New Zealand

The flight took 16 hours from L.A. to the Northern Island.   Then after a short flight down to the southern island I finally arrive in Queenstown.  I stayed in the town of Wanaka. It is a small, but growing town with beautiful views in every direction.  The mountain that I trained on was called Snow Park, and it is basically a whole area that is dedicated to snowboarders during the summer.  I spent about three weeks there and had a wonderful time.

Did you know that New Zealand is an independent nation?  Also the majority of the people are of British descendent.  But the original people to populate this area were the Maoris.

 

Chile
I went to a resort called Valley Nevado.  Chile is on the same hemisphere as New Zealand, so when it is our summer it is there winter.  So that is why I always go to New Zealand and Chile in August and September.

Did you know that Chile is the longest country? It stretches 2,700 miles along the southwestern coast of South America.  One of the country’s most traded stone is Lapus.

 

Italy
I think I have traveled to Italy the most out of every country, I starting when I was only 15 years old.  I have been to Northern Italy, were the Olympics were held in Torino and I have been further south towards Venice.  The mountain ranges that I have been to are the Alps and the Dolimites.

Did you know that the Euro (the new form of currency over in Europe) was put into circulation on Jan. 1, 2002.

Venice
This was a beautiful adventure.  I stopped in Venice before returning home from a competition.  After two weeks of European food my whole team was searching for something else…then we found a map to a McDonalds.  Even this kind of food is inviting after three weeks.  So the whole team was on a search for food through one of the most scenic cities in the world.  We passed massive buildings and walked over bridges every hundred feet.  The stores were filled with fine leather products and Venetian Masks.  Another observation was that there main mode of transportation were boats, not cars, I knew this before hand but when you see it in person it is like learning something new.  It was so amazing to see how this city was just built on water.

 

Did you know the Venetian masks were used to disguise, confuse, protect, characterize, and give status? They are simple or elaborate made from all range of materials from common items to precious jewels. They appear all over the world on young and old faces.  A mask can change the identity of the wearer.

 

Switzerland
I usually travel to Saas Fee in October to get an early jump on training and to participate in a world cup event.  In the Swiss Alps the snow can last all year round- it might not go all the way down the mountain but it is still on the top.  To travel up to the snow you must take two trams and on underground train.  This endeavor rounds off to be an hour and a half venture.  After that you are in complete winter – with the pleasant sun.  Beware since the Alps are so old the area is covered with a lot of crevasses so never go into unmarked territory.  When you are in town the village is like something out of a storybook.  The Swiss make really great chocolate.  Plus they make a lot of other hand made items too, such as coo coo clocks and mask carvings.  When you are in town during October it is not winter, there is no snow to be found, it is fall and warm.  There are so many fun things to do such as mini golf, alpine slides and high ropes courses.  Trust me these activities are not the same as in the US, they are much more extreme.

 

Did you know that is was not until 1971 that women were allowed to Vote in Switzerland?   Also did you know that Switzerland in 2002 became a full member of the United Nations, leaving the Vatican as the last widely recognized state without full UN membership?

 

Japan
The flight took around 12 hours from L.A.  I have been there a few times and every time was a great experience.  The Japanese love Americans.  It is in there culture to treat everyone with the highest respect, so you will always see them bow to one another.  You might never think of Japan when you think of mountains, but they do have them.  Most of the mountains are on the northern part of the island.  The snow texture is similar to the east coast (high in humidity).  Sapporo was one of the towns that I traveled to, I traveled to a couple other towns but I don’t know how to pronounce them or how to spell them.  What I learned in Japan is you have to take off your shoes when you enter a room.  You don’t need to bother with lobbies or restaurants, but if you notice and elevated wood floor that is your indication that shoes can go no further.  If one ever travel to Japan remember to try the video games, I know that sound childish, but they are really fun and they are all interactive and you will get a workout.

 

Did you know that Japan means “sun-origin”, which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the “land of the rising sun”.

