Sean Hartel

Hey everyone, sorry that I have to make this update rather brief, but I only have one hand to type with. I crashed in practice for a big air competition last Sunday and tore my Ulnar Lateral Ligament in my left hand and broke a bone, and I just got surgery on Friday. The surgery went really well and I get my hand put into a permanent cast next weekend for 6-8 weeks.

I'm a little bummed that I've had such an unlucky few weeks as far as injuries go, but it's part of the sport and I'm glad none of them was too serious. I also just had a bunch of stitches in my leg and arm, which kept me out for 2 weeks. I was back on snow for a week and traveled to Southern California for the Big Bear Open, which is one of the three stops on the Open Freeski Tour. I took third place, getting my second podium of the year in a major event.

You can check out a recap here: http://newschoolers.com/web/content/viewcult/action/news/id/3785/jid/841...
and here: http://newschoolers.com/web/content/news/news_id/1966/

After the podium ceremony I hopped back into my car with the Moment Skis Team Manager, Jason Badgley, and high-tailed it back up to Alpine Meadows in Northern California for the big air competition the following day. After driving all night, I showed up for the competition ready to rock. Coming off my podium from the day before, I really wanted to win this one. I guess I went a little too nuts though because I crashed doing a switch 1260 about an hour before the comp even started. I was still determined, so I went into patrol and got my hand taped up so I could still compete. Unfortunately, my bum hand slowed me down a bit and Bernard Rosow won with a switch 1080. Then off to the hospital...

So I've changed my plans a bit to work around my recovery and make the most of my time over the next few months. There are 2 more major competitions this spring, the Mt. Snow Open and World Skiing Invitational, which I will not be doing. I am going to take the next month and a half off, heal up, work out and get my body back to 110% for a killer summer session.

So here is my tentative plan for the next few months: I am flying back to NJ on Tuesday to take a break and spend some time with my family. While I'm home I'll be doing a ton of road biking, lifting, and core strength work on the balance ball. Then I will come back to Tahoe at the beginning of May for some filming, before heading up to Mt. Hood to train on the glacier and get some shots. Throughout June and July I will be coaching and training at the Utah Olympic Park on the water ramps and trampoline. Then I'd like to head back to New Zealand for the big summer competitions in August and September.

So my spring season is cut short a little bit, but all in all I'm pretty stoked about the past 9 months. This was my first season competing and pursuing my dreams of a freestyle skier and I have accomplished a ton. I'm stoked to get started again this summer and I'd like to thank all of you for your help and support. My rookie year would not be a success without you!

Thanks! Sean