Kenton Cool Mountaineer

Kenton's relationship with Snow+Rock and what it means:

I'm very excited with the prospect of working along side Snow+Rock. Our relationship goes way back to '94 when I worked in the High Street Kensington Branch, during this period I was kindly supported by S+R in a Mountain Marathon and also my first expedition to Nepal where we successfully climbed a new route on Kusum Kanguru.

To be associated with what I consider to be the very best of the UK retailers is fantastic. As a full time mountain guide running Dream Guides in Chamonix France I always get asked about pieces of equipment and clothing and where to buy things. The answer has always been the same, so to finally have a professional relationship with the very best is a wonderful situation to be in.

I get to guide people all over the world from Mount Everest to the Eiger, from Rock climbing to Ski touring. The amount and type of kit needed is vast. Snow+Rock probably have the biggest array of skis, rock hardware, clothes and accessories in the UK. They deal with only the very best of the manufacturers which means that I have total faith in the equipment I use each and every day.

With a number of high profile expeditions coming up in the next couple of years I'm very pleased to be able to use the services of Snow+Rock. From mounting skis for my attempt to ski down the 8th highest mountain in the world this Autumn, to last minute equipment for my 7th Everest Expedition.....it will be my 8th time to the top if we succeed.

Next spring is looking to be a very very exciting time, with two back to back expeditions. First up will be a still top secret Alpine trip that will take over 2 months, followed by my Himalayan Trilogy, which will be Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse in a single climbing season. Both expeditions will be at the limit of human endurance and for piece of mind having Snow+Rock providing help and support is invaluable.

Ahead of myself and Dream Guides are challenging yet exciting times. By having Snow+Rock with us on our adventures means that we no longer have to worry about equipment - we will be using the best, provided by the best.

Kevin Edwards Freestyle Snowboarder

Kevin's relationship with Snow+Rock, what it means:

Snow+Rock have been supporting me with equipment for both SBX and freestyle competitions since last season.

I work as the Chief Instructor at Chill Factore, qualified through the British, New Zealand and Canadian systems, with 10 years teaching experience. The support Snow+Rock have provided me with has helped me achieve the highest level snowboard/ski qualification:- the International Snowsports Teaching Diploma (ISTD) through BASI. Snow+Rock's extensive range of equipment has given me the opportunity to get the right tools for the job, whether it's a SBX race in the Czech Republic or a Slopestyle competition in Switzerland. Snow+Rock's high quality of equipment is vital for my high level performance.

I am also heavily involved in the freestyle scene at Chill Factore, being the head freestyle coach and centrally involved with the co-ordination of all freestyle events. This coming season I will be kicking off by competing at the British Indoor Champs, then at several competitions throughout Europe. I also hope to take the Chill Factore freestyle team to as many events as possible.

More info at www.kevedwards.com

Sam Gardner Triathlete

Sam's relationship with Snow+Rock and what it means:

Over the years I've always had a love of all 'outdoor' sports, and I still do. Most of my time is taken up with cycling, running and swimming, but around these I make time to go climbing, skiing and just getting out walking in the hills. As a customer, Snow+Rock always impressed me with knowledgeable staff and quality proven products you can rely on. When the opportunity arose to work together with them I jumped at the chance. I know that if I take my bike for a service at CycleSurgery it will come back working great. If I need advice on which running shoes to buy for my particular running gait then Runners Need can analyse my foot strike and get me the pair I need to keep me injury free. My local store is Chertsey and I have Snow+Rock, CycleSurgery and Runners Need all under one roof. Time is of the essence when you're trying to train 3 times a day and for me keeping my bike serviced and equipment in good order is now so easy, and I know that the products I need will be in stock almost all of the time.

I took up the sport of triathlon in 2005 after a successful cycling career, and in my first triathlon season I managed to win 13 races, including the prestigious Vitruvian Half Ironman. In 2006 I turned away from the road triathlons, deciding to use my Mountain bike experience and concentrated on the European Xterra series and came 7th overall in the series, with several top 10 results including a 4th in Xterra Spain. The highlight of the year was 15th place at the world championships in Hawaii. 2007 started well with 2nd places at Xterra Guam and Xterra Saipan, I again came 7th in the European tour and improved my World Championship finish to 14th place. Last year I managed to win my first Global Tour race which was Xterra Japan, I had another top 10 overall finish in the European tour despite missing 2 races.

