PROFILE: TUI WIKOHIKA

It is hard to believe from reading Tui’s interview that he is only 14 years old, he seems to show a maturity well beyond his years. We caught up with the kid from Raetihi who has his sights firmly on the future…

HOW DID YOU START BOARDING?

I started snowboarding when I was 4 years old, my dad took me and my sister up the mountain for a slide around in the rubbish bag and put us on a borrowed snowboard. At first, I didn't like it because I kept crashing and it was very tiring on my legs. I think it's safe to say I like snowboarding now.

WHY SKIING? CHOOSE SNOWBOARDING OVER

I didn't really get a choice growing up to ski, I just ended up on a snowboard and stayed on one. At the time with school skiing we weren't allowed to snowboard because the ski school didn't offer snowboarding for kids under 8 years old. I was already riding around so I guess we went our own way with snowboarding learning from who ever could show me things. There were heaps of kids skiing but only a handful snowboarding when I think about it. I guess we were the riders that refused to accept that little fulas couldn't learn to ride. Both my sisters started off skiing, my older sister saw the light and now snowboards but my little sister ski's and loves it. Skiing is a no go for me now. I was going to have a go last year when I went up with school but chickened out at the last minute. I didn't want to miss out on fun because I would have probably ended up down the beginner slopes with no mates haha. Maybe I might have liked it but who knows?

WHERE DO YOU THINK SNOWBOARDING EXCELS OVER SKIING?

I don't know where snowboarding excels over skiing as both sports have the same stoke to them. Whether it is in the mountains free riding or in the parks practicing, the feeling of finally putting a trick down after working on it for ages is the same and everyone feels it. Snowboarders don't have to carry as much gear as skiers and they are pretty chill too so maybe that's where snowboarding excels over skiing?

WHAT COMPETITIONS HAVE YOU COMPETED IN SO FAR?

Mainly the North Island age group slopestyle series and the Junior Nationals held at Cardrona. Last year I competed in the Turoa slopestyle open men's which helped push my riding. I have entered a few freeride comps one at Cardrona and a Freeride World Tour event at Turoa. I have also entered a couple slopestyle events at snow planet in Auckland. I had the opportunity to enter my first competition offshore in Colorado at Copper Mountain and Keystone, that was an awesome experience. One day I hope to be able to compete internationally at big events like the X games and Dew tour, you have to be a very good rider to make those comps but Zoi and Nico are paving the way for all the Kiwi riders and skiers.

WHAT ARE YOUR SPORTING GOALS FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

My ultimate sporting goal for the next five years will be making the New Zealand team to compete in the winter olympics! My goal for this season is to make the NZ junior snowboard team to compete at the 2020 Junior Olympic games held in Switzerland. From here try to make the high performance development team over the next season to gain experience to perform well at World Cup and FIS events and qualify for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Another goal of mine is to be a role model for my siblings, young up and coming sports people who have big dreams.

WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT BEING ON THE MOUNTAIN?

I enjoy how humble the mountain makes me feel and how I connected I feel when I am on my maunga.I enjoy the freedom and the feeling of flying and turning in the mountains, it makes me feel free! I enjoy meeting new people who love snowboarding and riding with mates that like to push their limits. I love the vibe and friendly environment we have riding with good mates. Oh it's hard to explain!

FAVOURITE MOUNTAIN?

I haven't been to many mountains but I think all the NZ mountains I have had the chance to ride have their awesome points I like about them. For terrain parks I liked Copper Mountain because of its range of features, transitions and jump lines, you can really mix it up and get creative. Free riding on a powder day I think Mt Ruapehu is off the chain! There are so many options and the terrain is so sick! Your options are endless from cliff drops to natural bowls and half pipes to tight chutes to charge and lips to smack. I often hear people compare our back country to world class mountains which must say something about my back yard like they say when it's on it's On!

FAVOURITE TRICK?

Underflip ( Frontside rodeo )

WORST INJURY HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

I have been lucky with injuries so far, touch wood! My worst injury was when I smoked my tailbone and lower back. In spring 2013 I was riding up Mt Ruapehu on Turoa. I was hyped to hit the XL jump as I had been doing some decent straight airs and nose grabs, but this time I wanted to get in on film! I wanted to go bigger since the camera was there and the wind picked up a bit over my practice runs, I was like 30kgs soaking wet! So I dropped in feeling excited until I hit the take off! I was leaning too far back on take off and the wind by then was blowing harder up the mountain. I ended up way off balance with flappy arms in a bomb position. It was like super slow motion and I knew it was game over for me as I cleared the knuckle by miles! I was pretty much sideways! It was like doing a manu off the top platform at the national bombing comp but onto hard snow. All my wind got knocked out of me and i couldn't breathe and all I could see was stars. I couldn't snowboard for about a week!

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE YOU LOOK UP TO?

