If you want executive summary:
coaching, NSR, coaching, snowboarding, shenanigans, coaching, Level 5 development, Hawaii-sur-Rhone, new river-wide wave, slalom, Rugby 7s, player of the match, players’ player, won trophy, more coaching…Val Sesia, European Rafing Champs, Teva Extreme Games, French Alps…

If any of that interests you further, read on!

NSR
For the first time in 6 years, I went to NSR as a non-student so rather than competing, I was running coaching clinics and promoting FlowFree (as we were an event sponsor). The event was once again bigger than ever before and is a real credit to the organisers. More competitors than ever, more events, more sponsors, a bigger party and the Dream Result premier with star guests Tyler Bradt and Rush Sturges. However, there was but one star of the show, and that was without a doubt the legendary Rodeo Rabbit.

Snowboarding & Shenanigans
Not satisfied with the weeks of snow on my local hills, I travelled to Andorra for what was to be a fantastically fun week skiing, boarding and general shenanigan with some old Uni friends. It seems that with a ratio of 1 guy to 4 girls, we were in high demand in Mandorra – perhaps too high a demand when a couple of drinks were spiked. Other than that, it was an awesome week with plenty of banter – both on and off the slopes.

Level 5 Development
After just a week back at work, it was time for my BCU Level 5 coach development, which was certainly a valuable experience with plenty of affirmation and positive feedback. I am now even more fired up about coaching as my chosen profession and look forward to continuing my professional development.

Big Wave Surfing
Straight from the Level 5, I headed to Lyon to run a FlowFree Intro to Big Wave Surfing course. It was great few days, made memorable by discovering a river-wide wave with eddy service that never normally exists! A write up and photos can be found here.

Slalom
After whimsically saying I’d enter a slalom during my Level 5, I realised I had just 4 days back in the UK before I was supposed to race in a Div 1 (for those who don’t know much about slalom, it has leagues like football, which go from Premier down to Div 4 – Premier is for extremely good people, usually GB Team and those sponsored for slalom who regularly train, so Div 1 is kinda like the best of the rest i.e. very good!). There were a few problems with my plan: a) I had been in a slalom boat just twice, ever before b) I didn’t own, nor have access to a slalom boat c) The only rules I knew about slalom were that you had to go through the sticks. In order. Fast. Luckily, I found a slalom boat, a few nice people told my some rules (like what the beeping at the start meant) and I didn’t miss any gates. So I managed to finish middle of the field and now have a Div 1 rank!

Rugby 7s Win
May bank holiday has been blocked out in my diary since I accidentally played one match of the annual Aberystywth Rugby 7s tournament last year. For a few year now, the canoe club (plus a few extras) has put together a couple of charity teams for the event – the boys team being named Hawks and us girls the Sparrowhawks. The tournament gives all us graduates a reason to go back to Aber and see all our old mates while playing in the social league. There is always amazing team spirit, dedicated supporters and plenty of banter as part of the Hawks weekend.

The weekend saw some pretty bad injuries (on top of the standard rugby knocks) with two of our boys suffering from broken shoulders while one of our girls was in hospital for 3 days with a misaligned neck. Thankfully it seems everyone will make a full recovery.

Meanwhile on the pitch, Sparrowhawks went from strength to strength, despite having never played together before. There were some cracking tackles made be every team member and some outstanding runs. I was delighted to get player of the match twice on Saturday and (thanks to Ed missing out on Sunday) ended as top try scorer of all Hawks teams. We played 11 games in total and in the end…

…We won the social league trophy!

What’s next?
I will be at the Palm Big Paddle next weekend, giving coaching clinics and manning the FlowFree stand. Please come and say hi!

Then after a few more days of coaching work, I’ll be setting to sea – well, boarding a Dover-Dunkirk ferry at least – on my way to some bedrock slides, clean waterfalls and steep creekin’ action in Val Sesia.

From there, I head east within Italy to the Noce for the European Rafting Championships, which myself and 3 other Welsh girlies are competing as the GB 2 R4 team. With sprint, head-to-head, slalom and a gruelling 18km endurance event, it is not going to be easy but we can’t wait!

The following week Italy hosts the Teva Extreme Games and I have been invited to compete in the kayak races.

Once the Italian action is over, I will head to the French Alps to do some more FlowFree coaching work – get in touch if you are interested in some coaching or guiding in the French Alps in June or July. I will also be available for all manner of playboating clinics at Hawaii-sur-Rhone, Lyon (even if it is your first time on a big wave!).

