Puppy!!! And Winter/Spring Flying :)

 2014 has been turning out to be a spectacular year so far with the newest member added to the family- my little fur face, and great flying conditions! I had been planning to spend my winter season speedriding and skiing non-stop, but with the marginal snow conditions, I have reverted back to my summer sports plan and have been wingsuiting in the Chamonix valley all season!

I am overwhelmed with joy to finally have a little puppy in my life! I have grown up with dogs in the home ever since I was a baby. But since moving to France, I have been without a furry companion for almost 2 years. I was hesitant to get a dog in France because I wasn’t sure if I would be living here for a long time or for just a few years. But after 2 years, it has become clear that this is the place for me. Haute Savoie’s healthy lifestyle, adventurous mentality, and endless mountains to explore have made it near impossible for me to leave this paradise.

We ended up with an Australian Shepherd named Iyssa as our new fur ball. She loves the snow, running in the mountains behind our home, and continues to amaze me with her smarts. I have been told that Australian Shepherds need to have a job or else they get bored. So we have decided to train her to hike with us up to an exit point, and at the top- transfer all of our unwanted gear to her for her to carry back down to the car as we fly down. We have friends who do this with their dogs in Moab, UT so we know it’s possible, the biggest challenge will be having a 2 hour hike instead of a 20 minute hike. 

As for the winter/spring flying conditions in Chamonix right now- magnifique!

We have become spoiled in the last year with 2 amazing jumps being opened in Chamonix. Both are accessible by cable car, both are less than a 1 minutes hike, and both are Very big, beautiful flights.  This winter we have been jumping Brevent non-stop, and Aiguille du Midi when it’s not too cold or windy. (Let me just say here, that both of these jumps are extremely technical, and should not be underestimated due to their easy access.)

I had been training for the Aiguille du Midi for over 6 months, and I finally was able to jump it last week! The start of the jump is the shortest start I have ever done- I only had 120m to get my suit flying.  I have been practicing at Brevent with 145m of vertical to start (which is still pretty short) and with my new Aura wingsuit I knew I could start in 120m, no problem. After that I flew over the Bosson glacier – which was breathtaking.  The exit point is at 3842m and the landing is at 1000m, making it the longest BASE jump I have done to date! The fallowing day my arms were sore from flying for nearly 2 minutes! 

I have really been enjoying this winter season even though it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind- it turned out to be way better! 

Kjerag ProBASE U Turn Wingsuit Race

Last week 36 of the best wingsuit pilots from around the world traveled to Kjerag, Norway to compete in a wingsuit race.  This race was the first of its kind because it had a complete U-Turn built into the course. Because this is a maneuver that is Rarely done in the BASE world, it was a course that was challenging for all.

The first day of the competition we had one practice jump and 2 round for qualifications. The following day, we finished the competition. We were so lucky to have one of the most beautiful days of the year! Sunny, warm, not windy, (apparently this happens maybe ones a year in Norway ;-) And it was on the day of the race!

The first round 35 jumpers competed to be one of the 16 competitors to enter the semi-finals. To my surprise, I made it to the semi finals! I was elated to be the first girl to ever make it into the semi-finals at a wingsuit race. After that, the 16 jumpers competed to be in the top 8 for the final round.

We all took the heli to the exit point, and I, for the first time, actually felt the nerves of competition. I am not a competitive person... but at this moment- I Wanted to be in the top 8. So I geared up, closed my eyes, and practiced this jump in my head over and over again- visualizing myself pushing from the cliff, the wind speed picking up as I position my body into the most aerodynamic position- visualizing reaching the turn- pausing for a half-second as to not cut the corner, then turning- and then diving like hell to the finish line, flaring my suit and pitching.

Once it was my turn to go, I jump just like I had practiced, it felt Good, it felt Fast! When we got the results from that round, I Made it to the finals! Woo hoo! First girl to ever make it to the finals!

I was super happy to make it to the finals, the only problem is that there was a female world record jump at the same time as the final round. I had to decide if I wanted to jump in the race, or jump in the world record. I decided to stay in the race, and I got to watch 15 of the top chick jump from one of the most beautiful cliffs in the world- there were girls jumping in skirts, track suits and wingsuits- and they nailed it! It was so amazing to see them all flying at the same time!

Now its time for the final round- the only way I can make my time faster is if I cut it closer to the corner. So this is my plan. Judging from my previous jumps I had about a 10 meter margin on the turn, so I planed to reach the turn, and instead of pausing for a half a second before turning, I was just going to go for it. Why Not?! This is my chance to make it to the podium! All 8 of us jumped, and when we got to the bottom, the judges wouldn't tell us how we did until that night at the ceremony. Finally after waiting for several hours it was time to celebrate! Coming in first place was a super quiet Russian who took us all by surprise! He is super solid, consistently flying fast and clean every round- Gleb Vorevodin. Second was Robert Pecnick- the man! Third was Noah Bahnson who has excelled in wingsuit flying in the recent years. 4 of us in the final round ended up cutting the corner too short, thus getting disqualified and placing 4-8.

These races are so much fun because the competitors are not trying to make the other fly worse- on the contrary- every one is helping each other get better. We all want everyone to fly better, faster, safer. There is no heave cloud of competition. Every time i participate in these events I learn more in 2-3 days than I would all year. I am excited to compete in the next race in Romsdalen Norway in 2 weeks!