 

Mexico
This was the first tropical place that I traveled to go surfing.  I flew into Puerta Vierta, then drove to Saylulita.  This was a wonderful little town that has a beautiful beach and a gret place to learn how to surf. On the beach you have locals coming up to you to sell you everything from necklaces to hammocks to pottery.  I traveled to this same spot for two years in a row.

 

Did you know that Mexico is considered the number one producer of silver?

 

Costa Rica
This was my next tropical visit.  I had to visit the doctor to take all the vaccines prior to departing, just in case.  I flew into the Liberian Airport, then got on an bus to Tamerindo.  This was a simple and fun town.  There are tropical flowers everywhere and a beautiful beach that was just across the street.  I was part of a surf camp, and it was set up exactly like baseball camp.  There were instructors that took you out surfing at all the great surfing spots.  I traveled down the coast to Mal Piez and to Montezuma.  The roads were torturous because they were always dirt and covered with pothole.  Travel was very slow in some areas.

 

Did you know that Costa Rica protects over 25% of its national territory within national parks.  It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world?

 

Holland
When I was traveling to Italy for the first time,  my team had a layover in Holland for 9 hours.  So we left the airport and decided to walk around.  This was a world that a 15 year old would not have any knowledge of.  My father took us to see museums, shopping centers, restaurants that are on the street, a boat tour that past by Anne Franks house that she hid in when Hitler was invading surrounding countries, and the red light district.  He then said shortly after that this was not a career option for any of us. Hehehe.  That was the most fun I had ever had on a layover.

Did you know the Netherlands and Holland are the same place?

Fiji

After traveling to New Zealand, we decided to stop in Fiji on our way home.  We were able to check all of our bags and leave them for a few days at the airport.  This enabled us to pack a little bag that made the journey much easier.  We flew into Nadi and took a ferry that took us to Naviti.  From there went to a little resort called Funky Fish http://www.funkyfishresort.com/ .  I was there for four days and got to surf the Wilks Break.  This was the first time I was surfing over a legit reef and I was a little nervous, so whenever I fell I tried to fall as flat as possible.  HA. The water was perfect temperature and the waves were so much fun.  We got to stay in little bungalows by the water and it was a nice little getaway before my next race in Chile.

 

Did you know the majority of the Fijian Islands were formed through volcanic activity that started about 150 million years ago.  There main sources of foreign exchange are its tourist industry and sugar.

 

Canada

I have been to Canada a bunch of times.  I went there first when I was 14 years old, then all the way to the Vancouver Olympics.   Old Quebec City, Montréal, British Columbia, these were all stops on the World Cup circuit.   There is so much culture and history in Quebec and even though it can be cold there, it is really a beautiful place.

Did you know that Canada has the longest coastline of any country and is over 244,000 KM long?

 

Spain

Traveling to Spain was a new thing for me. This was not a usual stop on tour until a couple years ago.  I went to La Molina for a world cup and a world champion race.  My favorite was going into the city, Barcelona, and walking around to see the cathedrals, museums, coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and the tourist shops.  I rented a scooter to tour the city and the best thing was how easy it was to navigate. It is by far my favorite city to visit.

 

Did you know that Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid.  Also it is the home of the Gaudí buildings.  This massive church and crypt started in March 19, 1882 and is still under construction, former architects are following his style to someday finish his work.

 

Austria

Austria was my first international world cup race I went to in Bag Gestein, when I was 17 years old. It was a very old town that was tucked into the mountain that didn’t have much else going on.  It was my first race that I didn’t have my brother, Ben, to instruct me on how to run lines and go over racing strategies, so I didn’t feel like myself.  Bag Gestein was the first time I tried a kabob. The meat was literally shaved off a rotating spit and the meat consisted of a big chunk that was very spiced. They would add a bunch of veggies and sauces and it was quite yummy.  It was a very successful event though; this was my first world cup win of my career. This was the town that I bought my first coo coo clock.

