn’t have met them, so thanks Redbull! I’d really advise anyone to look places you normally wouldn’t for ideas and inspiration, you’ll be surprised!
I’m a skier and have been since I was little, but I thought this trip would be a good time to give snowboarding a go, I was getting on ok, not great, just I struggled on the flat tracks down to the town, so in true extreme fasion(!) Tim made me jump on his back and he piggy backed me 15 mins down the hill, we flew past every skier and boarder and it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done!! It was also one of the highlights of the trip! What a legend!
Playing table football and pool every night with our in house DJ jay (funkysalad on myspace, check him out) was the best way to spend the nights before hitting the dancefloor and dancing away till morning. I was really sad to say goodbye to everyone but it gave us all a chance to kick back and have some fun before the season starts. An important thing is to remember to take time off, whatever you do you’ll do it a whole lot better if you remember to chill from time to time. I’m really getting stuck into the traing now and whenever I feel a bit fed up or unmotivated, I remember the belief that the others had in me. So until next year we’ve got our memories of the fun holidays. Keep them safe, and remember, GET INVOLVED (in the fun).
