YETi - Olivia Hunter

WINTER 2015/2016

WINTER PREVIEW

A Skiers guide to the landscape featuring pendle ski slope

10 SECONDS TO GO A COUNTDOWN TO THE RACE - INSIDE THE HEAD OF A SKIER

THE LANDSCAPE

THE SETTING OF THE SLOPE AND HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL

THE CLUBHOUSE

A LOOK INTO THE HEART OF THE SKI SLOPE

Yo u r o n l i n e guide to w h at s h ot this winter

YETI unforgettable experiences

W ELCOME TO YETI Welcome to the YETi Ski Preview. Inside you’ll find stories from the tree-lined slopes, the rolling hills and the warm sancutuary of the clubhouse.

We have original photography and an exclusive interview with Lindsey Allen an ex-racer and a highly qualified ski coach.

Immerse yourselves in our array of images and thought provoking stories and interviews.

Take your time to be inspired and make the most of the Winter season ahead.

We hope you enjoy it...

YETI unforgettable experiences

contents

3

LINDSEY ALLEN A 5 minute interview with ex-racer and now ski coach at Pendle Ski Club.

11

7

The Clubhouse

An insight into the heart of a dry ski slope in the North West of England.

the ultimate playlist Does exactly what it says on the tin. The hottest tracks to listen to on the slopes this Winter.

15

the landscape gallery A series of photographs focusing on the ski slope’s surroundings and the rural environment which the club house calls home.

Also in this issue...

1

5

What’s Hot...

13

Discover The Landscape

9

10 Seconds To Go...

17

The Clubhouse Gallery Jargon Buster

What’s hot...

how do you start racing?

rossendale Ski Club Outdoor artificial slope catering for all abilities, from almost complete beginners to international standard racers.

The racer will start off by entering their own club’s fun races and neighbouring clubs/slopes races.

1.

pendle Ski Club The winter league races typically consist of two timed runs followed up by individual head to head races, or in team relays.

At these events you are usually allowed to practice the course before the event starts to help you achieve your best time.

chill factore These events are a great way to build your confidence and put into practice the skills that you have learnt from your lessons.

They are also a fantastic opportunity to network and compete against other skiers in your age group.

2.

IT’s all about...

How long have you been racing for?

I raced for ten years, up until the age of 28.

Why do you love racing?

The challenge of setting yourself goals and achieving them. It takes time, committment and determination but race results can be very rewarding. Team events are also great fun and it's encouraging to hear your teammates and spectators cheering you on.

What does it feel like when you’re standing at the gates?

3.

A mixture of nervous and excited. Racers spend a long time preparing their skis, doing a course inspection (looking at the course without being able to ski it) then making sure they’re both mentally ready and physically warmed up. Once you’ve done all that although you’re a little nervous, you feel ready to ski.

5

minutes with... lindsey Allen Ski coach pendle ski club

Linsdey Allen is a Level 4, Snowsport England qualified Ski Coach at Pendle Ski Club in the North West of England.

She was a competetive ski racer up until the age of 28.

Allen won numerous trophies during her racing career, and is now very passionate about the sport and wants to give as many people as possible the opportunity to participate in the sport she loves so much.

What are you thinking about just before you race?

How to ski the course at maximum speed and any challenging sections of it.

Do you feel the adrenaline building up inside you?

“Once you’ve done all that although you’re a little nervous, you’re ready to ski”

Yes, especially when in the queue for the start and at the start gate itself.

What do you hear when you’re racing?

Very little really - many racers are so focused when racing that they blank out most surrounding noise.

What do you see?

Just the slalom course - usually the next two or three gates and the line you want to ski around them.

How do you feel? Describe that feeling in 3 words.

Excited. Focused. Ready.

4.

10 Seconds To Go...

Lindsey Allen

10

My name is called over the tannoy. It’s my turn to race, my palms go all clammy, and my mouth goes dry. I make my way to the top of the slope. I snap on my skis, pull on my gloves and finally push on my helmet fastening it with what sounds to me like a deafening click.

I’m up next...

It’s my turn to race...

I take my position, my shins touching the pencil thin gate, skis expertly waxed, poles ready to propel me down the slope faster than I could ever imagine.

5.

Seconds to go...

My world starts to move in slow motion. My heart is beating outside of my chest. I can see everything so clearly. I think about my practice run. I close my eyes and remember the course; I remember the smooth curves I need to make. I mimic what is happening inside my head with minuscule moves that travel from my ankles to my knees.

8

Done.

I’m ready.

Seconds to go...

