Thompson heads to New Zealand but takes time to talk to Racer Ready first about his summer.

Matt Thompson – the end of another summer season for you. How has it been for you?

It has been alright I suppose. I started off pretty well indoors. I think being away from snow I have not had any progression, may be gone back a little bit but it has been alright all in all.

Do you keep the summer season more for keeping yourself competitive or more for trying out new things technique wise?

It is mainly just a bit of fun really, just to keep the skiing ticking over, keep the same movements going so when I get back on snow in New Zealand in a few weeks it is not going to be such a surprise being back on skis.

Are you looking forward to New Zealand?

Yes! I have never skied in the summer hemisphere before so it should be a good opportunity.

Who are you going over there with?

The British team; comprising Dave Ryding and Jai Geyer from the Senior Team, then me from the Male Junior Team and Alex Tilley from the girls junior team. From the Invited to Train group there is Jo Morrison, Ally Stang, Rob Bullen, Brad Morgan and fellow GB Junior Team member Rachelle Rogers. We are staying around Wanaka and training around there and at Treble Cone.

You look like you are excited to be going?

Yes definitely. We have just spent a few weeks in Scotland working on the fitness so hopefully this fitness will show in the skiing as well. I have just come back from there and had exams before that.

So you have now finished school totally? Happy?

Yes. It is nice to be able to have a bit of a lie in and then go to the gym and go cycling. A bit more relaxed.

Coming back from the fitness camp in Scotland, have you noticed the level of fitness that is required and the level that the rest of the team have attained? How do you feel you compare?

We saw some of the senior team doing their strength testing and squatting twice their body weight but they have obviously been on their programme for a few years; I have only been on it for a month now. I am starting to see improvements but I have got a long way to go. I have a long way to go to catch with where they are at the moment.

The plan for this winter will be full time with the team. Will you be concentrating mainly on speed, mainly on tech or going all over?

I am not sure yet. I think everyone will have a pretty general programme in New Zealand. I suppose that when the main body of races start in November / December then start to tailor it to the events that I am doing best in which I imagine will be speed but I do not know at the moment.

Who will be coaching you in New Zealand?

I think for me it will be mainly Tony MacAllister but there will also be Tristan Glasse Davies but they might also be bringing in another coach as well.

Away from the GB Team coaches, do you speak regularly with other coaches if you have problems that you cannot sort out?

I have not skied with any of the British team coaches yet. In the past I have worked with Phil Brown for a few years now and before that on the England Team with Chris Park and Mike Barker, Ali Matheson and Kelly Sage. I am still in contact with some of those guys and talk to them when I can.

On the equipment front, are you sticking with Head?

Yes. I really liked the equipment last year. I am still waiting for a few pairs to be replaced and some boots are a bit slow in coming through but I know it will come through.

To give non racers an idea as to how much weight of kit you travel around with, roughly how many pairs of skis in each discipline do you have?

At the moment I have two GS, two slalom, three downhill and three Super G. Next year I will probably be getting three pairs of skis in each discipline. Going to New Zealand we have 92KG of baggage allowance each. This is not much when you consider how much each pair of skis weighs. I think I am going to have to swap a few pairs of bindings around when we get there.

Will you be doing any races in New Zealand?

Yes. I am not sure what the plan is. It is mainly for training but there are at least four races that we will be doing while we are there.

Will these just be for testing things out and seeing how things are or are you looking to score some good points?

Obviously it would be nice to score some points but it will be a good opportunity to gauge how I am skiing but I think that points scored in Europe are going to be a better indication of my level of skiing.

Is it just tech races that you will be doing over there? Or Super G as well?

There are some Super G’s in New Zealand but I am not sure if we will be doing them.

What other sport do you do in the summer?

I play a lot of cricket for my local cricket and I enjoy that a lot. I bowl for them. I also do a lot of rock climbing with friends and am getting into cycling. This is part of the programme and we do a lot of it. A standard ride is 40 miles. The Senior team are all very good at it so I am doing some on my own to make it easier for myself.

Do you find that you are playing catch up with those that have been on the team for a few years are now at?

Obviously the senior guys are now ahead of me in terms of their fitness but they have been full time for a few years and this is my first year. So yes I am playing catch up but I am not too worried about having to catch up.

And the camaraderie amongst the team?

Yes it is good. I know most of the guys already but have not trained a lot with them.

Many thanks for your time Matt and good luck.

Thompson secures his new skis…

Just prior to going off to the southern hemisphere, Matt received his new skis for the winter. Although not brand new, they did have the following names on then: Svindal, Jansrud and Karlssen. Any ski racing fan will note that these are the names of three of the top Norwegian ski racers who have won medals and races at the top end of the game. It just goes to show that you get the results and you will receive the best equipment. Rewards come to those that succeed!

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