So I'd never been to Mayrhofen before but had heard good things about this place. I had been to Hintertux a couple of years ago where I stayed for a month doing a couple of BASI Instructor courses and liked Austria when I was there so it seemed like the best place for me to be. I'm a great believer in things happening for a reason and things that happen being signs that you are making the right decision!! Soo getting the instructors job in Mayrhofen and Mayrhofen having been the place I wanted to go made it just seem right. Still a scary thought though going to a new country to live for a season when you don't know anyone are going out there yourself and don't fully know the language. You soon settle in to your new life and the people you live with become family all caring for each other/ looking out for them, etc but for someone like me it's hard at first!! I find it takes me a while to open up to people, at the beginning of the season I'll be back in my shell and then I slowly start to emerge from it as I get to know people and I guess see that they see me as a friend or like me!! I think what people also realise about me is I am real quiet just happy sitting there with everyone listening and taking in everything that is going on but then when I do open my mouth I come out with some classics, I remember when this first happened this season the room went quiet and all eyes were on me then they burst out laughing, I think it was the initial shock of did she actually just say that!! I also had a bad habit of taking the piss out of the dutch quite a lot, I couldn't help it they just laid it out for me and I can be pretty sarcastic when I get in to the roll of it, even better they didn't usually have a comeback, mwuhahahahahaha!!
With going to new places all the time it has meant I have ridden by myself a lot and not really had people there to help push my riding. This season more so than any!! I have inspired people with my riding over the years but I'm someone who needs a kick up the ass every so often and that encouragement and belief from someone that I can do it, as I know I can do bigger and better tricks and features than what I'm currently doing I've just got to the stage where I find it hard to motivate myself to do it. I see people riding around that I would love to ride with and learn from but I don't know them/ they don't know me so I get it into my head why would they want to. It comes down to not having that self confidence and belief in myself that I can do stuff or people may want to get to know you/ ride with you, how do you know if you don't put yourself out there. Hopefully by being here the summer and then again next winter I will find the right people I can ride with and give me the push or kick up the ass I so very need!!!!
The terrain/ mountains here are awesome, they never had so much snow as last season but still plenty to ride. There are mountains around the area that you can also access with your season pass and even more if you have the Tirol pass which I'm gonna get next season, it starts in October and last till May as well, so well worth it. I never had the chance to check out the other mountains but next season I want to head to others on days off!! The park was smaller than I was expecting but they have a lot of features that they change up throughout the season, a progression of jumps so overall a fun park to ride, they even have a mini pipe that they don't really shape but was fun to ride in the spring when it got real slushy!! :)
A few weeks ago I got an unexpected skate lesson in the bowl from Will Smith who was still recovering from his fractured neck. Made me even more stoked to skate this summer :) I went with some of my housemates to the bowl early on in the season when there was snow in it and rode some stuff on it with our snowboards/ skis, one dude parked his van right along side the edge of the bowl, super sketchy then climbed on top of it strapped in and bombed dropped off it into the bowl, he did it and landed it!!
I finally got a transceiver, shovel and probe this season, I got out and used it once riding the best pow I rode all season so hopefully I'll get shown more cool spots to ride next season and get to ride more lines and pow like that but even better, here's hoping!!
There will be no season edit from me as I never got any filming done this season but I never really learnt anything new either so next years will have to be amazing to make up for it!!
Was also rad seeing Craig who was out here on holiday, Grant Donald who was out here for a month or so, Fin Bremner and Becky Menday who was out for a week and Matt and Kat who were out here for a week and finally got a shred with them on their last riding day in the morning, was good fun :)
Last week of the season the British Freestyle Snowboard Team were out here training in the Vans Penken Park, was inspiring to see them train like that, Jamie Nicholls going for the triple cork, Katie Omerod landing the double backflip as well as some of the others in the team landing their first doubles too, a real progressive week by the sounds of it. I also got to see my friend Ben who was out as he's head coach of the Junior freestyle team was real good to see him, last time I'd seen him was around a year and a half ago in New Zealand although I speak to him online a lot, probably too much as I'm sure he get's fed up with my messages so I will have to stop haha but he's one of those people that no matter how long it's been that you've seen him it could seem like yesterday you last saw him, just someone I feel I can go to and he will help if he can whether giving you words of encouragement/ support and he knows what it's like traveling around and doing seasons etc so I have just always seen him as a good friend to turn to no matter where in the world either of us may be and we all need someone like that in our lives as I would do they same for him and help him out if I could!! A mentor in snowboarding and an inspiration in all the work he does for uk snowboarding!! He won't read this but I will thank him now for being there and to keep up the awesome work that he does much respect dude!!
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