For a while, I started ski jumping during the summer at the Canada Olympic Park here in Calgary. Instead of using snow, they would lay some sort of a plastic surface which was sprayed with water on the ski jump itself and on the landing slope. This was one of, if not, the craziest sports I have ever engaged in. The reason I say this is because one cannot even begin to imagine what was going through my mind at the time I was going down the ski jump and then flying in the air for a distance of 50 to 60 meters. There are no words that can describe this feeling except for intense adrenaline and a very high pulse rate. As crazy as it may sound, this is what made the sport so attractive to me. I always pushed myself to the limit to keep that adrenaline going.
Going along the same lines, alpine skiing was also another source of adrenaline for me. My brother used to work for the Canadian national ski team at Alpine Canada. Thanks to him, for years I was able to go skiing at almost any ski resort in Canada for free. My most common destinations were Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. Alpine skiing which is also known as downhill skiing, is a skiing style that requires a lot of concentration due to the nature of the sport. Downhill skiing usually takes place on black diamond slopes and at high speeds. The smallest mistake can potentially cause serious injuries and in some cases even death. Despite the dangers, any alpine skier will say they do for the rush they experience while racing down a ski hill.
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| Photo taken by: Ian Huntley |
Although I really enjoy ski jumping and alpine skiing, I just no longer have the time to dedicate time towards those skiing disciplines. Therefore, over the past few years, I have been freestyle skiing. There are different types of freestyle skiing, but the one I practice is a mix of everything. This includes of a combination of downhill, aerial, mogul and backcountry skiing.
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