I got the chance to meet Dion last season at my first contest.
He knows what he is talking about when it comes to skiing and is super friendly.
How did you find the season?
I certainly did have a hectic winter, a lot of fun and a lot of flights!
I think I only had 5 days off for the entire northern hemisphere season.
It was an eye opening season and some of my experiences were really humbling.
The skate bowl set up was epic and so original for freeskiing.
Dion at B&E.
FIS started off by trying to implement their own judging system and judges.
It quickly became apparent though that the AFP system and judges had the support of the riders and coaches.
Not your average crew of FIS Judges
How was Sochi?
Yes, we certainly did.
I dont think the other officials knew what to make of us.
The fact we werent over 50 and rocking race skis definitely made us stand out.
The younger half of the freeski judging panel requested massively oversized FIS uniforms!
Was the Olympics a positive or negative thing for our sport?
I believe it has both positive and negative impacts on our sport.
Positive: the biggest positive has got to be the level of exposure the Olympics brought to our sport.
Also, national sporting organizations will now provide more financial support to freestyle athletes because its an Olympic sport.
Negative: I think the main negative impact is on the other freeskiing disciplines (mainly freeriding).
Without an Olympic pathway its going to be even harder for those athletes to access national funding.
Do you prefer style or spin to win when it comes to tricks?
I have always been a style fan.
They put their personal stamp on already very technical tricks.
photo: Mike Norrie
What would you consider a perfect freeride comp run?
Its got to be fast and aggressive.
The rider has got to show great skiing technique, actually making turns, not just pointing it.
Fabians run was pretty crazy!
He showed how the sport is progressing without needing to have those big tricks to win.
Ians run was one of my favourites of the season.
We are always excited by seeing something thats never been done before.
It was just not quite enough to pass Reine and take the win.
Im traveling back to NZ soon for another winter of events.
I have also decided to try and put together a junior FWT sanctioned tour in NZ.
Next season I hope to be doing more of the same.
Come down to NZ in late August/September and get amongst our park & freeride comps!
It is a great scene in NZ.
The smaller ski community are always stoked to welcome anyone from the skiing world.
Oh and we have the best pies…
