What A Week!

Wow, what a week it's been!
Snow, snow and more snow, in fact just over 60cm this week, the powder skiing has been amazing!
A.J and I had the best day on Wednesday as the storm cycle rolled through the Tahoe Basin, there was too much new snow to train so we ditched and lapped K.T 22 for most of the day in what was boot top to knee deep powder, G.S Bowl was awesome, it was fantastic to ski Squaw with my team mate and with so much snow after the past two years where new snow has been scarce to say the least!
We managed some training this week, some solid Slalom work on Exhibition with the U.S NTG Girls joining us for the past few days, it's been great to be back in such highly regarded company!
The first of the Far West Regional Qualifiers get underway at Squaw Valley tomorrow, 2 x SL + 1 x G.S over the next three days, I'm feel OK but a little under done, will give it my best shot and see how I go.
Wish me luck, updates on Sunday.

Ready To Go!

Having caught up on sleep after travelling 21hrs from Queenstown to Tahoe City and jumping from 30 degrees to -10 degrees along with the altitude change - 300m above sea level in Queenstown to 2500m on the course at Squaw Valley and fighting off a tummy upset I've now recovered and acclimatised and am ready to train with greater focus.
I skied / trained three half days last week to get my ski legs and rhythm back, I'm looking forward to a solid week of hard work this week heading into my first Far West Qualifying Races next weekend.

2015 / 2016 U.S Training

It's great to be back in the U.S and returning to my Squaw Valley U16 Team for the next 8 weeks.
I'm looking forward to catching up with my U.S training mates A.J, Magnolia and Anna and welcoming my NZ team mates Sophie and Livvie to the team.
I'm focused and have some clear goals that I want to achieve in the coming weeks, conditions are amazing with tons of great snow, so cool to see Tahoe at its very best!
Stay tuned for updates...

USA Here I Come...

In 24 hours I head to my Northern Hemisphere training base in Tahoe California.
I'll spend the next seven weeks training and racing as part of the Squaw Valley U16 Team, it will be great to be back on snow in a couple of days with my SVST mates and working hard to achieve my goals on and off the snow.
Conditions are looking great in comparison to last year and are perfect for training and racing.
While in the U.S I'll compete in several race series - The first races ( 2 x G.S and 1 x SL ) at Snow Summit, the second at Mammoth Mountain ( 2 x Super G and 1 x G.S ), and the last ( 3 x Super G ) at Alpine Meadows before heading home in early March.
Before I head away I'd like to thank my trainers Braden Lee, Michelle Watt and the amazing team at Fight Science Queenstown for keeping me in shape and making sure I'm physically and mentally ready to race in the U.S, Dalbello Italy for my new race room boots and Bobo Sports NZ for my Dynastar Skis
Can't wait to be back in my happy place! WOO HOO!

Andie G ❄️

Whistler Cup 2015

So stoked to be named in the Snow Sports New Zealand U16 Team to compete at Whistler Cup ( Canada ) in early April 2015.
Be assured I'll be working hard while training in the U.S with the Squaw Valley Ski Team and racing in the USSA Far West North Series with my sights set firmly on good results at Whistler Cup in April.

Squaw Valley Ski Team / Tahoe CA USA

I must say, I'm starting to get pretty amped about heading back to Tahoe and catching up with my friends in Tahoe. With heavy snow falling there and a couple of earlier December storms things should be looking pretty good by mid January.  

Lululemon Athletica Queenstown

With much excitement I'm stoked to say that I've been asked to be a Product Tester for Lululemon Athletica here in Queenstown :)
I popped into the Queenstown flagship store this morning for a fitting session and spent some time with the amazing and inspirational LL team. They are all super friendly and knowledgable about the extensive range of clothing available, it's suitable for all types of workout situations and leisure activities - Yoga, Mountain Biking, Running and now even Alpine Skiing...
Lululemon clothing is incredibly comfortable, exceptionally well made and very functional. It's quality and design not only looks good and feels great but it's also very flattering, even with ski racers thighs like mine!
I'll be working out and training and racing in the U.S wearing a range of Lululemon clothing, writing reviews and giving feedback on select clothing items from time to time.
I'm really excited to be part of such a great team, very grateful of their support and encouragement and impressed that they are prepared to connect with young athletes in the community.
Thanks Naomi and Lululemon Athletica Queenstown for the opportunity to be part of such an Amazing Team and Worldwide Brand!

