I’ve spent a while roaming in search of a land that could quench my thirst for snowboarding, surfing, cheese and beer…and I think I have found the pinnacle of this and fallen in love with France. From the stunning peaks of the Alps to the pumping shores of Hossegor, 2016 would not be the same without all the rad times I’ve had in this beautiful country, and all of those are thanks to the awesome opportunities I’ve been given through Ticket to Ride.
I gained my BASI Level 2 Snowboard Qualification whilst managing the TTR Courses in Val d’Isere earlier this year, and this was one the best things I’ve ever done. Having never had a lesson, I learnt simply through strapping in and throwing myself down a slope. The professional training improved my riding more in those weeks than the previous 4 seasons combined. I can’t wait to progress to Level 3. If you’re thinking about doing it, just do it, you’ll love it (this is not me trying to sell course places).
Had I been writing this in May, that would have been my highlight of the year with TTR, however when Linley asked me to join the team running a surf house in Hossegor I was there in a flash. Im a snowboarder at heart, but in recent years my love for surfing has grown, not only due to the sport but also the whole lifestyle that encompasses it. The Hossegor surf house couldn’t be more of a creme de la creme of this, and I think what really made this trip the highlight of the year for me was it brought the whole Ticket to Ride family together.
We have our roots spread far and wide globally in both surf and snowboarding, and as much as I loved driving a brand new Mini Cooper S to the surf, scoring loads of sick waves and capturing some sweet photos, what really made this the highlight of the year was how I got to experience the surf side of the business.There are too many awesome & talented characters to mention all individually, but everyone involved from both Ticket to Ride, Wavelength Surf Mag who we partnered with that week, and the super cool guests created strong vibes and it was such a fun month. Read more here & check out the burger babes in this video, thanks to Lewis for the edit:
I am currently writing this from our new Mountain Lodge in Meribel which I am Managing this winter. Joe and I had a few weeks working here in the summer renovating the Lodge…the beauty of the Alps in the summer is staggering, and the downhill Mountain Biking is ridiculously fun (and somewhat terrifying) The menu we have in place at The Lodge was tested on guinea pig surfers in the Hossegor House; they loved it, the food is incredible with tantalising tastes from all over the world involved.
We have a great team here, and we just had many well respected individuals from both surf and snow industries stay with us on a press trip. Have a glimpse of a review in Reason Snowboard Mag. In order to give the Lodge a cool vibe, we’re working with many partners including Planks Clothing, Cliffton Coffee, Beavertown Brewery, Butta, and Man and Wolf Beer.
Im super stoked to be here, and looking forward to welcoming a season full of new guests into this exciting new project of ours. Im also eagerly awaiting the first deep powder dump so I can head into the backcountry, shred hard and scream my head off. Lots of good photos, video edits and hopefully interesting blog posts coming your way.
2016 has been sweet, and strangely I find myself often saying our slogan…#lifesgood
Here are a few photos of some of the people and places that made this year: