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AKI
(Dean Heathcote)
Hometown:
Grimsby – though
presently in Courchevel
Age: 38
Introduction...
We met AKI back in 2005 as a sort of mate of a mate during our second trip to
Courchevel. Since then we've been away riding every year with him, he may look
like an ageing ASBO kid but he's usually one of the keenest of the crew! For
2008 he left the bright lights of Grimsby and the lure of Halifax dryslope to
become a seasonnaire. So lets see what he has to say for himself...
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So who, how, what got you started with snowboarding?
Saw snowboarding in a skate
video for the first time back in 1994.
Me and a couple of mates agreed to go snowboarding once we had
decent jobs to pay for it. This
took seven years to achieve.
What's your current board setup? Freestyle setup:
Sapient Evolution 157 and Technine MFM bindings; Freeride setup:
Rome Anthem 158 and Rome 390 bindings.
Burton Hail boots
How
did you get to hear about Board 4 Life?
Met one of the owners on holiday.
And what stance/angles do you ride with? Freestyle: +18/-9 wide centred stance.
Freeride: +21/-6 slightly set back stance.
What do you most love about snowboarding? Learning new tricks,
messing around the side of the pistes.
Improving other peoples riding. |
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| Confused with beer - Bansko,
Bulgaria 2007 |
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Have you been in many competitions?
Entered a couple of AIM events back in 2003-04,
pulled a 2nd in boardercross and a 3rd in
Freestyle masters. Entered
Cock’o’the North at Halifax, but no great achievements otherwise.
Are you more of a freestyler or freerider?
Freestyler first, lazy freerider; I don’t do much
hiking.
Where have you most recently been riding?
Courchevel, I’m seasoning there.
Odd day in Meribel and Val Thorens this winter as well.
What are your plans for next year? Not getting an injury in the next three months;
beyond that is up in the air.
What's your favourite:
* Trick? Backside 180’s and
Frontside Boardslides
* Resort? Les Arcs, Jasna (Slovakia)
and Serre Chevalier
* Saying? I’ll let others quote me
for that…(Right I'll have to have a think on that)
* Snowboarding memory? Dunno, too many.
* Drink? Jagermeister – warm, not
frozen. It’s like cough
syrup with alcohol hidden in it.
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Had any particularly bad slams? Nothing to cry about... Not serious slams, several fairly embarrassing
ones. Worst so far this
season was falling off the back of a C-rail, about 8 feet to the flat.
Wrenched my shoulder, but no lasting harm.
How do you think your riding has progressed over the last couple of years?
This year it has not been as fast as I’d like;
mostly it’s been all-mountain freestyle orientated this year, gone
from 4 foot to 12-15 foot cliff drops this season and blasting of
cornices and so forth. Rail
riding is progressing slowly to the level it may have been last year. Still struggling with rotations.
Is there anything you don't like about snowboarding? Fighting through crowds, stumbling through deep
powder to try and get to a run, bulletproof icy slopes.
What advice would you give to someone who's thinking about taking up riding?
Pay for lessons with an English speaking snowboard
school. Don’t think you
can just pick it up, it’s hard. Expect
it to hurt.
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What interests other than snowboarding do you have? I relax by painting
military figures and model making; working freelance as a designer and contract
painter as a result. I also like to
do some gaming, and waste mucho time on the internet. Read a lot, watch too much tv; outside of the mountains my
fitness regime is non-existent
What music are you into? Mainly contemporary Punk
Rock (NoFX, Propagandhi, AFI, etc) Metal, rock, American alternative rock, hip
hop, and Ska. Wide taste in music
also takes in everything from dance (Fabric-live and Global Underground) to Jazz
and Blues.
What are your aims for the future? Make a living in the
mountains, on the slopes themselves FS and BS 360’s over decent sized kickers,
land a 20 foot plus cliff.
Any shout outs? The wife – Sue (thanks for being so
understanding), my Sponsors – B4L, My employers out here – Pleisure
Holidays
If you have anything you'd like to ask fire a mail
off to: AKI@board4life.co.uk
and we'll pass them on to him.
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