I look up to Stale Sandbech and Gimble God mainly because of their relationship and attitude towards snowboarding. Stale Sandbech is actually my favourite snowboarder, he has a lot of style and seems to make hard tricks look easy and cool! Gimbal God also inspires me as he goes around the world filming their adventures from free riding to the pro comps, testing new jumps and living the snowboarding dream. So if you don't quite make it there is always an opportunity for a snowboarder, filming. He can actually throw down on a snowboard too!

Local NZ riders I look up to are CGK and Tiarn Collins but especially the girls like Zoi Sadowski Synott and Christy Prior, they have got game! Zoi is killing it on the world stage at the moment proving that the Kiwis have world class shredders hidden away down here. I also look up to some Wanaka families that just live for snowboarding and are kind hearted awesome people like the Melville Ives and Jamieson families. They took me in and looked after me when I needed somewhere to stay for the SSNZ national development camp and took me to Colorado for a training camp, I am grateful to have them around me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY MENTORS?

Andrew Manuel has been my mentor for the last 5 years. Andrew is a freestyle coach from Banff Canada, I'm so stoked to have him stick with me throughout my time learning how to compete. He has been a really handy coach always giving me tips how to tweak my run or make a trick look that much better. I've also have a new mentor, Aaron Jamieson (AJ) who has coached me while I was in the States. He's different to Andy, he has a coaching style of his own and both coaches get the best out of me. I'm stoked to have both mentors to help me progress with my riding.

WHAT IF YOU COULD SNAP YOUR FINGERS AND BE ANY SNOWBOARDER IN THE WORLD WHO WOULD IT BE?

Most definitely be Stale! His style is just next level, he may only be spinning 720’s and 900’s but his spins are marked near the same as 1440 double corks by the judges which is insane!

Stale has the ability to tweak his grabs and do the more difficult grabs for a spin with style and amplitude, he is the definition of Steeze, he should be in the dictionary or Wikipedia!

ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE LEARNING TO SNOWBOARD?

My advice would be to have fun and be patient don't give up when you get frustrated because you will fall over a lot. Oh maybe get some impact shorts for your bum! As for Slopestyle keep going through the worst of days, don't give up even though you think you can't do a certain trick. Have a clear and positive mindset to help you visualise yourself being the best, also respect the mountain and the mountain

will respect you. Surround yourself with people who are as passionate if not more passionate than you with riding.

HOW HAVE SPONSORS HELPED?

Sponsors are the main reason why

I get to do what I do. My sponsors are absolute legends! All my sponsors have something in common and that is they have the ability to believe in people. They all support and believe in me achieving my goals and chasing my dreams. I am lucky to be from a supportive community who support me through fundraising which helps me too.

TCB Ohakune have been with me ever since I can remember. I had an old delaminated board with rusty cracked edges and some dodgy bindings that I thought was the coolest set up. I would be competing against kids with the latest boards and gear and I would always buzz out at them with the latest stuff I would see in catalogues at the shop.

I started getting some good results in competitions and asked Ben Wiggins at

TCB if he could wax my board and pimp it out to make it fast. He took one look at it and said “Yeah nah that board has seen its days. It’s only good for the bin or to hang on your wall.” Ben hooked me up with a new set up and has looked after me ever since that day. I now am a team rider for Ride snowboards, SMITH optics and Neff. This began with someone believing in me.

Jamie Bassett and the Sportive team have been awesome and it is always good to catch up with him when they are on the road doing demo days, we get to product test the new gear and to see the new developments. So if you are looking at buying the latest products for the 2019 season or you want the fastest and sharpest crystal gliding gear in the North Island call into TCB Ohakune they will have you sorted.

Bayleys Ruapehu helped send me off to Colorado to train at Copper mountain USA. I am lucky to be part of the Bayleys team who have awesome properties and rentals available in Ohakune for winter adventures. This was my first overseas snowboarding trip and I was amazed at the facilities like Copper Woodward, the park set up and features in Colorado. You can see how easy it is to progress with snowboarding in these parts of the world and why the level of riding is where it is at the pro level of competition.

WHAT DOES THE WINNING AMP SCHOLARSHIP MEAN FOR YOU?

This is such a huge deal for me and my family, receiving the AMP scholarship will help me train overseas, help with coaching and to compete against other riders from all around the world. The scholarship also helps with flights and accommodation to competitions and training camps. AMP has given me this grant to follow my dreams of one day making the NZ winter Olympic team. There is a lot of work to do and I am working towards my dream. There are some awesome riders in NZ at the moment and there are only limited numbers that can make the cut. I have a hard road ahead of me but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I can say I had a go at. Without the AMP scholarship and a successful Pledgeme campaign I wouldn’t have this opportunity ahead of me. AMP have enabled many kiwi's to pursue and validate their dreams.