Europe 2013!!

After a week surfing in and around Ahipara, Northland, New Zealand, I finally left for Europe and arrived in Innsbruck. Now this was early January so what have I been doing for the past month?!?! The past month I’ve been snowboarding in and around Innsbruck – consistent snowfalls and good friends that double as local guides have meant non stop riding and finally I have the time to take a few days off and catchup on “work”!!

Hiking behind Nordkette, Innsbruck

 

Shooting around Innsbruck area, it was a good day!

 

The latest update on the competition circuit is that although consistently placing 4th overall on the Free Ride World Tour for the past four years, I was not able to get a Wild Card for this seasons FWT. Not the end of the world however I was too late to register for the important FWQ competitions. I did however register in time for the Hochfuegen 4* event here in Austria and was able to grab 3rd place! So priorities for this season will be to shoot as much as I can and finally get to ride as much as I can again, awesome!! And with university now out of the way (I finished my Batchelor of Architecture in November!!), I can now focus on the next year ahead and even prepare for next 2014 winter of FWQ events which I will register in time for!

Hochfuegen – congrats to Estelle and Liz!! I dropped no. 70 – very last competitor of the competition, still found powder and had an okay run!

 

The next competition on the list (which I had time to register for!), is Nendaz in the middle of March – so I will make sure to update on how I go in this, as well as my endeavours in between!

 

M XXX

 

 

Mount Ruapehu Extremes!!

After a few days waiting out a storm (resorting to white water rafting in a snow storm!!), the Mount Ruapehu Extremes finally started. The first day out of an expected two day competition was held in icy conditions preventing any crazy hero runs from the snowboarders side, where fortunately only one injury  was had.

The second day was a waiting game again, staring at our run for half the day before the judges and organisers called it a no-go because of the icy and windy conditions. A hard decision to make on their behalf, but better than having any more injuries on their shoulders.

Good work to Mount Ruapehu for pulling off an amazing competition again, this year in tough conditions! I ended up with a 2nd place podium finish!! As well as kiwi resident Colin Boyd in 1st place mens snowboard and Tukino local NZ shredder Jordan Decker in 2nd as well. All in all a good finish for the kiwi representatives on the snowboard side! Looking forward to next years competition like always and below is a photo of the run that got away on the second day – as well as some news footage of the comp. Cheers!! M xx

The run that got away… Whakapapa, Mount Ruapehu “The Door”

Click for TV 3 News Footage of the day!

 

Code @ Maori TV!!

If you missed Janina and I on Code @ Maori TV last Thursday, then make sure to watch it here. It was an awesome show to be on, we had heaps of fun!

Outer Edge Magazine!

Make sure to check out the latest Outer Edge Magazine, theres a wee article on the Kuzma and Segal sisters!

ESPN

Check out the video that was aired lately about us Kuzma sisters and the Segal sisters from Australia. Just a bit of fun! 

Mammoth, U.S. of A!

I know it’s been a while – but my uni was pretty hectic (it being my last year and all) as soon as I got back to NZ from Europe. And not long after my arrival I pretty much had to leave straight away for Mammoth, USA, for the U.S. Roxy winter shoot!

I got on the plane after not sleeping for a week due to an intense studio project…. but I knew I was going to get to ride, and I knew it was spring in the states so I was stoked!

Yes I get it, wey’re in America! Me with Lauren’s brother/driver/famous comedian Monty Franklin!! Made the long road trips very very entertaining…

All in all it was an incredibly fun shoot – the sun was shining and we had perfect temperatures. I even got to ride the snowmobile, as well as fall incredibly hard on my face (hence the blood), not while snowmobiling, while I was snowboarding!

The photographer doing some pretty good multitasking while I tow Torah

My chin after my crash – ouch!

At the end of the week long shoot I even got to take the surfer girls snowboarding which was incredible! Even though the weather came in.

Fun day riding with the crew! Roxy event manager Lauren, and Roxy surfer girls Bruna and Kelia (sister)…. they got the butters down…

To top if off I was asked to stay over the weekend close to the big Roxy HQ in Huntington Beach, California… I got to go surfing and lie in the sun before getting back to cold rainy New Zealand, as well as do some in studio stuff for Roxy.

The very lush Roxy/Quik/DC headquarters in Huntington, California… thanks for having me!!

Next up on the cards – I get to visit friends in Spain and South of France for some surfing in the next few weeks, watch out for up dates on that… so excited!!!! Then back to some shredding at Mt Ruapehu! Can’t wait!

Podium @ Verbier – Bec des Rosses!!

The Bec des Rosses in all it's glory (even with the funky snow)

I luckily got a wildcard to compete at the finals in Verbier this year and was super stoked! So many spectators turned up for the event and it was interesting to see so many juniors there, arriving for the junior competition the day after our event.

