2016 NZ Season Complete!

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Adam Barwood

Slalom Podium

GS Podium

Slalom Nationals

Racing got underway 1st August with a GS at Cardrona which came around quickly after just one day of gate training due to the lack of snow conditions. I picked up a podium in 2nd place and then it was straight back to Coronet Peak where we were finally able to get some gate training in. The National Championships came around quickly, 9th August, with the GS first. Managed to pick up the gastro bug going around so felt pretty bad for most of the week but was able to place 2nd behind Willis in the GS and pick up the National Title again for the slalom. One more week of training on some pretty good conditions at Coronet Peak and then headed over to Australia for the start of the ANC races at Mt Hotham.

Coberger Academy, NZ Ski Team . Pic Michael Thomas

First men’s races at Hotham were postponed due to the weather but managed to complete all races using up the weather day. I had some good runs but had trouble finding a good head space which didn’t go well overall. Flew back to Queenstown and it was straight into racing again with the final of the ANC GS and slalom races at Coronet Peak. Again I had sections of good racing and managed to take out the AUS/NZ yellow bib for the slalom but found it quite a struggle.

Hotham inspection

Hotham GS

Hotham finish

Hotham start gate

SL course inspection Mt Hotham

ANC GS Coronet Peak

Finish area Rocky Gully

We had a couple of days in Queenstown then headed up to Methven for the final speed races for Nationals and ANC’s. The weather wasn’t the best with our day of training super g cancelled and the following day we squeezed in three super g races. After the super g races, the weather pretty much fell apart so we decided not to race the super combined but headed back to Queenstown which was a good call as the rest of the races were then cancelled.

a-barwood Overall I found it to be a very challenging season with virtually no training to speak of before racing started. Fortunately we have had some excellent training since the races finished with some great conditions both at Rocky Gully and up at the Remarkables.

Remarkables slalom training

Remarkables

One day during the last week of training, we had an early GS session at Remarkables which was followed by an enjoyable session with the Gold Members and children on a paneled slalom course. It was great to catch up with them again to see how they have progressed and watch their enjoyment on snow.

After a week of taking time out it is now full swing back into the next strength and conditioning phase before heading on to the northern hemisphere season. Once again it has been amazing to have the support of so many, thank you one and all!

early season

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Adam Barwood

It has been a little while since my last post, however it has taken some time for the snow to be sufficient for some training to begin. Much of my time has been spent on strength and conditioning as well as a short back to snow camp at Mt Hutt in June. We have had a couple of S & C Camps with Ben Griffin in Queenstown and Methven with some testing to see our progress from last year, as well as where we are on a National level. Pleased to say progress on last year has been good with some personal bests achieved.

Coronet Peak View

The last couple of months have been much warmer than usual and much less snowfall. The training at Mt Hutt went well although the snow cover was a bit lean in places. Back in Queenstown our on-snow start was delayed due to lack of snow but we have since managed some free skiing drills on the main runs at Coronet Peak which was a bit of a challenge with the school holidays in full swing. The last few days we have been doing more drills and started on stubbie training at the Remarkables ski field. Little bit further to travel but conditions have been OK – snow is a little soft and dry but it is good to be back on skis.

Remarkables

We had about a foot of snow last night so hopefully it will be enough to get Rocky Gully up and running for some serious training!

Season End

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Adam Barwood

It’s good to be back home to the start of Autumn after a mixed European leg to finish this season. March continued with varied snow conditions and weather for some tough race conditions. We also got some excellent training and the odd bit of sightseeing thrown in as we made the most of our time.

Singapore

March started with three World Cup races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia (2 x GS, 1 x SL) with a large field of the world’s best and some tough conditions out there: fog-snow-rain-mist, and the announcers were saying the course was “brutal, rough, rugged, rutted, potholes” – and that was all after just the first 7 racers. It was by far the toughest gs race I have skied, the announcers had it right! They moved the start down again for the second run due to poor conditions. It was also pretty tough conditions in the slalom starting 74 in a field of 80 athletes. I think I gained a huge amount from the WC races, definitely a worthwhile experience.

