Its winter over here in NZ, and what a winter it has been. Canterbury has been the place to be! With fresh snow dropping weekly, most little canterbury clubbies boasting triple the amount of snow than the Queenstown massive.

Right up there on my inspirational hero’s list, along with “Kevin Bacon” is “Frank Bare “, who in 1983 completed the first quadruple tiple twisting backflip on skis. Truly inspiring, he doesnt muck around, and nails it on his first attempt.

Make sure you check out his trademark “goggle pump” and pre jump ninja moves. I often immitate these stretches in front of my computer each morning before creating amazing graphics.

Interesting facts currently quad flips are not legal in competition and a great event we all miss is Ski Ballet , its no longer a part of competitive freestyle skiing, (I wish it still was) but was conducted from the late-1960s until the mid-1990s. Ballet involved a choreographed routine of flips, rolls, leg crossings, jumps, and spins performed on a smooth slope. After the mid-1970s the routine was performed to music for 90 seconds.

If you are feeling the chilly winter fingers ravaging you, Simon has just informed me of a good supply of “under one’zies ” (complete with comfort flap) to keep you toasty.

 Brett “airblaster” King

Share This