Success at the last Olympic qualifier

It's long been a dream of mine to become an Olympian and I am so thrilled to have been selected to represent Australia at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

My journey began many years ago and it has been a long, hard road to get there. Two blown ACL's, 6 surgeries, 9 broken bones and fractures and 4 serious concussions were some setbacks I experienced along the way. I'm sure people thought I was crazy to keep going but I wanted it so badly, quitting was not an option.

My dreams were realised at the last Olympic Qualifier in Quebec, Canada. Going into the event I was positioned to qualify but there was still a slight chance I could get knocked out of the top 30 and lose my spot. My good friend Paula crunched all the numbers and made me a spreadsheet with all the other riders points, so I knew exactly where I stood and who I needed to beat.

All I had to do was land a safe run and that would pretty much guarantee my spot. It was still a little nerve wracking though! I was super stoked to put down my first run and take the pressure off. I was feeling pretty relaxed going into my second run and ended up improving my score by adding another trick.

The moment I finished my second run, I knew I had done it! I couldn't be knocked out of the top 30 and I knew I had just qualified for the Olympics. It was the greatest moment of my life!! Knowing I had just achieved everything that I had worked for and dreamed of for so long was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief. I will never forget that wonderful day.

I went the whole qualifying year without a coach or team and I'm so proud I was able to do it on my own. But I do get by with a little(a lot) help from my friends. I am so thankful to everyone who has helped me over the years. There is too many to list right now but I owe extra special thanks to my family and all my friends for their support. Trigger Brothers, Burton Australia, Oakley, Mt Hotham and all the Hotham crew. Amber, Alex, Steph, Ben Boyd and Paula Mitchell. And last but certainly not least Team New Zealand who have been there for me through thick and thin. I am so fortunate they took in a lone Australian and made me feel apart of their team. So thank you to all the Kiwi staff and athletes, especially Tom Willmott, Bex Sinclair, Rose Battersby, Janina Kuzma, Chris Rogers and Sarah Battson. I am forever grateful :)

Russia here I come!!

Wearing garbage bags in the rain during training in Canada

No rain, just ice for comp day in Quebec

Celebrating Australia day in Breck with Davina, Tori & Anna

Finland World Cup

I'm a little behind on this blog but there is more to come soon. In the meantime head over to Trigger Bros to see a quick write up of my trip to Finland. Click here --> http://bit.ly/1bbLreZ

New Zealand

For the last month I've been in New Zealand, training, competing and exploring what this beautiful country has to offer. 

I competed in the NZ Winter Games/World Cup where I placed 27th. I wasn't able to put down the run exactly how I had planned, but was happy to finish second highest Australian which helps with my ranking for the Olympics. 

We've had our fair share of bad weather days up the hill but luckily it's usually always nice back in town. On days off snow I've been doing plenty of hiking and mountain biking whilst taking in some awe inspiring views.

I'm looking forward to heading home in a few days to surf and watch Geelong in the AFL finals. Until next time, hari mai!

Beautiful sight from the top at Cardrona

Fins out in the mini pipe

Standing right in front of the pipe in another NZ cloud

 Mt Iron hike with my Kiwi friends

Sticky Forest mountain bike track

Stunning drive not far from Wanaka 

 With some lovely ladies of halfpipe

Jiayu Lu from China going bigger than the guys

Clutha River standing wave. Definitely need a wetsuit to surf here

Instagram

Long time no blog. I'll be back with more soon but in the meantime follow me on Instagram.
Happy shredding pals!

@hannahtrigger

My gear of choice

Here is a quick look at what I'm riding this season. Many thanks to Burton and Oakley for providing me with the best quality products.

Myself at Park City World Cup

Board: Burton Feelgood 152

I have been riding the Burton Feelgood for nearly 8 years now. That's a pretty long time to stick with the same model board but this one is hard to beat. Every now and then I try out a new model but I'm yet to find one I like more. It's suitable for all types of riding, it's lightweight, holds a great edge and is quick and responsive under your feet.

Bindings: Burton Escapade EST

I love these bindings so much. My boot fits perfectly and they really lock your foot down with their comfy straps. They're a bit more pricey than other models but as soon as you pick them up you can see and feel the quality.

