Harbin the "Ice City" is a far cry from Whangarei but Northland snowboarder Claire Nash had the chance to visit the infamous city in China while competing at the World University Winter Games. Nash was one of 1600 athletes competing in the biennial Winter Games in Harbin as part of theNew Zealand snowboard contingent which consisted of three women and two men. "Competition was tough as we were competing against the best in the world - there were World Cup Circuit athletes competing in all disciplines," Nash said. While events staged on ice were at Harbin, the snowboard and ski events were at either Yabuli or Maoershan, close to the main city. Nash made her presence felt at the competition, gaining respectable results that would enable her to compete at World Cup events in the future, she said. The 25-year-old grabbed ninth spot in the halfpipe, 17th in the snowboarder cross and 31st in the parallel giant slalom - not bad considering the number of competitors and their skill level. Nash's time in China seemed a distant dream when she was thrown straight back into her studies at Otago University on her return to New Zealand. However, it won't be long before she will be back among the white stuff. "I will be finishing my Bachelor of PE at the end of this semester and then I go back to Wanaka where I'll work fulltime as an instructor at the Cardrona Alpine Resort," she said. While completing her degree is her top priority, competition is beckoning for Nash who hoped to take part in the New Zealand Snowboard Open. In December Nash has planned more time overseas, instructing on the slopes of Park City in Utah. It would be worth keeping an eye on the promising boarder, who given the opportunity, could reach new heights in the sport for New Zealand.
