BLOG: Since Innsbruck it has been a long haul of training schedules, travelling the world, competing and doing schoolwork.

I recently postponed my year 12 school year due to just having so much going on in my life. With all the traveling and competing it's hard to give 100% to both my schoolwork and my snowboarding and I really want to do well at both so I decided it was best to postpone for a year or two. That has taken a huge load off my back and makes it easier to concentrate on my snowboarding.

I have been based in Edwards, Colorado and training at Vail and Breckenridge. I have barely been in Colorado though with an extremely full comp schedule this year with all the World Cups and now another Rev Tour to re-qualify me for World Cup.

I've been super busy with travelling and competing and for the first time in 2 months I finally have a training break.

At World Cups this year I have achieved the following places in halfpipe:

Cardrona, New Zealand - 27th, Copper Mountain, USA - 34th, Park City, USA - 25th, Sochi, Russia - 31st.

At the World Championships in Stoneham, Canada I placed 22nd.
 
I have been in Vail training and recently left to go to Idaho for a Rev Tour then straight to Spain for the last World Cup. Then it's back to America for Nationals and finally home for a bit of a rest.

I currently have a  hip injury with a tear in it and I find out at the end of the season if I need surgery. Luckily I can still ride so fingers crossed I don't need it! I have not been training or competing in slopestyle this Northern Winter and instead just concentrating on halfpipe. The only comp I have done this year in slopestyle was the Billabong Bro Down in New Zealand where I won the Junior Division and was ranked 4th overall in the Open.

I am currently placed 5th out of the Australians so I have one more place to move up before I'm close to my Olympic dreams. I was lucky enough to go to the Olympic test event this year in Sochi – Russia and it was amazing. The Olympic village was still getting built but looked amazing. Innsbruck and the Youth Olympics was so much fun and  it was so much like the real Olympics (so I've heard) so I really hope to get to Sochi, Russia again for the next Olympics and feel that rush again and compete with the world's best.

I hope to qualify myself for the Olympics at the next World Cup and move up a few positions on the FIS rankings. I am having loads of fun in spring right now. It's so hot - even hotter then Australia in winter, so I’m learning some new tricks. I get back to Aus the 9th of April,  just in time to celebrate my mum's birthday. It's been a fast season and it's going quick but I can't wait to get home and see everyone!

Alex Fitch