  Did you know the country flower is the edelweiss?  It is a small white flower that is found in the high Alps.

 

Argentina

This was another stop for the world cup tour.  Our plan was to go down 10 days earlier to get on snow and get our legs back, then compete.  We went down there and stayed at SASS (South America Snowboard Sessions) for the camp part of our trip.  It was not the ideal living accommodations that I had the patience for.  A lot of the team got sick including myself… we got some form of the swine flu, not fun. But when we got to stay in town for the event is was great.  We stayed in San Martin de Los Andes, such a cute town with great shops, food and culture.

 Did you know in Argentina they believe that trolls and fairies live in the woods to keep the balance; they also believe that they bring good luck.  So don’t be surprised if you see a big selections of trolls and fairies in store for you to purchase…I did.  Did you know that Argentina is one of the leading producers of wine and has approximately 1800 wineries?

 

Hawaii

I had to take a trip to Japan for a world cup event.  At the time we were already on the west coast and did not have to leave for a week.  So instead of flying all the way back to VT, I went to Hawaii for a mid winter vacation before I had to go to Japan.  I must have looked really funny dragging my snowboard bags through the Honolulu airport.  I got to go on great hikes and take a trip to the north shore.  The beach was a resort scene but it made everything really easy.  I surfed at Waikiki but that was just messing around on the longboards.

 

Did you know that Hawaii has 124 uninhabited islands stretching from Nihoa (280 miles northwest of Honolulu) all the way to the Kure Atoll (located further northwest)?

 

Arkansas

I flew into Little Rock for a convention with Proctor and Gamble. They were one of the sponsors in the 2010 Olympics.   I did a speech on two traits, judgment and perseverance.  I spoke in front of 500 people and was by far the biggest speaking role I have ever done.  I was supposed to play golf the next day for a charity event but it got rained out so I just went home.

  Did you know that Arkansas has over 600 thousand acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers?

 

Oregon

I have been going to Oregon every summer since I was 15 years old.  It is the only place in the US that has snow all year round.  I go to Windell’s camp where I can get time in the half pipe, jumps and rails.  The US Team also has a camp there every summer, so it is a great place to build a boarder cross course while being able to hang out in Hood River when you are not on the snow.  I have a place right in Government Camp, which is right at the bottom of the access road, so it makes the mornings very relaxed.  There are beautiful hike and waterfalls, and in my experience it has a similar feel to the east coast, everything is just bigger.

  Did you know that Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-service gas stations?   Also, did you know that the hazelnut is the official state nut?

 

Florida

I have been traveling to Florida a lot lately.  Not only do I have family there, but my boyfriend lives there too.  I have been able to see so many cool thing like; natural springs, manatees, miles and miles of beautiful beaches, biker week, Lake George, alligators, and my favorite, St. Augustine.  There is so much history in Florida, and when you live in a cold place or the east coast you tend to forget that this is were it all originated.

  Did you know that Saint Augustine is the oldest Europeans settlement in North America and was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon?  He was at the time the governor of Puerto Rico and was searching for the Fountain of Youth.

 

Washington

I have crossed the bridge from Oregon to Washington a few time, to go on hikes or go on wine tasting tours.  Recently I went to Seattle, it was my first time there and it was for a meeting with Jones Soda Co.  I just signed with them earlier this year (2011) and I went up as a surprise for the employees at the office to talk about my “BRAND” and how I fit into The Jones Soda Company.   Later that day I got to enjoy the fish market.  In this market they sell everything from handbags, food, spices, crafts, and they throw the fish around for all to tourist to take pictures of, it is really a fascinating site.  Then I toured the aquarium.  During a mid September day I pretty much had the place to myself, and it was so relaxing.  My favorite were the otters, sea and freshwater.  The otters were the most interactive with me.

 Did you know that Washington was the only state to be names after a president?  Washington is the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and Bing Crosby.