Hi all, that's my first post on Fluid-junction!!

I was in the beautiful Otztal valley on 27th september to 5th october with our nice international team manager David Arnaud and the team paddler Ralf Schaberg. David was here with his camera to work for TV and for Adidas, and Ralf and I were here to compete!!

We started the week in Otztal with sunny days and our training on the qualifying section were very good. Thrusday the race started, Ralf and me won a spot for the finals, and David was working hard to offer a good video clip at the diner every evening. Friday morning, Ralf and me trained on the difficult Finals section, and the afternoon the Boater-cross took place. Benji Hjort (Norway) won it after a perfect race!!

val Saturday the Finals took place on a snowy day: the 50 best would run the final, and then the best 25 competitors would do a second run. My goal at the adidas sickline was to be in the 30th, and I ended 28th... I missed the final Finals for just 3 spots... fuck that!!

Ralf Ralf did a perfect first run and could race the second run. But this one was... probably a horrible nightmare for him and a nice entertaining moment for the crowd when the video played that night!! Ralf lost his paddle in the hard section, got beaten up and he couldn't finish his second final run. Fortunately he wasn't hurt.

The same evening, there was the champion party in the Adidas sickline dome. A perfect party where (I suppose) I was in the top 5!! ;-)val and his girlfriend

Many thanks to Olaf Obsommer and the adidas team, the italian team, Ralf, David, the frenchies and the others!