Two years in one week

Here’s Mark Cruden’s summary of the week that was Interski 2015…

Interski 2015. From NZ’s perspective two years of planning distilled into one supercharged week. Back in Wanaka and catching up with the family I have had a time to reflect on a fantastic snowsports experience.

As Interski manager I sweated the small stuff and the big, from airport transfers to content for indoor presentations, the role was hugely varied. Selecting a team, building a team, helping them stay focused and calm. It was awesome and a fantastic learning experience.

As manager I spent a lot of time at the bottom of the demo slope filming. This gave me real insight into the culture and approach of other teams. The best, like Switzerland, Austria & Canada let their actions speak louder than words. They produced slick performances on snow and indoors.

The NZSIA/SBINZ/Tele team brought a balance of solid skiing and riding skills complimented by excellent presentations. The entire team presented either on snow or indoors and first time Interski reps gained valuable experience through presenting to this international audience.

Stars are also born during the Interski week. There was some amazing skiing on display. You won’t find many of these guys on You Tube – to them it’s simply skiing. Europe again produced the best skiers and swiss kiwi Celine Arnold was one of the stars. NZ team members Tim Cafe and Jon Ahlsén were also among the best.

As for NZ I felt immense pride to wear the black uniform when our guys skied down the demo slope. The boys nailed their first run and there was an audible hush when Tim and Jon paired up for the technical run producing some fantastic skiing. It was also great to have five entered in the ISIA GS race – all finishing with credible performances. On the strength of the team’s skiing and technical message they were invited to take part in Canada’s technical comparison of the event’s leading nations.

I loved watching the kiwi boarders ride the park “en mass” during the pipe and park demo session. It was a powerful message of our versatility. And Tele Greg’s last run on his clinic down a treelined chairlift clearing showcased our love of skiing.

Our presentations were very well received with large numbers in attendance. You know you’ve made an impact when the technical director of the Austrian Association approaches you for more information on the education material presented and the Canadians compliment you on the simplicity of your technical message. First time Interski team members confidently stepped up to the mark and that is huge for our organisation going forward.

The guys also worked incredibly hard to gather information and there was zero down time with the hectic schedule and two hours of travel each day to and from the mountain. The team will be producing clinic reports as blog articles over the coming weeks so watch this space.

New Zealand’s Interski team were ONE TEAM. The kiwis worked together and played together and were fantastic ambassadors for snowsports in this country. We received a lot of comments on the unity of our team and clarity of our message from other nations. Bonds were formed across all the disciplines through this special shared experience. I’m sure this will lead to even greater collaboration between the various arms of our organisation in the future.

The NZ team uniform was greatly sought after at the end of the week, an endorsement of the way our guys carried themselves. And the question most asked by others– when will NZ host Interski? In part this was in response to the promotional video that lead all our indoor presentations.

New Zealand from NZSIA Ski on Vimeo.

And so the last word – a sincere thank you to the team – each one of you made a huge contribution to the success of our participation at Interski. Let’s enjoy a well earned break before the planning for Interski 2019 begins …..and who knows maybe Interski 2023 in New Zealand?

Cheers

Mark