Goggles: Oakley Splice & Crowbar

On one of my first trips to America, the Baker Bros and I were picked up by Oakley and taken for a tour of their huge LA factory. I was blown away by all the research and testing they ran on every product, it was amazing. We even saw them shoot bullets at lenses and they did not break. They were doing everything to make sure their eyewear was superior and since that day I have recommended Oakley to everyone I know.







Outerwear: B by Burton Naomi Jacket & Belle Pant

The Burton Naomi Down Jacket is a longer fit so you won't get a breeze whilst bending over to do up your bindings. It's super cozy plus it looks good too.

The Burton Belle Pants are a slim fit but still with plenty of room for your thermals underneath.

48 Hours in Russia

I've just returned to Colorado after a super quick trip to Sochi, Russia for the Olympic Test Event.   Unfortunately I had complications with my travel plans and didn't arrive until 11pm the night before my competition. It was not ideal. I missed the two training days beforehand and it was all a bit hectic being thrown into competing having never seen or ridden that half pipe before. However I was still stoked to be there.

Heading up the gondola at 8am it was still pitch black and a little eery, you couldn't see anything but the tops of trees lit up by the moonlight. The sun doesn't rise there till about 9am which was strange but they had super duper powerful lights on the pipe, so seeing that wasn't a problem. 

I fell my first run then decided to just put down a safe run which I knew I would land on my second. I ended up in 27th place. Very average result but considering the circumstances I was still happy to have landed something. My friend and fellow Australian Holly Crawford came 2nd, such a fantastic result especially considering it was the best field of riders I've ever seen. 

The next two days I got to check out what the resort, Rosa Khutor had to offer. The mountain itself was awesome, with so much amazing terrain and great snow up top. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Black Sea. The village was something different, kind of like a movie set. It was all closed to the public and there was still lots of construction going on. Security guards were everywhere and to get on the gondola you had to go through a airport like security check, complete with a scan and pat down. There wasn't a shop in sight but I'm sure by next year there will be a souvenir stand on every corner. 

All in all it was a great experience to check out the Olympic venue and I hope to be back for the real deal next year!

Click photos to enlarge

Top of Rosa Khutor is amazing

Blinded by the lights. 9am morning of comp, still dark

Pipe, aerials and moguls course from the distance

Pipe finals

Start of the Boardercross course

The Village

One of the many security guards, interesting uniform. photo: @tora_saurus

Burton European Open

As smooth as Swiss chocolate

I just had a fantastic week in Laax, Switzerland for the Burton European Open. It was snowing almost the entire time I was there. Unfortunately the weather was shocking for the competition, training days got postponed and the slopestyle had to be eventually cancelled because it was too windy and dangerous to run. The park and pipe(which are both awesome) sit right up top of the mountain where the wind was the worst. However slide down the mountain a little bit and you could escape to a tranquil powder oasis.

Not so lovely at the pipe. Blowing a gale and barely visible

My first day riding, which was to be official pipe training, turned out to be probably the best powder day of my life. The snow had been falling all night and it continued dumping huge flakes throughout the day. I'd say it was the deepest pow I've ever ridden. We were laughing and hooting and grinning from ear to ear.

Being first time visitors to Laax we had no idea where we were riding or what area would be best, but run after run we kept scoring deeeep fresh tracks. There is so much terrain and the runs are very long in comparison to what I've been riding. My feet were definitely burning by the time I got to the bottom.

Burton put on a great show and did their best with the weather situation. Tough call to cancel events but when your hitting 60-80ft jumps you want to feel safe, not like your going to get blown to the moon. Even though some events were cancelled I think everyone still went home happy. How could you not after being waist deep in snow for three days.

Huge congrats to young Mt Buller local, Luke Staveley who came 2nd in the Junior Jam. Great effort! I'm not sure where I ended up, it wasn't good. No excuses though, I rode like crap.

Comp off, pow on

So much snow! There are cute huts like this all over the mountain.

Wooohoooo

Slope course during a break in the storm

Cool shot of Luke Staveley photo: Frankie Chapin