Iain Innes: 5 things I love about being an athlete

Sponsored post: Travelling the world, competing and hitting the powder on his days off… Iain Innes has scored one amazing job!

: As one of Rossignol’s Band of Hero athletes, Iain Innes represented Team GB in the 2015 Youth Olympics, competing in the Alpine disciplines of Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G and Alpine Combined. We caught up with him at the Rossignol Presents: Evolutions Race Camp to find out about what the 18-year-old appreciates most about being a full-time athlete.

Rossignol-sponsored athlete Iain Inness | Nick Ponty

Places I get to travel

I’m really lucky with my sport – I get to travel the world and see so many ski resorts. I think my favourite would have to Méribel and the Three Valleys, as it turns into my home away from home while I’m training in the winter. That, plus there is so much mountain to cover you just can’t get bored. I also travel a lot for competitions in Italian, Austrian, French and Russian ski resorts.

Meeting other athletes

I enjoy the interaction. I’m part of the Orsatus ski team and it’s great to have such a supportive network of people around me – both my coaches and my team mates. I’ve made some good friends from across the globe over the years, but what is really exciting is when you meet famous athletes. Jenny Jones interviewed me for a piece on the BBC and it was great to get her advice on how to cope with pressure when you’re competing. I also had an interview with Lindsey Vonn (USA), the greatest ever female alpine ski racer, who has won 76 world cup events – that was definitely a highlight!

Form and focus: Iain Innes in training | Nick Ponty

Free time

It’s always great to get on the hill and skiing on a day off; I love going off-piste, hitting anything that is deep powder with jumps, cliffs, drops – anything I can do to unwind and have fun. When I’m not racing on my Hero skis, I love getting out the Soul 7, it’s perfect for dropping cliffs and gliding through deep snow – the Soul 7 definitely makes light work of tough conditions.

Training

It is hard work and I train in the gym as well as on the slope. This year will be a big training year for me; I will be doing fitness training as well as discipline training – setting out different courses and improving techniques and ensuring that my kit is set up so I can get the optimum performance for race day depending on the conditions. Then we will work on fitness, spending many hours in the gym. I enjoy leg days best and do a lot of squats, but I feel that if my legs don’t hurt the next day then I haven’t trained hard enough!

Competitions

They are why I am an athlete. I love seeing the clock and knowing that I have a time that I need to beat in order to win. I love the GS best – it is faster than Slalom, so you can feel the G-force, but you still have to be accurate and hit every gate. It is a real buzz competing, especially when you get in the zone. The feeling when you have won your race and you know that the competition can’t get near your time is unbelievable. Getting two top 20 results in the Youth Olympics in Lillehammer was definitely one of my proudest moments. 

Iain Innes is sponsored by Rossignol