NS UK rider Leon chases winter all year by alternating between winter seasons in Europe then heading down under to complete winter seasons in New Zealand. Hi passion is big mountain freeride and he has no problem putting in big hikes to get the goods. He recently went on a whirlwind trip to Mount Olympus for the Freeride Open.

2 days, 11 hours driving, 6 hours sleep and a lost pair of shoes…..Mount Olympus, Take a bow!

I entered my second Freeride comp of the season here in NZ. It was being held in a small club field near Christchurch some 6 hours road trip away from Wanaka. Mount Olympus has legendary status here in New Zealand and is on every freeriders list.

The ‘Clubbies’ are usually set deep in the mountains and consist of a gnarly access road that looks like Fred Flintstone has cut it, a basic base building and ‘nutcracker’ tow ropes which are an art form to master. They are notoriously hard to get to, but if it was easy then everyone would go there – the isolation is part of the magic. The access road to Mount Olympus is raw to say the least. Steep drops on one side, avalanche debris on the other and rocks so big the trusty Subaru could only just clear them. But this is all part of what makes Olympus so special, you earn your turns before even reaching the snow.

The mountain lodge was definitely not what I was expecting. Its pretty luxurious with a hot tub on the deck looking over the mountain, a bar, fireplace and a big area to chill out in. That morning was for inspecting the competiton face, but my first challenge was the nutcrackers, the system of ropes and pulley wheels that take you up the mountain. I was probably more nervous about these then the actual competition but as it turned out they weren’t to bad. And by that i mean they were uncomfortable and awkward and you are never sure if you are going to get bucked off, but you do get used to them so i’m told.

The freeride venue had been moved a few times due to the hot weather affecting snow conditions and safety but eventually they decided on a face that was pretty short but spent most of the day in the shade so the snow was stable and untracked. The downside was that this face was very ‘sharky’ which was going to make it more of a challenge for each rider. It doesn’t take much for a rock to ruin your run (and your skis) as a few people found out, not a problem for the base on my Never Summer West which seems to break rocks.

The next morning we had our briefing after breakfast and for once I was not nervous, in fact I was really excited. I had a rough line picked out but didn’t decide until just before dropping in. It’s always the hardest part trying to pick a fluid line that has technical sections and drops and 8 times out of 10 I change my mind at the last minute anyway. I’ve learned that it’s not always about how big you can go, sometimes its about reading the conditions and adapting them to suit your style.

After the long boot pack to the start gate, and a few minutes to take in the views, it was my time to drop. I hit my first drop on the highest part so that I could get to my next cliff, annoyingly I put my hand on the snow when I landed. I carried on straight into the next drop and landed it perfectly into some fresh snow that I could ride with speed and control before coming to the bottom section. I chose to pick my way through some rocks to get to my last and biggest drop which I hit with a flat base and stomped the landing. A few fast turns and I was at the bottom, I felt great and with people coming over to congratulate me I knew that it was a good run. There’s no better feeling than being cheered across the finish line by people that you look up to for inspiration.

The level was super high again, and I finished in 4th place with a score of 61, and in a competiton of that level I am stoked to finish so high.

This was a special competition, you could feel the energy of the place and the atmosphere was very different to other comps. People were taking it seriously but the underlying fact was that everyone was there to push themselves and to truly enjoy the moment.

You can follow Leon on his blog Chasing Winter.