WC Course Inspection

Fresh snow, finish area

Inspection

Kranjska Gora WC GS

From the WC races, we moved on to Bad Hofgastein, Austria for a couple of GS races with the first being cancelled due to snow conditions and warm weather. The cable train we had to catch to get to the race start was crowded with over 50 athletes and all their gear. Managed to get day 2 of the GS completed, unfortunately I made a few mistakes which cost time. Again a large field of 134 athletes with a real international mix of top athletes.

Bad Hofgastein train

Bad Hofgastein, Austria

After a couple of days training, we moved on to Hinterstoder for four days of races. While it was pretty frustrating with my results, I had some good skiing and feel I am improving, getting stronger and faster but needing to put it all together into two runs.

Hinterstoder

Hinterstoder SL start

Hinterstoder GS start

It was good to get a couple of days off before travelling to races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia again. In the GS I was frustrated with a mix of good skiing and too many mistakes. I felt I was skiing really well in the slalom, unfortunately, came out near the finish in the 2nd run. It was good to be able to take some time out in the afternoon to do a bit of sightseeing around Lake Bled and the castle before heading on to races the following day at Zagreb-Sljeme, Croatia.

At Lake Bled

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Snow conditions in Zagreb were very lean to say the least, as you can see from the photos below. Day one of the slalom races was delayed for a couple of hours to see if the salting and watering of the course could firm it up enough to race on. First run was set by Kostelic and a pretty classic set of his – with a delay into hairpin, gate, into royal flush into delay into hairpin. Again had some fast sections of skiing, but disappointed to not finish the second run both days. It cooled down a bit for day two and the small amount of snow held up surprisingly well.

Chairlift Zagreb-Sljeme

Zagreb-Sljeme

From finish area

SL race course inspection

From Croatia is was a bit of a long drive through to Tarvioso, Italy for a super g race at Sella Nevea. After only having super g skis on once before for the season and the race course being one of the toughest super g’s I’ve been on, I was happy to finish, although not very fast! Started bib 32 and ten athletes either side of me didn’t finish. The attrition rate was quite high with just 43 of 75 athletes finishing.

Selle Nevea

Super G course inspection

Sella Nevea, Italy

Course Inspection

From Italy, as soon as the race was completed it was a rush back to our home base in Saalfelden, Austria to pack and catch the plane from Munich, Germany the following day (26th March) then the long trip home. The northern hemisphere 2015/2016 season has had it’s ups and downs with some goals met and some not quite reached. Overall it has been a successful time for me with my world ranking lowered which always helps, but also I know my skiing is improving all the time.

I would like to acknowledge the many people from all over the world who make ski racing possible – from the mountains and their race crews to the many volunteers, parents and athletes who all put so much time and effort into making so many awesome races. Also to the international coaches and teams who helped us out with training space. Many thanks to my coach Nils Coberger for his huge input and our Team Manager, Hamish Edwards for his continued support. Thanks too, to Guenther Raedler for your ongoing assistance. A big thank you to my family, all my sponsors and supporters who, without your help, I would be unable to continue. A short break now to debrief and then it is back into my dryland training programme – many thanks Ben Griffin for working on our programmes, continually tweaking them to get the best out of us.

Copper Mountain -Training

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Adam Barwood

GS Course at Copper Mountain

Arrived in to Dillon, Colorado 2nd November to fairly mild temperatures and not a lot of snow. Dillon is a small town approx 110km from Denver and pretty centrally located between Loveland and Copper Mountain, about 20kms/20 minutes drive to each so a good place to be based for training.

Training at Copper Mountain. Race gear by One Studio

We have had some solid training since arriving with slalom, giant slalom and also super g. With the colder temperatures and high altitude (12,313 ft / 3,753 m), Copper Mountain have been going full speed with snow making. This has also been topped up with a few falls of fresh snow and colder temperatures since arriving. Due to the large number of athletes all needing to get training in and limited lane space, we have staggered starts with the earliest being 6.30am on snow. Other time slots are 10.00am and 1.00pm. We usually get a couple of hours, around 7 – 8 runs of quality training. Andres Zampa from Slovakia has joined us for the start of the season and it’s great to have him on board, along with team mate Willis Feasey and Coach, Nils Coberger.

