Paddy Graham is Britain’s top freeskier and has won the Battle of Britain London Freeze (2009, 2010 and 2012), Red Bull Playstreets and the Red Bull Tribal Quest in his career to date. He is also part of the ski-film collective ‘Legs of Steel’ which produces action sports feature films and TV documentaries. Paddy spends plenty of time in the air (in every sense of the word) making him a great candidate for our interview series.
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What was your most memorable sporting holiday and why?
The first time I went skiing was with school on a trip to Vermont, USA – it was my first real experience on snow but not my most memorable, that would have to be Tignes, France probably a year later when I was 13. My parents took me to the alpine resort in the French Alps, they are keen walkers and started going on summer holidays to the Alps at that time. For me it was perfect, there was a glacier and ski resort open in July. My dad would take me up to the glacier in the morning on the funicular at 7:00am and we would ski until lunch time. Also, we would ski the short runs that were open in the summer, limited but enough and then I would take a couple of laps in the fun park where they had jumps. In the afternoons I would go to the lake and use the trampolines and work on my tricks, I didn’t have much of a clue what I was up to, just bouncing around and having fun it was an amazing time!
What was the best sports venue/ stadium that you had a chance to compete in and why?
You would probably be expecting me to give you the name of an exotic mountain right now, but the best place I competed was Barcelona, Spain. We had a Big Air tour 10 years ago which spanned Europe from September through till the end of November. The events would put on these inner-city big air events where they built a huge construction from scaffolding (30m high) in order for us to jump. This event in Barcelona was in the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys, it was huge and there was a massive turnout to the event too. Being in the changing rooms before heading out into the stadium, I felt like a football player or gladiator, it was an amazing atmosphere.
If you could choose one adrenalin or adventure activity to do on holiday what would it be and where?
I love biking, mountain biking and touring on my gravel bike. Most resorts in the Alps offer downhill mountain biking which is great fun but I would look to the adventure of a gravel bike. I’d love to take an adventure on my bike around Japan during the summer. I’ve been there a few times before to ski and really love the country. Being sat on a bike, I feel like you absorb so much more of the landscape, I like the culture and the people there are very welcoming. Alternatively, rock climbing in Sardinia, somewhere close to the beaches so that I can take a dip after!
What’s the ultimate sporting event/ tournament you would/ or do attend purely as a fan and/or spectator?
I’ve been lucky enough to attend a couple of Grand Prix races at Silverstone, the F1 cars are very impressive – it’s loud, fast and you can get close to the action. This past winter, I attended all the Freeride world tour events, not as a competitor but as a spectator. If you get the chance to see one of these Big Mountain events it’s a must. The format of Ski and snowboard, men and women competing for a title and they only have one run to make their best performance so every competitor pushes themselves for the result and title.
Having travelled widely as a professional athlete, does any specific country impress through their sport tourism offering (venues/ activities/ natural landscape)?
My number one pick has to be New Zealand. Specifically Lake Wanaka and Queenstown. Every view gives you the feeling of being in a fairy tale (or Lord of the Rings!). I primary used to travel there in the summer to experience their winters and train for the upcoming season. The last trip I had there I was lucky enough to experience a little more than the ski resorts (which are just a short drive from the town). We enjoyed a variety of extreme sports/experiences there from surfing, bungee jumping to sky diving. NZ has it all and offers amazing experiences for everyone in the picturesque country. It’s my dream to visit again but in the summer when it’s not so cold!
For enquiries about Paddy Graham contact centricsm.com