Ups and down

Britt Coker talks with a man who has lived a life of extremes, both in altitudes and attitudes. It’s these high and lows that have led him off the beaten track and on to Nelson’s well-wheeled ones.

We all do impulsive things. In fact, spontaneity is an entirely predictable characteristic of the human species. But how many of us have ever been on holiday overseas and loved a place so much we just bought a house while we were there? Sure, we’ve thought about and looked at the real estate ads, but pragmatism inevitably overrides impulse. But sensible decisions have not always been part of Ali Jamieson’s life story.

While visiting New Zealand in 2017 in search of mountain biking trails, the Englishman eventually found himself in Nelson and in no time at all, in love with the place (entirely understandable. Look how gorgeous we are). He was certain this was the place for him, so he bought a house with complete confidence in his decision. He was certainly not thinking too much about the fact he already lived and worked in the northern hemisphere and was neither physiologically or metaphorically made of money.

“I’m somebody who has spent my life living and working in various different ways, kind of searching for the place that really felt like home to me. One day I came across Nelson and just suddenly I was like, ‘this is somewhere where I could really make my home.’”

Was Ali just a man following his instincts? Yes and no. It’s almost inevitable that major life decisions like this create such a disturbance in the order of things, that both good and bad fortunes follow.

Ali settled into life in New Zealand. He had always suffered bouts of depression but a series of events including a marriage breakup and business collapse triggered a mental emotional downward spiral that resulted in temporary, but strong, bonds formed with the Nelson Mental Health services. So far, so bad. But there was some good in there too.

“I got exceptional support. I was suicidal and they sectioned me to save my life… It seems funny to say that now but that’s just a fact. But that allowed me to have access to the support I needed, but didn’t realise. Which led to a diagnosis of Bipolar, which then led to treatment for that, and also an acceptance of that condition.”

Bipolar Disorder (formerly called manic depression) is considered quite common with around 1 in every 100 people diagnosed with it at some point in their life. It can occur at any age, although it often develops in teenage years. People can experience extreme mood swings from feeling depressed and suicidal, to incredible elation, being easily distracted, irritated or agitated, and experiencing high energy levels. A stressful circumstance often triggers the symptoms. Sometimes a person may make a bad decision during a manic bout and when they return to a state of equilibrium and self-reflection, the acknowledgement of what they have done can then trigger a depressive state.

“My friends always used to describe my life as like a rollercoaster, a whole series of ups and downs, and every time on an up you have to go on a down, and it’s ever amplifying, and eventually you go so high and so low, you basically come off the rails. And that’s classically my life described in a nutshell. I can look back on 20 years of my life now and it makes a lot more sense… I’m taking medication now. I’m still bipolar, but it’s kind of functioning rather than dysfunctioning.”

While the signs of depression are widely recognised, the extreme highs that come with bipolar disorder is a little less easy to spot - which is probably why Ali spent so many years undiagnosed. “You don’t go to your doctor and say, hey Doc, I feel amazing, can you give me something for this?.. You can be delusional; I was just over enthusiastic. I’ve never gambled but the classic symptom of bipolar when you’re manic is you feel like you know for sure what the outcome is going to be, so you’ll literally put your life savings on the red or black.”

“Everybody I think has some good days and some bad days, you know, just as a natural course of life and I think bipolar is actually just the same but turned up to 1000, and there is everything in between and so a lot of people don’t like to take the medication because they miss those feelings of being literally on top of the world.”

Ali was, at times, a man who could go weeks on end sleeping only a couple of hours a night, bouncing out of bed each morning like a child on Christmas Day. So exciting! So much to do and enjoy! He lived in those periods with unfaltering optimism in the choices that he made. All those people and places he would fall in love with, and the houses that he would buy on impulse. Oh, the life! Oh…the consequences.

Not only was it here that he was finally diagnosed for a lifelong condition, the other good news was that his effervescent love-at-first-sight for Nelson was genuine and it has since grown into a mature and abiding love for the place. Apart from the “friendly, helpful nature of locals” the mountain bike trails that drew him here are world class. If you’re not a mountain biker you can be forgiven for not knowing that. But as you read this, enthusiastic riders from near and far will be crisscrossing local hills, hitting natural highs in every gnarly hair-pinned corner they take, creating puffs of dust in sweaty, transcendental states of inner joy. I hope I’m not understating this.

For years, Ali’s great passion for mountain biking created a job and lifestyle that would be the envy of every GoPro-owning trail crazer. He’s been organising guided tour packages for riders in the European Alps for more than 15 years, and in 2012 set up the Trans-Savoie Big Alpine Enduro. But Europe’s loss is our gain because since he’s settled here, and since our tracks are pretty darn good, he’s running the inaugural New Zealand Trail Addiction MTB Rally this month, to show our world-class trails off.

“It’s a showcase of the whole Top of the South region for mountain biking but it’s rolled into a week-long backcountry adventure and we’ve got people coming from all over the world. It’s a competition, a race, but it’s basically sold as a package holiday. We cram as many good times into one week as possible and each person just pays a set entry fee and they’ve just got to get to Nelson and they don’t have to do anything but ride their bikes until we drop them off at the airport a week later.

It’s for people who have got busy lives and they’re passionate mountain bikers who want to discover a new area and they don’t have time to plan it… One thing I’m quite proud of is that people tend to meet during these events and then stay friends for many years afterwards.”

Riders are predominantly Australians, North Americans, Kiwis and Europeans who will enjoy heli-drops and boat transfers into our national parks and didn’t flinch at ominous itinerary promises like, they will ‘earn every turn’. Registrations were full at 120 participants plus an experienced crew of about 50 people, most of whom are travelling in from overseas or elsewhere in New Zealand. Registrations were open for locals to join on the final day (Friday 15 March) but otherwise, keen beans will be able to watch it live through the event social media channels.

Ali still runs his European mountain bike tours too, but he’s quick to dispel any notion his life is the equivalent of an easy descent on a smooth and well-marked
trail. He’s still earning the turns, too.

“From the outside, anybody looking at my life might mistakenly think that I’m literally living the dream and living some kind of rockstar lifestyle where everything’s rosy and I have nothing but success, especially with these events. …I chase the summers, I spent half the year in Nelson and the other half in the French Alps, which are both beautiful places and which sounds very good. But I think it’s important for anyone reading to realise that from the outside someone’s life could look amazing but I think everybody suffers from personal demons whatever that might be. Still today, I suffer sometimes, I’m much better than I ever was but it’s something I’m not afraid to talk about it.”

“I was helped a lot by not only the Nelson mental health facilities but also by the community here. I met a handful of very kind people who just supported, basically, a stranger who had recently moved to the area. These people were exceptionally kind and patient, and I’m very thankful for that. When I walk around Nelson now, I feel this generosity, this neighbourly feeling.”

For information and support:
Community Mental Health | Nelson Marlborough
Te Whatu Ora 0800 776 364 nmdhb.govt.nz