Three things Renske van Beek does off snow

Dutch snowboarder Renske van Beek had a great 2015-16 season that led to the overall World Cup title in the women’s snowboard cross SB-UL.

Having been reclassified into the women’s SB-LL2 at the start of the new season, she is now targeting a good performance at the 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships in Big White, Canada, between 1-8 February.

Van Beek described the three things she enjoys doing when she is not on the slopes.

Walking in the mountains

“When you are in the mountains everything is so beautiful!” she said. “The smell and healthiness of the mountains reminds me of the good old days. I love it when it snows and everything turns into a playground. Everything looks just better in white. When I was young I made jumps with friends and we could spend days outside. It doesn’t snow much in the Netherlands but I had a lot of adventures in the mountains”.

Surfing and longboarding

“In the summer I try to find the snowboard feeling in surfing and longboarding. Last summer I went on a surf camp with friends and we had a few days of surfing, something I kept doing even in my home town as I live by the sea” she said.

The 27-year-old also organised a surf event with a few friends for young people with impairments. Organising that kept her busy for a while and was a huge success.

Another sport that gives van Beek the snowboard feeling is longboarding.

“Longboarding is a thing I really like to do to! I’ve got some different boards to change my technique and get better. I’ve got one board for the “surfy feeling” (quick turns and surfing over the streets) and a board which I can go really fast on. I really like it because the stronger I get the better it goes”.

Spending time with family and friends

“When I’m not training or working I also love to be with my friends and family and do outdoor activities with them. However, when it’s rainy I love to be at home and play board games with them”.

__

Around 80 Para athletes from 25 countries will travel to Big White for the 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships to compete in both snowboard-cross and banked slalom events in men’s and women’s SB-UL, SB-LL1 and SB-LL2 classifications.