Background

I was ten when I started skiing, my Godfather gave me lessons for a birthday or a Christmas present so they were the first step. Tony McGuinness taught me at the beginning, I think he was keen to let me do my own thing because I progressed fairly quickly. In addition to a class during the week with him I skied on Saturday afternoons for maybe two or three hours. In hindsight that’s was brilliant for developing quickly.

I entered two masters/veteran race clinics when I was twelve or thirteen and had done all the ski school classes. Most of the other skiiers were twenty years older than me, the training was good though and we were doing more advanced skiing, and gates which was very exciting. I was trying to get better before going onto the next step, which was the race squad.

Achievements

I raced in Borruda in 2007 and the year after I went again and came sixteenth in the Giant Slalom, which I’m proud of. I went to the Childrens’ World Championships the same year, which turned out to be the best race I ever went to even though I skied awfully. I did some FIS racing following that in Norway, Italy, France, and Austria, which I really enjoyed. I managed to go to the European Youth Olympics in Poland in 2009, it was amazing to see kids pretty much earmarked to ski professionally. After that I did well in the British indoors. My regret was that I wasn’t able to ski to my potential and do a season or two on snow and ski in a World Championships.

Coaching Experience

Coaching is very enjoyable for me. I think I like it more because there isn’t the same stress actually racing. I did my BASI alpine racing in 2010 and IASI in 2011. I’ve been assistant coach for Boruffa and training camps in Landgraaf (The Netherlands). I’ve been coaching for roughly four years and I’m looking forward to improving.

Favourite Skier

I don’t have one but I like Ted Ligety mostly for his style, Marcel Hirsher because he’s so aggressive, Hermann Maier as well, because of that fall in Nagano in 1998, Lindsey Vonn… and Matthias Lanzinger because he still skied better than me after getting his leg amputated.