Lululemon Athletica NZ Link: http://www.lululemon.co.nz/?sl=NZ

U.S Winter Training and Racing

I'm heading back to the U.S this summer to train and race with the Squaw Valley U16 Team.
We'll be leaving Queenstown on January 14th and basing ourselves just up the road from Squaw Valley in Truckee / Tahoe CA, we'll be away for 6 1/2 weeks returning to Queenstown on March 5th.
I'm looking forward to skiing some big open spaces and getting used to my new Super G skis, at 201cm they are going to be fast and perfect for the U16 Speed Series Races at Mammoth Mountain in mid February.
I'm hoping for good snow and training conditions while away, my focus will be to train and race to win with particular focus on self belief, self motivation and aggressive skiing.

Thanks to Dynastar NZ / Bobo Sports for my new skis, Dalbello Italy for my new boots and Outside Sports Queenstown for your ongoing support, I couldn't do what I do without you guys :)

Summer Training For The U.S

With winter now done here in NZ and last weekend off it was straight back into Spring Training for  winter in the U.S first thing Monday morning!
First up I need to shed a few winter pounds and up the aerobic levels somewhat so it's early morning Boot Camp ( 6am to 7am ) four morning per week ( Yes, before school too ) for 4 weeks and a weekly one on one session with my Personal Trainer at Fight Science Queenstown.
Once the Boot Camp is finished I'll move to two days a week with my Personal Trainer working on strength conditioning and speed and agility work combined with some altitude running at Coronet Peak before another Boot Camp prior to Christmas.
I'll treat myself to a week off over Christmas and New Year and then hit the gym hard for 10 days before heading away to the U.S on January 14th 2015.

NZ Winter Wrap Up...

With winter all but done here in NZ and with only two days training left with the team before I finish up skiing for 2014, I'd have to say that I'm pretty happy with my season overall and my race results were really very pleasing :)
The final round of the New Zealand Youth Series finished up at Cardrona last weekend, we had great weather with favourable spring conditions, the snow on Day One ( Super G ) was a little soft for my liking so my time was a touch off my best.
Day Two ( Slalom ) and Day Three ( G.S ) saw the temperatures drop overnight producing harder conditions for both races over the next two days.
I was happy with my SuperG, finishing as the fastest 1st Year U16 Female, my Slalom was solid also and that result secured me the Overall NZ U16 Third Place Slalom Title behind the two older 2nd Year U16 Legends Eden McKay and Georgia Bushell.
The last day of racing ( G.S ) I skied  possibly the best G.S race of my life, once again finishing as the fastest 1st Year U16 female athlete and therefore securing the Overall NZ U16 3rd Place NZYS Title behind SSNZ Junior Development Team Members Georgia Bushell and Eden McKay.
I want to thank my amazing coaches Igor Stros and Tim Cafe, both have believed in me all season and have encouraged me to believe in myself and push my limits and ski to win!
My Dad has once again been my team manager, supporter, ski man and number one fan, thanks Dad for all your support and encouragement and the 100's of hours spent with file and hot iron in hand.
My Mum has been my inspiration this winter, with her own health battles she's been the guiding light on race day, supplier of inspirational quotes and sound advice and has instilled a " Will Do Attitude " in me, thanks Mum this season was for you :)
Thanks to Ivan at Dalbello Italy, Gerald at Dynastar NZ and Eric at Outside Sports Queenstown for your ongoing support and sponsorship I would really struggle to be as competitive as I am without you guys behind me, hopefully I'll continue to build speed and strength and deliver good results in the U.S this summer...
Now it's back into the gym and early morning boot camp to lose some winter pounds, build some strength and work on my speed and agility, to my trainers Braden / Ari / Alex / Kelsie - Game on!
I'll be heading back to the U.S this winter ( Jan / Feb 2015 ) for seven weeks of training and racing with the Squaw Valley Ski Team.
I'm looking forward to catching up with my old buddies up there and cranking some fast turns on my new 201cm SuperG ski...
Stay tuned for updates and photos from my Northern Hemisphere Training and hopefully some favourable race results :)
AndieG