Spectators out in full force

The butterflies started to kick in when I arrived to view the face, not because I was excited – but because the conditions on the face didn’t look as good as I thought it would be. I decided on my line thinking that was where the best snow would be, but as soon as I dropped into the main couloir of my run the snow quality was hard to deal with – throwing me off my line and my cliff drops and having a crash anyway!

My top cliff drop, up where the snow was good!

All the other snowboarder girls had the same difficulty with their lines and the snow conditions (putting me in 3rd place), except of course for the amazing Maria DeBari who had an awesome line, deservingly winning the competition and the overall World Champ title!! So stoked for her!

From left: fellow Roxy team rider Margot Rozies in 2nd, World Champ Maria DeBari in 1st and me in 3rd!

Also, fellow Roxy team rider Margot Rozies had an amazing run going big. She also showed trouble with the snow conditions but made it to 2nd place and 2nd overall in the world rankings! Awesome also considering it is her rookie year!! It was definitely cool to have the two of us Roxy riders on the podium at Verbier!!!

Maria DeBari current World Champion and Anne Flore Marxer 2011 World Champion!

FWT Fieberbrunn!

So today was my 3rd stop of the Free Ride World Tour and it was an amazing day. The sun was shining and I had the luck of being able to drop 2nd person out of the whole competition into a face full of powder!

The venue with finishing line in view. I rode to the lookers left.

 Over 4,000 spectators showed up to support the athletes. So many people! But this competition had turned out, in my opinion, better than Verbier.

The last dregs of the spectators after the competition was done - with venue in foreground!

I had a good run but unfortunately bum checked on my last cliff drop. I was stoked to hear the judges say that they were really proud of the level of the girls snow boarding and skiing. All in all I ended up 3rd – on the podium – not bad! Very  stoked for Shannan Yates for the most amazing run I have ever seen a female snowboarder ride, and of course Liz for getting 1st place!

Fieberbrunn podium: Me in 3rd, Liz in 1st & Shannan Yates in 2nd!! Good work ladies!

My friend Ursula Wohlschlager went the biggest out of all the ladies and unfortunately didn’t land her run – she was stoked to be competing as she was the only Fieberbrunn local in the competition AND it was her birthday! She even had signs made for her by the public!! Rockstar! Happy Birthday Ursula!!

Ursula Wohlschlager - birthday girl, Fieberbrunn local, and going big in the competition. Stoked!

Roldal, Norway!

So straight after a week of fun in Chamonix, I flew from Geneva to Bergen, in Norway. Luckily, coming from filming in Chamonix with my sister and staying in the Quiksilver house I had some people to travel with! My sister came along on the plane halfway separating in Oslo, and Quiksilver team rider (who was also staying at the Club House), James Stantiford caught the same plane, to compete as well.

Unfortunately I was in a bit of a rush to get my photos from the trip onto my computer (and they were really good photos!), and I accidentally deleted them all! So big apologies, but luckily I could grab some off the Free Ride World Tour website. I was surprised to see a photo from me on my run, considering the light I had was completely flat and I could barely make out my landings!

Flat light and high clouds made getting a clean run a luck-of-the-draw. This photo of me proves that I had the bad luck of a flat light run!

I was stoked with my run, except for the butt check which put me in 4th place!! All in all I was STOKED on the girls and even more stoked for Roxy team rider Margot Rozies for getting 1st place! Good work girls and I can’t wait for the next stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria.

Yeh ladies!!! From left: Maria Debaris in 3rd, Margot Rozies in 1st and Shannan Yates in 2nd! Stoked!

Here’s a video of the comp, Roldal Overview! and go to the Free Ride World Tour website for more info on rankings etc. Next stop Fieberbrunn, Austria for my 3rd FWT competition! In between now and then I will hopefully be joining a Voelkl team trip in Switzerland. That update soon to come!

 

 

Chamonix – Adrenalin Collective & Roxy!

I flew straight from Barcelona to Geneva. I went there initially to film with Tony Harrington for his documentary the “Adrenalin Collective”, but secondly was asked to stay at the Quiksilver house called the Club House in Chamonix, to help with a Quiksilver/Roxy product shoot, and also to hang with some online winners of a Roxy/Quiksilver competition, and other media/journalists.

Another day in sunny Chamonix, with sis Janina Kuzma!

I filmed every day for 5 days along with my twin sister, and then in the evenings and off days we filmed/took photos with Roxy for the Roxy 2013 winter outerwear collection.

Lena Stoffel posing in the sun, with some wind in her hair from the heli!

I had Roxy freestyle skiir Lena Stoffel and Roxy freeskiir Andrea Binning with me as well. The weather in Chamonix was amazing, sunny and warm. A really fun week to ride before heading off to Norway for my second stop of the Free Ride World Tour!

I LOVE Chamonix.... I'll be back!