Further on this year, I have plans for a couple of bigger expedition-style trips – details coming soon!

So, that’s it for now… expect more regular updates in the action packed weeks to come!

I was once again lucky enough to spent Christmas snowboarding in Sun Peaks with the Laws family.

This year we were joined by the Sladden family and 80′s kayaking legend Fred Wondre.

The mothers of the two families had done a fantastic job of co-ordinating a joint Christmas dinner that would allow everyone still enjoy most of Christmas day out on the hills. For our part, we went exploring out the back of the resort and enjoyed stunning views and untouched powder.

By early afternoon, we were back home to news that the oven timer hadn’t worked and the turkey was yet to cook. No worries though, as Mummy Laws set to it. No sooner had she taken the turkey from the oven, when suddenly darkness descended and all power went out. The Sladdens arrived moments later with the news that the power cut was resort-wide. We donned our head-torches, while the younger Sladdens got out their flashlights.

The power cut lasted all evening and well into the night. We sent Will to cook the vegetables and gravy out on the gas BBQ in the sub-zero temperatures while I entertained the kids (or they entertained me?) with torch-lit Junior Monopoly. We ate our Christmas dinner by atmospheric candle-light, marvelling at what a tasty delight had been created without power. Then just when we thought things had got random enough, 66-year-old Fred suddenly stood upon his chair, leapt across the breakfast bar and produced two bizarre but tasty and extremely alcoholic desserts.

Boxing Day arrived with surprisingly little in the way of sore heads and we once again headed out onto the hills. We were keen to go back along the ridge we’d explored the day before and soon we had Chris and Peter eager for the adventure too. As we left the resort boundary, we noted that the avalanche danger had been increased from “slight” to “moderate”. The snow did have a bit more of a wind-crust than the day before and the deep powder proved to be hard work for the older gentlemen on longer, slimmer skiis. I think Peter summed up his feeling on the expedition with the phrase “For me I think the enjoyment will mainly be in retrospect”. Personally, knowing what to expect a little more, I found myself enjoying it much more.

By the 27th, it was time to go home – something that I would have been much more sad about had I have not been given a comfy bed and waited on hand and foot in Air Canada’s “executive class”.  Certainly a very pleasant way to travel, but not one I will be getting used to… I’m sure for my next flight I will be crammed into a bright orange seat having paid more to take my kayak and kit bag than for my own airfare!

I am extremely grateful to Jackie and Peter Laws for once again giving me a fantastic Christmas to remember…

And because no skiing holiday with me would be complete without this photo…

Luckily, we also caught Will sliding on his ass too…

Peter, Will, Tom and I ready for a day on the slopes. Photo: Jackie Laws

We landed in Calgary to news of -40 wind chill outside. For the first time in over a decade Canada had snow from coast-to-coast and we got a fresh dump most days. Luckily Sun Peaks wasn’t as cold as Calgary, just a balmy -20!

I had such a great time. The “first tracks” breakfast sessions, before the lifts officially opened on a foot of fresh snow was a personal favourite. The runs there are so much more interesting and better groomed (or left ungroomed as the case may be) than European resorts I’ve been to.  Not that I’m a particularly experienced snowboarder to judge these things. Despite that, Tom and Will enjoyed taking me down scary black runs, and off the beaten track – on glades through the trees…

Will Laws jumping in our favourite glade. Photo: Lowri Davies

Tom grinding a box in the jump park. Photo: Lowri Davies

Me catching some brief air-time on a little jumpy. Photo: Will Laws

Although it didn’t always go to plan:

Oops! Photo: Tom Laws

Sometimes it was best just to leave the boys to it and meet them at the bottom:

Will jumps off a cliff. Photo: Tom Laws

Christmas Day, Jackie cooked up a fantastic apres-ski Christmas Dinner.

Photos: Tom Laws

On Boxing Day we met up with ex-pat and Welsh boating legend Chris Sladden and his family for a day of skiing, hot tubbing and eating more fine Christmassy foods.

All-in-all a brilliant trip and I just can’t say thank you enough to the Laws family for taking me, feeding me and making me feel part of the family!

I’ve just got back from 4 days of snowboarding in Meribel with a friend and his Dad. The sun shone, the snow was good and the food was delicious. Excellent stuff.

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We didn’t take a camera, which was quite? refreshing, these pics are from Mark’s phone.

Thanks to Mark and Paul Darby for a great few days and for looking after me when I was concussed on the final afternoon!