9

My eyes are wide open now; I can hear my heart thumping inside of my head, my breathing is short, the nerves are kicking in. The ticking of the clock deafeningly loud, each second that ticks by, louder than the last. It’s always the same. I try to steady my breathing.

Seconds to go...

I take a second to glance around at the others who are positioned carefully at the top of the slope. The other skiers are frozen waiting for their turn, waiting to watch what I will do. Maybe waiting to see if I will place, waiting to see if I will fall - hopefully not the latter. The officials are also here, waiting for the lights to turn from red, to amber, to green. Ready to tell me when to go. Time feels like it is standing still. No one is moving.

Seconds to go...

7

I try to catch my breath, steadily and slowly. I need to do this to calm my nerves; the adrenaline has started to kick in. I can feel it coursing through my veins, pumping me up, filling me with self-belief. I can do this; this is what I was meant to do.

5

3

6

Seconds to go...

I glance up from under my eyelashes. The cherry red light appears. Pinging into life. I exhale; I know this is the five-second countdown. It’s nearly time to race.

I keep my eyes locked on the light.

Nothing will distract me now. I gulp in some much needed air.

Slowly methodically I shake my right ski, to make sure the bindings have connected. Check. I repeat the same action with my left ski. Check. I stamp each ski on the slope matting twice.

Right then left. Check. Check. I do the same with my poles, each making contact with the slope twice. Right then left. Check. Check.

4

2

Seconds to go...

I exhale my last breath; I can see it in front of me, dancing mist freezing on this crisp cold November morning.

1

Seconds to go...

I look up and my eyes connect with my first gate.

Get there and the rest will follow. Get there and everything else will fall into place. The first gate is always the hardest. I need to attack it. I need to push off from the gate with all my power.

Seconds to go...

I’m ready, waiting. Waiting for the green.

The amber light suddenly disappears...

GREEN!

Seconds to go...

Seconds to go...

The red light pings off only to be replaced by an amber one. Two seconds to go.

GO!

Focus.

6.

The Clubhouse at pendle

It’s been 12 years since I last set foot in the clubhouse.

I still remember how it smells, the cold, damp clothing drying in the subdued warmth of the clubhouse, soaked through by the sprinklers and the driving rain. The artificial smell of hot wax that seems to cling to every surface, and even permeates the walls. The smell of burnt coffee grounds scalded by boiling water and the batch-brewed cups of Tetley tea.

I still remember how it sounds, the gaggle of racers all vying for a seat in order to slide their feet into their boots. The clicking of bindings snapping into the perfect catch, hugging feet, protectively embracing and sometimes squeezing. I remember the odd noise of the plastic boot connecting with the hard concrete floor like a herd of animals slowly, awkwardly, moving together. I remember the deadly silence after everyone has left, broken only by the whistle of the wind dancing around the solid brick walls of the protective clubhouse.

“It tastes like the sugary penny sweets that lie so temptingly on the counter hatch. It tastes like fizzy Vimto, the after training treat.”

7.

I still remember the taste of the clubhouse; it is filled with thick, chewy air. It tastes like the sugary penny sweets that lie so temptingly on the counter hatch. It tastes like fizzy Vimto, the after training treat. Mostly, it tastes of fresh countryside air, air that fills your lungs and feels as if it’s pure, air that’s not been touched before, air that tires you out, and keeps you awake, air that is just yours. That’s after you’ve got past the ever-present smell of sheep droppings, an inevitable part of being on the Hill.

I still remember the feel of the clubhouse, every surface smooth from years of wear, and the wooden benches that resemble church pews. The once white walls now marked with the scuffs of skis, bags and boots that pass by. The hard mixed with the soft. The weather beaten building, welcoming you home.

I still remember what the building looks like, ugly and haphazard, like a patchwork quilt of added on rooms, manipulated to adapt to the growing number of skiers. Painted an impractical white, now slightly green and weather worn. A rough black roof that resembles sandpaper, hugging the top of the building protectively.

This is Pendle Ski Club and this is exactly what it should look like, a hardy building braving the elements, ready to welcome the racers home.

It’s been 12 years since I last set foot in the clubhouse, and really, nothing’s changed.

8.

discover the l a n d s c a p e

9.

My alarm beeps into life at half past five – what an ungodly hour. It’s the depths of winter; it is still pitch black outside. The first beams of sunlight are waiting to break through into the still starry sky, ready to lick the earth with glistening golden strands of light.

I slowly, begrudgingly, drag myself out of the warm squidgy sanctum that is my bed. Eyes still closed I pull on my jeans, grab the thickest, chunkiest woolly knit that I can find and wrestle it on over my head.

