With surfing out of the way, Maxim went out for a well-deserved drink with Relentless athlete, female snowboarder Jenny Jones. She confesses to enjoying the odd bev from time to time and orders a ridiculous looking cocktail, alongside a banana. We stay safe with a lager.
Maxim: Has anyone ever told you your name sounds a bit like a porn stars?
Jenny: (laughing) The commentators have actually said that while I’m on the course, mid snowboard- I’m a bit like ‘come on guys…not the best time to be pointing that out…’ I do get it from some people, they say it’s like a film star’s name but what I think they’re secretly saying is ‘…in the adult entertainment industry’.
Maxim: It’s certainly memorable. So tell us, how did you get into the whole snowboarding gig? Do you just love the cold weather?
Jenny: I went snowboarding when I was younger for a week with my school and thought ‘I just love this, how can I do it more?’ So when I was 18, and finished college I went to do a ski season in Tignes, working as a chalet maid - doing brekkie and dinner and snowboarded in the middle. I was hooked.
Maxim: So you started in Tignes, and you’ve been all around the world snowboarding, what’s the worst trip you’ve ever been on?
Jenny: We’ve turned up at a few places where there’s just been no snow…which isn’t ideal. One worrying time occured when I went heliboarding (where boarders are dropped onto the mountain side from a helicopter) in New Zealand. We were in one of those old school choppers, perspex all around and when I looked at the joystick it was all shoddy and taped up - I thought ‘Fuuuck!’. Oh and we set off an avalanche once…
Maxim: Causing a natural disaster certainly trumps the usual holiday tales of ending up naked on the beach, covered in vomit with your wallet nicked. Where was this?
Jenny: We were heliboarding on the border of France and Italy, and I just dropped down from the chopper onto the snow, as I made my turn I just felt the ground move beneath me. When I got to the bottom of the hill I just saw this massive mushroom cloud and thought ‘uh-oh’. The officials were good about it, pleased everyone was ok and didn’t get injured.
Maxim : On the subject of knocks and scrapes, we know you’ve struggled a bit with a knee problem over the years, are you to snowboarding what Ledley King is to football?
Jenny: Errr ( she looks up slightly confused, we duly explain the comparison) Oh! No. There are a lot of other girls worse off than me. I have had knee reconstruction though. I went off a big jump out in America and as I went to spin I didn’t make the landing and it just went boom! The bit of cartilage between my knee folded over and got pinched between my bone…
Maxim: Sounds disgusting, we also can’t help but notice the scar on the inside of your arm…
Jenny: (looking at it almost proudly) Yeah this one’s a lot neater. I snapped both the bones in my arm and they had to put in metal plates.
Maxim : Sounds like you’re in the wars a lot...
Jenny: In ten years I think I’ve had three knee surgeries, a couple of broken bones- ankle sprains, err a chipped shoulder bone and two quite bad concussions…not too bad though. (Feeling competitive we point out the stubbed toe we suffered on the beach earlier)
Jenny: I bet it killed…I think it’s a draw then.
Maxim: You’re on first name terms down the hospital then?
Jenny : (laughing) No, these have all occurred at different locations. I tell you though: you have to be careful with the drugs they give you. They make you randy. Once I sort of began hitting on some of the doctors, the poor guy in the ambulance with me took the brunt of it!
Maxim: Our heart bleeds for the guy! Are you into any other, less dangerous sports?
Jenny: I like athletics. I watched the European championships a few weeks ago- we did really well! That Jessica Ennis- she’s amazing! She seems really down to earth and doesn’t make any excuses for herself.
Maxim: Not like the England team. Were you watching the world cup this summer or are you not a fan of the beautiful game?
Jenny: Well, I watch the big matches and I’ve been to a couple of little local Bristol football games - what are my choices? Bristol City and Rovers isn’t it? England-wise I just think it must be really depressing if you’re really into it… Our chat gets briefly interrupted by the arrival of the biggest bee we’ve ever seen; this thing looks more bird than insect. In true manly fashion we batter it away, only for it to return angrier than ever- we ask hotel security to remove it.
Maxim: (a touch shaken up) Well, now that beast has been vanquished, tell us - have you ever come across any terrifying animals in the forest mid snowboard? Grizzly bears or maybe deranged wolves?
Jenny: No sorry… no grizzly bears or wolves yet! I guess there’s still time. I’ve come across mountain goats and marmots before, that’s about it!
Maxim: Marmots? They sound like they’re creations from Narnia…did you make them up?
Jenny: (laughing) Noooo! They’re like little beavers that live on the side of mountains and whistle when you go past.
Maxim: Sort of the construction workers of the animal world then? Now we know surfers sometimes ‘relieve’ themselves in their wetsuits to keep warm whilst out in cold water, have you ever done the same snowboarding?
Jenny: No! Though I once managed to nip off to the woods while out boarding and go for a tactical wee. When you gotta go…
Maxim: Impressive, were you not worried about run-ins with grizzly bears?
Jenny: You’re really disappointed I haven’t come across any grizzly bears aren’t you? I’m just not exciting enough…I clearly need to be more extreme…
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