Thank you to the Skeggs Foundation for their continued support in the latest round of grant applications. The Skeggs Foundation do a fantastic job helping to support the athletes throughout Otago working towards their goals – check out their website! Many thanks also to the Wanaka Ski Club for their continued support.

Awesome gear by One Studio – Taking care of our race suit. Stuffing your race suit into your ski bag when you’re travelling the winter world doesn’t do it any favours and shortens its life. One Studio have come up with a plan to help your suit and your planet. They up-cycling all the off-cuts and print/fabric seconds and turn them into handy protection for the clothes that make you fast on the hill.
Every race suit leaving the One Studio workroom now has it’s own custom suit bag.
Always working to keep your race gear safe and fast – check them out for the best race suits on the hill!

End of NZ season 2015

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Adam Barwood

Coronet Spring Training

We have just had the last few days of on snow training before a heavy dryland programme begins. The spring skiing at Coronet Peak has been, for the most part, particularly good for this time of year with great snow cover. Super G training from the top of the GS race start down through Robin’s Run was a lot of fun and the snow conditions on Race Arena have made for some excellent training.

Perisher Slalom Course

August was a pretty packed month of racing with mixed results but I was fairly happy with the way my health has progressed over the season. Races began at Cardrona in early August and these were quickly followed by the National Championships at Coronet Peak. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to hold on to my title this year with team mate Willis Feasey on top form, but beating me by just 0.11 second! After the Nationals we flew over to Australia to start the ANC cup series with the first races in Perisher. Perisher is huge, we had to take four different lifts just to get to the top of the race, and had to take a train (the ski tube) under the Australian alps to get up to the ski area. After pouring rain all night we actually ended up having a pretty nice day! The slalom races were a bit of a lucky dip with the top guys finishing way off the pace with the crumbling snow deteriorating quickly. I was pretty happy to have made a result in the first GS with 17 points in spite of the challenging conditions. Lots of bad weather and poor snow conditions saw the second GS postponed a couple of times and moved on to follow the ANC races being held at Coronet Peak at the end of August. .

ANC/Winter Games Slalom, Coronet Peak

On arriving back home, it was straight into another five days of racing the Winter Games/ANC Cup series, a day off and then races for the season finished with a slalom and giant slalom at Treble Cone (4th, 5th September) along with plenty of fresh snow to make it a little more challenging. Managed to pick up 3rd place in the slalom amongst some stiff competition so it was a good way to finish off the race season.

Coronet Peak GS Race

Pre Race Warmup Photo Cred: Philip Green

View from Rocky Gully over Lake Wakatipu

We are now into a heavy dryland programme for the next few weeks before a final block of on snow training at Cardrona. Spring is definitely here with warmer temperatures and hayfever season about to kick off.

(National Champs Slalom podium. ANC Cup series Yellow bib presented by Ken Read)

Training Coronet Peak

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Adam Barwood

Start of season training at Coronet Peak has been going well with good snow cover and mostly great weather. Crisp clear nights followed by bluebird days so far this week for some slalom training, although the snow has been a bit soft with ruts developing a little sooner than desired.

The previous week saw some more stormy weather but we got in some good GS training in spite of the really flat lighting. Training was cancelled on Sunday due to the mountain’s new 5cm rule – if more than 5cm of fresh snow falls overnight, no training allowed the following day! The team had our physical testing completed (thanks Ginny Rutledge at Wanaka Physio) and I’m fairly happy with my continued improvement and getting back to where I need to be. Working with Ben Griffin for dryland training and monitor health has been invaluable for keeping an eye on when I need to take a break and not become over tired.

