Introducing James the Boot, the man who saves soles!
James says he’s shocked to find that the standard of boot fitting in some of Britain’s major ski shops is f*%$£*$* pathetic. No, we can’t imagine which shops he could be talking about. Read More…
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James is sadly not skiing this snowy New Year. He’s not even…er…first-footing. Instead he’s locked away in his Abingdon workshop ranting about canting… In the early 1990s I read a book called The Athletic Skier - essential reading for anyone interested in the art of fitting ski equipment - and realised that the comfort and performance of a ski boot only represents part of what being a great boot fitter is all about. Read More… Almost anyone who has been involved in outdoor and winter sports know about foot, knee, and lower back pain - and by pain I mean PAIN…one client told me he sometimes had to stop and bury his feet into the snow. That’s extreme, but most of us are familiar at one time or another with those persistent throbs of discomfort that ruin your good mood. The causes of these aches and pains can be trauma or overtraining but in some cases they are the result more basic bio-mechanical problems. Read More… The recent Matt Heliker talk, organised by Outdoor Traders, was a great success. Matt - a seasoned skier, climber and all round alpinist - came to talk to us about a ‘new route’ he had recently completed in Alaska. His presentation was fantastic, showing the audience the difficulty of the root and the conditions faced by the two climbers. There was also a great meal, and a share of the proceedings of the evening went to Save Radley Lakes, a local charity.
Even more than yesterday I just want to get on with the job now. I need to get the boots on and start walking and set my mind to rest. The first part of today’s journey was a one hour bus journey to the start point, Machame Gate. The bus was brilliant, an old rickety thing with us packed in like sardines, yet it still kept pulling up those hills. The gate itself was already at a height of 1800m, already higher than any where I had walked previously. We signed into the national park, posed for a group photo and then it was time for the off. Clouds still didn’t allow any glimpse of the summit. Read More…
Now as I sit on the Heathrow Express repeatedly checking my bag to check my passport hasn’t disappeared since the last time I looked, I get the first real sense of adventure. Up until now the trip always seemed like a distant goal and at times whilst I occupied my time with everyday working life and focused ever spare minute on training and achieving my fundraising target, I wondered if this day would ever come. Even today, a day of rest before the evening flight, turned into a mad rush, frantically rushing around town trying to pick up the last remaining items for my kit list (energy bars, bin liners and a box of scented nappy bags). I did however manage to take 5 minutes whilst packing my bag to try on my Patagonia trousers and dance around to some song about James Bond on the radio. These trousers are seriously flexible and I challenge any of you out there to try them on and tell me they are not the most comfortable pair of trousers you have ever had. Read More… What a crazy couple of months it’s been! A season that started as a part-time project balanced alongside my ongoing degree at the University of York has now become a full-blown, crazy dash around Europe, competing in ski cross alongside some of the world’s best. Read More… Happy New Year! What a busy month December was - with a whole new equipment setup, I headed out to Nendaz, near Verbier in Swizerland, to meet up with the guys for a two-week training camp. The chalet Ian Findlay, GB team manager, rents in Nendaz is great - lots of space and with a decent garage for storing and preparing skis, and for recovery training each afternoon on the spin bike. Read More… The past few weeks have been pretty busy, to say the least, but at long last, I’m all packed and ready to head out to Nendaz in Switzerland tomorrow morning to do some training ahead of Europa Cup opener in Grasgeren, Germany. Read More… There’s not been a lot on lately, with the university term getting into full swing, but I’ve been picking up some pretty good media coverage: For starters, have a look at the highlights reel from the British Indoor Ski Cross Championships. I get a lot of screen time (blue helmet, orange boots, white long-sleeved shirt). Still can’t believe they gave that finish line decision against me though… Read More… It was the Trespass Indoor Snowboardcross & Skiercross Championships today, and the memory of it is going to haunt me for a while. Read More… What a fantastic day - I’m the GB indoor series champion! I finally took my first win in the British Indoor Ski Cross Series in Milton Keynes this weekend, and just in time. I’d been sitting in 2nd place in the five-event series - behind British Alpine Team member Kenneth Morton - thanks to successive podium finishes in previous rounds. But after a long summer of frustration, things finally went my way, securing me the overall senior title! Read More… |
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6:30 alarm. I slept like a log! I didn’t wake once all night. I went for my last shower of the week and then for a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and a cup of tea.
After 12 hours of travelling we finally touch down in Tanzania at Kilimanjaro International airport. I’m very tired, it was a night flight, via Ethiopia, but squashed into my economy class seat I failed to get much sleep. There was a bus waiting for us on arrival at the airport to transfer us to our first destination the Ameg Lodge, Moshi, an hour south of the gate at the start of the Machame route. Unfortunately due to cloud cover we have not yet caught a glimpse of the mountain but that will soon change. 