2014 WINTER OLYMPIANS – Russ Henshaw

Russ with a super-styled out Switch 5 Japan while training last week in Cardrona. The NZ Spring Camp is offering our athletes world class facilities on which to train Image:: RussHenshaw.com

Mountainwatch | 2014 Winter Olympians – Words by Nat Segal

If you were to ask the average Australian to list some of the sports that Australia competes in at the Olympics, I doubt that skiing would be amongst the first. As a country where swimming is the norm and skiing is less accessible, our winter athletes have risen above and beyond, to not only participate in, but to dominate ski disciplines that will be part of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Skiing is by no means the highest funded sport in the Australian Olympic Committee’s portfolio, nor is it the biggest; but gosh do we have talent.

With several new disciplines added to the next Winter Olympics, including Slopestyle and Halfpipe skiing, it’s bound to be an interesting one. In the last decade Australia has accumulated an assortment of snow sliding, medal-wielding machines who are in line to qualify for Sochi. With successful northern winters behind them and less than a year until the Games it’s only natural to be a little bit curious about them.

Over the coming weeks we will be bringing you profiles on all our Winter Olympic hopefuls, check back for the rest of the team…

EVENT: Slopestyle

Name: Russ Henshaw
Age: 22
Hometown: Jindabyne
Discipline: Slopestyle
Years competing: For as long as I can remember
Home Mountain: Perisher
Are you studying: Not at the moment, I am focusing on my skiing
Best result: 1st Winter Dew Tour, Aspen, 2012
Favourite Event: X Games
Breakfast of champions: Vegemite on toast
Sponsors: Redbull, Volkl, Adidas, Dalbello, Leki,

What is the main challenge you face in the lead-up to the 2014 Olympics?
Staying healthy. I want to ski at my best and learn as much as possible before the Olympics, but learning tricks can be risky. I need to make sure that I am pushing myself and progressing, but at the same time staying safe.

You ski raced until you were 12, how important is having a ski racing background in slopestyle?
I think racing is one of the most important skills to have as a slopestyle skier. You see a lot of people these days who ski slope and are great at jumping, but are horrible at skiing. Racing has helped me with carving off jumps and also speed control. Sometimes you need to milk the course to get as much speed as you can and racing has taught me how to do this.

Slopestyle made it into the Olympics just two years ago, what has the transition from an ‘action’ sport to an Olympic sport been like?
I would say there hasn’t been any transition. Just because our sport is in the Olympics now doesn’t mean it has changed. It is still an action sport and is still about landing the best run you possibly can. At the end of it all it is still a show and it’s a show people enjoy watching. I think the only change we have dealt with is dealing with FIS. FIS is still getting there head around what a good slopestyle course is and how to run a good slopestyle event. Its a learning process, the problem is they don’t have much longer to learn.

Like many Slopestyle skiers, you’ve suffered quite a few injuries. How do you psychologically get back in the game after a big injury?
I try not to think about it when I get back on snow, and I do everything I possibly can off snow to help prevent the injury happening again. I grew up skateboarding and I guess it has taught me to put the fear off pain out of my head and to focus solely on the trick I am trying.

Is Australia a good training ground for Slopestyle? We are starting to produce great park skiers, what else do we need?
I think Australia is getting better in terms of parks and building parks but the problem is that management seem to want smaller jumps and rails. Which I can understand due to the injuries they deal with from the general public. But if Australia is to start producing more talented skiers, they need to build bigger parks for the skiers to train on. The skiers at the moment who are really good, are skiers that spend their season overseas training in the biggest parks in the world.