In September I got an email from Kathi at SCOTT Sports HQ in Fribourg, Switzerland stating that they’d like to fully sponsor my 2011 winter event series in Europe.  At this point in time I had just arrived back in NZ after 6 months away and was planning on staying put (for a while at least!) I also didn’t have a winter event series, yet. So I created one and changed my plans on what I was going to do with my life, again.

It was quite surreal sitting in Wanaka, ducking out for bike rides and lake swims while alternating with sitting at a desk planning and event that revolved around snow. But Europe didn’t seem to be getting any snow. They were having more sunny days than we were in Wanaka for summer.  I kept saying, as everyone else in Europe did, ‘It’ll come soon’.

It took 6 months of negotiating, locations being dropped and funding and logistic discussion, but eventually a contract came through from SCOTT. The next week my flights were booked, and I was Europe bound.

I arrived to Chamonix and it was immediately shorts and t-shirt weather. Bikes were being dusted off and trails were already dry and ready to ride. I didn’t really get into the groove of winter and the snow didn’t show up, even if it did, the ground would have been too warm and it would have melted straight away.

Lucky I wasn’t running a freeride camp requiring powder snow. A Spring touring mission was on the cards for us and that’s exactly what we got. There’s always snow up high, that’s where we went and SCOTT touring skis took us there.

Here is Charlie’s press release from the event “WOW press release”