Spring Update

Spring has well and truly arrived, I think today is the 25th Bluebird Day with temperatures getting warmer day by day...
Conditions are tough to train in with hard melt freeze conditions in the morning, the snow softens by mid morning for an hour or two of good training then boom you have heavy wet slush, my legs are toast by days end and it's tough to find consistency, oh the challenges of spring!
With only three weeks remaining in our season and one important round of the NZYS remaining at Cardrona in two weeks it's going to be interesting to see who can hold their form and find the energy to race for three days in Spring conditions.

New Zealand Youth Series / Round Three / Mt Hutt

We travelled to Mt Hutt for our annual Speed Camp last Tuesday, we set up camp at Barkers Lodge in Methven which as usual was fantastic.
We trained two days of SuperG in perfect conditions and sunny, clear skies at Mt Hutt on Wednesday and Thursday working ourselves up to speeds around 100Km/hr on the speed gun.
Round Three of the NZYS at Mt Hutt consisted of 4 x Super G Races + 1 x Slalom Race.
Super G Race One and Two on Friday went well with a 7th and a 4th placing, SG Race Three and Four on Saturday weren't bad either with a 5th and 6th place, overall I was the fastest 1st Year U16 Female Athlete, I felt comfortable at speed and ironed out a couple of small positional issues that pleased my coaches and picked up valuable NZYS Points :)
Sunday we raced Slalom, the course for the first run was long and very tight, after four days of speed training and racing there were some very tired ladies, I skied well and with the exception of a big mistake on the second to last gate I managed a 5th place, would have been a lot better without the mistake!
My second run was great, I went out with a determined attitude wanting to make up time for the mistake on my first run. I charged hard and managed a 4th place with the three podium places going to Second Year U16 Athletes ( Well done Eden, Georgia and Cam ), happily I still managed the fastest 1st Year U16 Athletes time, thanks Sophie T for a tough weekend of close competition and pushing one another to ski at our best!
Overall a very pleasing weekend with solid results, I'm looking forward to the last round of the NZYS at Cardrona in a couple of weeks!
Thanks to Team Hutt for a great week and well run races :)
Stay tuned for the final NZYS results and overall placings...!

New Zealand Youth Series / Round Two / Coronet Peak

A bit late posting this as we travelled to Mt Hutt for Speed Camp and then Round Three of the NZYS Races the day after Round Two finished at Coronet Peak so it's been a full on and pretty hectic two weeks!
Round Two of the NZYS was held at Coronet Peak last weekend, we raced 2 x G.S and 1 x SL race.
Conditions were fine and sunny with hard packed snow on the tricky Out Wide course.
Day One was GS, my first run was OK although conservative, I managed a 4th place and maintained that in my second run to finish 4th overall.
Day Two was GS once again, my first run was rubbish, a total nightmare, I started OK but just couldn't find my groove, I stiffened up and finished 9th, my second run was better but still not great but I managed to claw back a couple of places to finish 7th overall :(
Day Three was my preferred event Slalom, my first run was OK but I wasn't totally on my game picking up a 5th place, my second was solid but not my best. I managed to hold onto 5th place with my QAST team mate Sophie T making podium in 3rd place.
Roll on Round Three at Mt Hutt next weekend...

Slalom Run One / Ohau NZYS Round One

My first SL run from Round One of the New Zealand Youth Series at Ohau on Sunday, fastest women's 1st run time overall.