I am starting my 2011 season with several early season Xterra's in Asia. Namely Xterra Phillipines, Xterra Saipan and Xterra Guam alongside Tagaman (a middle distance road event, also in Saipan). This series of races has become a favorite of mine, having won Xterra Saiapan and Guam for the last 2 years. I then plan to do some road triathlons and separate events in the individual 3 disciplines, building up to my late season goal of Challenge Henley.

Long course triathlon has become very popular of late, and it's something that I've always thought would suit my strengths. In 2011 I decided to take my first steps into the 'long distance' triathlon world. Living in Windsor, Berkshire I spend much of my life riding my bike in the Chiltern Hills. In October 2010 'Challenge Henley' was announced as a major new 'Iron distance' event (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Within hours of hearing the news I had emailed the organiser and expressed my interest. The press launch on a river boat down the Thames showed what big plans they have for the event and I'm very excited to be making my debut at this event in my home county.

More info at www.samgardner.com

Sean Rose Alpine Skier

Sean Rose has been the most successful British Alpine Skier of late, with five World Cup medals, one being a Gold in the Downhill at Sestriere (Jan2010). Sean was paralysed in a Skiing accident back in February 2000, since then he has been driven to become the best Seated Skier he can be, racing against the best in the World. He has competed in two Winter Paralympics for GB (Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010). Snow+Rock have had the privilege of supporting Sean's journey since 2006, providing the right support and equipment to enable him to reach his full potential.

Sean says, "I couldn't do what I do without Snow+Rock, it's been a pleasure working with them, thanks for raising the profile of British Disabled Skiing and thanks for your continuing support."

More info at www.seanrose.co.uk

Pat Sharples Freeskier

I have been a part of the new wave of Freeskiing since it started back in the late '90s and I'm still as passionate about the sport now as when I was when I first started. I used to compete around the world at big mountain Freeride competitions as well as new school freestyle events and performed demos at all the major ski shows including the London Metro show and was the England freestyle ski team captain for 4 years. During my time as professional skier I have been lucky to be supported by my dream sponsors that have included Salomon, Oakley, and Snow+Rock who I still work heavily with to this day, now as an athlete team manager for Oakley and Salomon as well as Salomon's community manager. I still spend the winters working on photoshoots including the Snow+Rock shoots each year where I have been on their brochure cover 3 times and working on filming projects which have included a recent trip to Sweden with the BBC's Top Gear which will be aired later this year. I now also run the biggest Freestyle ski camps in the UK www.salomongromcamps.co.uk where we coach the future UK talent. Snow+Rock have supported in me in everything I have done and they keep helping me do my job which is promoting the sport of Freeskiing.

Warren Smith Freeskier

Warren is one of Britain's leading professional freeskiers and an Internationally Certified Performance Coach and Ski Instructor. He has been a sponsored Volkl freeski athlete for over 5 years and has represented the Oakley UK Freeski Team for over 10 years.

Watch Warren freeskiing in Japan by clicking below:

• Windows Media
• QuickTime

He has spent many years teaching recreational skiers, developing ski instructors and coaching racers all over Europe. He is one of the most innovative instructors working in the Alps today and has earned a name for himself for the constant research and development he carries out combing Ski Technique, Ski Biomechanics and Ski Physiology.

He has written, directed and produced the best selling ski technique DVD's, Ski Academy - Lesson's 1, 2, 3 + 4 which have sold over 24,000 copies globally to date. In 2006 he finished writing an international book titled 'Go Ski' for DK Books. DK are part of the Penguin Books Group and the book was published in several languages including French, German, Italian and Spanish to name but a few. The book has now had over 100,000 copies printed around the world and has given Warren an international reputation in the world of ski coaching.

His ski technique and coaching methods are viewed all over the world with his online technique live video clips at www.ifyouski.com/technique. Warren was also the first ski coaching in the world to produce Ski Technique tips for the IPOD and Mobile Phone. For more on Warren see www.soulsports.co.uk/warrensmith.

• Member of International Ski Coaches Association (IVSI)
• Member of 'International Ski instructors Association' (ISIA)
• UK Snowsports Tutor & Coach
• Diploma in 'Sports Psychology'
• British Freeski Team athlete
• Presenter of Highly Acclaimed Ski Academy DVD's
• Author of DK Books, 'Go Ski'