Building Up

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Adam Barwood

The time of the year to once again to be hitting the gym – strengthening, building, gaining – physical and mental training for the start of the New Zealand season just around the corner. Bit of a shock to the system to realise how much fitness is lost so quickly when one has been crook and the amount of work required to build back up again. Many thanks to Alpine Health and Fitness for once again helping out with a gym pass.

ADIDAS!

Many thanks to our patron Darren Shand and to Nick Simmers from Adidas NZ, for teeing up a partnership with Adidas. I’m now fully decked out with physical training kit, including lifting shoes, indoor and outdoor dryland training gear from the best in the business. Thanks guys, awesome gear! Really enjoying making good use of it all.

SKEGGS FOUNDATION – many thanks once again to the Skeggs Foundation for their continued support in assisting with funding towards my ski racing dreams.

Aspen Speed

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Adam Barwood

Super G Start, Aspen

After a great taste of summer, it was straight into race mode when we got back to Colorado. On leaving Queenstown, travelling roughly 24 hours solid and a quick afternoon free ski at Winter Park, we raced the following two days in two giant slaloms. I had a couple of good runs, unfortunately not in the same race. From Winter Park, we moved on to Aspen where teammates Willis and Nick went into speed mode with some downhill training and races (and podiumed) while I got in some great gs and super g training. The downhill races were followed up by two super g races where I picked up a couple of podium spots (3rd & 2nd) as well as getting some good point results. Nick picked up 2 golds. I was lucky enough to stay with friend Bobby Moyer while in Aspen – many thanks to Bobby and family!

Super G podium

After packing up and heading out, we are now in Eldora, (about four hours drive from Aspen) for a slalom and three GS races – interesting start list being a University race as they have seed points within FIS points. These will be our final races before heading on to Beaver Creek for the World Ski Championships!

NZ Season coming to a close

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Adam Barwood

We are coming to the finish of our New Zealand season after some great races at Coronet Peak. The finals of the tech series of ANC Cup races saw perfect weather (although just a little warm!) blue skies, and the snow held out over the four days. There were some top international athletes with a similar start list to the ANC races in Hotham including Adam Zampa in bib 1, four days in a row.

View from the race course over Wakatipu Basin

The races kicked off with two days of giant slalom and with my ANC points I started in a good position. I scored a points result day one with a top second run but made a few mistakes day two. This was followed up with two days of slalom, again with some good results but just a few too many mistakes. All up though, my technique is getting more solid all the time and I feel I’ve made some good gains this season. For the overall ANC Cup series I won the yellow bib for slalom. Unfortunately the speed races at Mt Hutt where all canceled due to snow conditions.

Still a little more on snow training to be had over the next couple of weeks as well as getting into more dryland training before leaving to Colorado at the start of November.

On another note, our NZ Ski Team have started a Supporters Club and have held our first evening last week in Queenstown with another to be in Christchurch 18th September. Take a read and if you would like to show your support, drop Hamish Edwards a line hamish@skiracingnz.co.nz

It’s been great to catch up again with friends from all around the world and be able to take some time out for the occasional game of frisbee golf in our beautiful part of the country.

National Champs – Coronet Peak

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Adam Barwood

After some less than desirable snow conditions and weather leading up to the National Championship races, it was great to begin to excellent conditions on the 20th August with the giant slalom. Had a fast second run but it wasn’t quite enough to pull away from the faster first run from team mate Willis, so came in at second place. Amazing weather and great conditions continued for the slalom race on the 20th and I took out the National Champion title for the third year running. Take a look at the great conditions and some of the athletes at the slalom race (I’m bib 2) in this video from Snowsports NZ.

Slalom podium – Nick Prebble 2nd, Adam Barwood 1st Willis Feasey 3rd.Giant Slalom Podium – Adam Barwood 2nd, Willis Feasey 1st, Nick Prebble 3rd

The next series of races which are for the ANC Cup start on the 25th August at Mt Hotham, Australia so we depart this morning for Melbourne.

Adam Barwood

Check out what I am up to, where in the World my skis take me.

Tag Archives: Coronet Peak