I trudge downstairs to be greeted by two huge saucer like chocolate brown eyes, eyes that belong to a golden retriever. In actual fact my golden retriever Bertie - or Engleburt Humperdink if you want his Sunday name. I click on his ruby red lead and set off into the dark to chase the dawn.

Climbing The Hill, my cheeks are rosy from the bitter cold wind, my breath foggy as it cools on the morning breeze. It’s still dark but it’s lifting, I pick up my pace to reach the top. Bertie is bounding on ahead of me, all I can see is his bushy golden tail in the distance wagging ferociously.

As I take the final few steps to reach the brow of the hill, I make it just in time. I sit down resting my back against the cold stone pillar, which marks the top so modestly you would miss it if you weren’t looking properly. I lay my hands on the dewy morning grass either side of me, the long blades untamed and shaggy. Bertie sits beside me and together we watch the sun rise. We have caught the dawn.

As the sun awakens from its slumber its gentle light begins to fill the sky, nature’s greatest alarm clock. As the beams of light rise further and further into the sky the most beautiful vivid oranges and yellows dance over the bull rushes, casting shadows that last only for a second before morphing again into different brushes painting intricate shadows on the ground.

The skylarks begin their morning song, a beautiful melody that is carried on the wind. They swoop and dance around the sky, the grateful song of another day dawning.

The sweet morning wind, weaving around the hill, suddenly it doesn’t feel cold anymore. I sit and watch, quietly so as not to disturb the red breasted robin perched on a low branch of the nearby tree. He sings his accompanying melody in answer to the skylark’s song.

As the sun rears its elegant head further, I realise Pendle Hill is one of the most breathtaking places in the world to chase the dawn. From its chirping residents to its rolling surroundings, you only need to watch The Hill light up to know you are somewhere special.

Once the heat of the sun starts to burn off the morning dew, we head back down The Hill to start our day down on the ground.

10.

The Ultimate Playlist

11.

cooper

alt-j

This year

left hand free

florence & the machine

Arctic monkeys

you got the love

hold on, we’re going home

the fratellis

bastille

chelsea dagger

bad blood

gnarls barkley

benny benassi

crazy

cinema

coldplay

the la’s

everglow

there she goes

one diirection

ceasars

history

jerk it out

livingston

stone roses

go

fools gold

All-American rejects

circa waves

move along

t-shirt weather

steriophonics

The killers

Handbags & the Gladrags

mr brightside

eminem

kings of leon

the real slim shady

revelry

fountains of wayne

orson

stacey’s mom

no tomorrow

Gorgon city

toploader

ready for your love

dancing in the moonlight

house of pain

robbie williams

jump around

rock DJ

jay z

run dmc

99 problems

it’s tricky

kanye west

maroon 5

gold digger

sunday morning

kasabian

shaggy

eez-eh

it wasn’t me

12.

The Clubhouse Gallery

13.

14.

The Landscape... pendle hill

15.

16.

A pres - skI

Literal meaning ‘after ski’ but we all know this is just an excuse to go out drinking.

B ombing Recklessly going downhill at high speed.

C arvaholic

Skier or Boarder addicted to carving.

D eath-cookie

E agle/ Spread Eagle

F ace plant

G

H inge

I ndy-grab

K icker

L unch tray

Icy chunks of ice that cover the piste like gravel.

narly Challenging conditions.

Jib Riding of a piece of apparatus. Be it a rail, fun box, anything for a challenge.

M ilk run

First run of the day.

17.

Aerial with your arms and legs spread wide apart.

Falling downwards with force.

A big hit to the body.

N ever-ever

A first time skier or boarder.

Falling face down - brutal but always a laugh.

Grabbing your board or skis with your rear hand.

The most basic grab.

Snowboard.

O ff-piste

Out of bound, off the trail.

J a r g o n b u s t e r Planker

Your skis.

Q uiver

One’s collection of skis - a different pair for every occasion, obviously.

R ag doll When someone tumbles downhill.

S ki Bunny

T rustafarian

U

V ermin

White room

X

Y ard sale

Z

A novice female skier who appears more concerned with her looks than hitting the slopes.

Groups of skiers or boarders blocking access to the lift lines.

A fall where the skier looses their gloves, poles, skis etc - resulting in a yard sale.

Rich but ragged ski bum.

Deep, dry powder.

Nope, no ski terms that start with ‘u’ yet!

Nope, no ski terms that start with ‘x’ yet!

ipper line The fastest line through a mogul field.

18.

YETI unforgettable experiences