Introduction to my next challenge: Dreams to compete

Adil Latif | Snowboarding- Training to compete | ON 10th December 2008 | 0 comments

I thought myself a bit of a professional after completing my first heli-drop. The reality is that I’m far from it. I do have some potential though (that is what my mum tells me, anyway). So when I was approached by O’Neill to snowboard for them as a sponsored athlete I accepted their offer and thought I’d prove my mum right! 

I will be leaving my job in London and flying out to a little town called Bondville in Vermont in the USA. I will be living there for the next 4 months training full-time for snowboarding competitions.

As I can’t see anything apart from white when I am on the mountain I will have a full-time guide/coach in the form of Travis Thiele.

It is essential for a blind snowboarder to have the right guide for the job as this can result in the difference of rolling down the mountain as opposed to riding down it.

I have a lot of experience by now in choosing the right guide. Travis was recommended to me by Lucas Grossy who heads up the snowboarding program at the National Ability Center  in Utah. As much as I love Lucas I wasn’t going to let anyone else make up my mind.  The most fundamental aspect to Travis which made me choose him, the pivotal attribute, the aspect that brought me to the cusp of my yes, was the fact he has dreadlocks down to his ankles! I’ve never seen anyone with such long hair so I chose him as my guide. There are some rumours going around that he is not too bad on a snowboard so I think he will be ideal.