LINE UK SPONSORS CLAIRE HUGHES

We are pleased to confirm LINE Skis sponsorship for Claire Hughes, the 22 year old winner of Dark Summer’s ‘It’s A Girl Thing’ Competition in December 2005 and 5th placed skier in the New Zealand Big Mountain Competition in August 2006.

Claire approached LINE having shown her commitment to freestyle and freeride skiing in competitions and through BUSC (British Universities Snowsports Council).

Coming from Scotland, Claire joins fellow Scots Murray Buchan and Jo Guest, along with Mike Wakefield and Andy Bennett, on the LINE team. She has been skiing since she was 2 years old and has recently done two seasons in New Zealand and a season in Canada. While at Glasgow Uni she was President of the Ski & Snowboard Club. She has already achieved her CSIA Level 2 instructor qualification, teaching skiing in Italy and New Zealand and is planning full certification and an international license in 2007.

Claire has just flown out to do a season instructing in Andorra and to work towards her ISIA qualification. Her plans also include heading to the Alps to compete in the Orange Brits and the Verbier Ride, as well as working with photographers. She is concentrating on her park skiing at the moment so that she can take those skills into the big mountain. (She is currently working on some rail variations, 540’s variations, corked spins and more switch take-offs and landings as well as half-pipe.) She hopes to return to New Zealand next Summer to build on her results there.

See Claire in action in the ‘Aggressive Alpine Skiing’ 2006 movie released by Ellis Brigham this season.

[Claire is the first rider to be taken on by LINE UK's new Team Manager Rick Hutchings, read all about his appointment by clicking here.]