New Zealand Youth Series - Round One / Ohau

What a fantastic, inspirational weekend at Ohau for the first round of the New Zealand Youth Series Races ( GS & SL ), thanks SSNZ and Twizel Ski Club for a great two days of U14 / U16 racing.
It started off well when I bumped into Ted Ligety playing tennis on Friday afternoon at Ohau Lodge, after a chat he signed my Slytech Arm Guards, well his arm guards actually as my Dad scored them off him on a TV Commercial last winter.
Saturday dawned a beautiful, clear and sunny day, I had breakfast at the lodge with the U.S Men's Team and was totally inspired and pumped to watch them train a full GS course set from the top to the bottom of the mountain at Ohau.
The U.S Team finished training and pulled the lower section of their course and left the upper section ( 28 Gates ) in place for us to race the first round of the NZYS GS on - So cool to race on a course set for the U.S Men's Team / thanks Sasha :)
My first run was solid, I was fast on the upper flat section of the course and skied the lower steep set well, finishing my first run in 4th place overall with the fastest 1st Year U16 time, my second run was good too but a couple of small mistakes meant I finished 5th overall with the 2nd fastest 1st Year U16 time, just beaten by 0.52 of a second by my QAST team mate Sophie T, well done Sophie.
Sunday was another sunny, clear day and with my favourite discipline / Slalom ( 38 Gates ) I was pumped to race and do well!
A nice course set on dry snow with a steep start then a flat technical section leading to the final pitch with a rhythmical tight set to the finish.
I was stoked to put down the fast overall U16 women's time ( 35.90 sec ) in the first run, leading Georgia Bushell ( 2nd Year U16 ) by just 0.21 sec.
After a course reset and the addition of a few more gates ( 44 Gates ) my second run was fast too registering a respectable second fastest time ( 37.18 sec ) behind Eden McKay ( 2nd Year U16 / Team Hutt - well done Eden ) but just enough to hold off Team Hutt's Georgia B by 0.37 sec ( Well done Georgia ) for the Gold Medal and 1st Place in Round One of the NZYS SL Races.
With Round Two of the NZYS Races coming up this weekend here at home at Coronet Peak it's going to be exciting, I'll keep you posted....

August Update

With the season now in full swing and three of the five Junior Inter-field Races complete I'm looking forward to the real race series ( New Zealand Youth Series ) which starts this weekend at Ohau.

The Junior Inter-field Races haven't produced the results that I'd hoped ( I seem to own 4th place at present... ), I've struggled with the tight / turney combi courses on my adult race skis so am looking forward to the NZYS Race Series with regular SG, GS and SL courses.

I must say that my QAST team mate Alice Robinson ( U14 ) is an inspiration, displaying some totally awesome skiing, blowing away all male and females competitors in both the U14 and U16 age groups with some very impressive times!  

Chest Infection Grrrrr!

Damn cough, I hate being sick especially when there's snow falling!
Looking forward to getting back on snow at the weekend for some good ole Super G training at Cardrona :)

2014 Sponsors - Thanks

A huge thank you for the ongoing support from my 2014 Sponsors Outside Sports Queenstown, Bobo Products New Zealand, Dynastar New Zealand, Dalbello Italy and Atlas Beer Cafe Queenstown.

NZ Winter Training Underway

Three weeks into winter here in NZ and training is going well, although we could definitely do with some more snow!
I'm working hard and enjoying being part of the QAST U16 Team this season, our coaches Igor and Tim are amazing and I'm learning a lot from them both.
I'm loving my new Dynastar Race Skis, the move to an adult ski from a junior ski is fantastic and has totally changed my skiing!
Telemark training tomorrow will be interesting....
AndieG❄️

Japanese Camp

Finally back home in Queenstown after 26 hours of non stop travel!
The camp was great fun, with great coaching and great company.
We mainly focused on G.S training with both technical skiing, gate training and daily video sessions.
I was happy with my early season progress and have identified what I need to work on and have set my goals for the fast approaching NZ winter season.
Thanks Simon, Thanks Japan :)