Eh?

After all the excitement in Beaver Creek, I traveled up to the land of "Eh's" for the first speed NORAMS of the year in Nakiska, Alberta. I have raced tech there in past years and so knew the general layout of the mountain and what to expect from the hill. (Let's just say after spending a week on Birds of Prey THIS hill didn't really put the butterflies in my stomach.;) I scored in two out of three SG races and got a ton of confidence back in my SG skiing. However that's not all that improved this week!! My hockey skills are getting quite a lot better as well! Each day after skiing we would go out to the rink behind the hotel and have a pick up game with all the Canadian boys for a few hours for dryland. I was so beat!(in more ways than one.) I swear some of those kids come into this world wearing skates and with a stick in hand.. Anyways, I had a blast with it and am looking forward to more of the same in the future!

In life in general, I think our opinions are dictated by our perception of things. I am always asked the question, "What is your favorite mountain other than Schweitzer?" and can never give a straight answer because my experiences at the different places I travel strongly affect my opinions of them. Some people remember their favorite areas for the trails, the views, the friends they share it with, or myriad other things. I tend to remember places by their food... And this trip Nakiska took a serious blow on its record. Each day we ate breakfast and dinner in a huge conference center with a buffet line. There were about 150 athletes and coaches all enjoying(or not) the same fare, and as far as I know about 140 of those came out the other side no problem. The other 7 percent of us ended up with two days of our heads shoved into toilets checking out the contents of our stomachs. It struck me the last day about 15 minutes after the completion of the SG portion of the Super Combined. Some of my buds were telling me not to run the SL portion because I was getting sick all over the place, but isn't that why we are here? I mean why waste a perfectly good oppertunity? So I did run the slalom and somehow kept everything inside of me for 41 seconds of attempted athleticisim. Even though I was sick I still skied pretty well and had a decent result all things considered! Something to build off for sure! =) After that I headed off to Panorama, Brittish Columbia with my head out the window for a much needed day off followed by a week of awesome racing!        

Birds of Prey!!

When I was 6 years old, my family went to Beaver Creek for the NASTAR National championship. While there, my father insisted that we go up to the top of the mountain and check out the World Cup Downhill track called Birds of Prey. It was mid season so the hill was all steep moguls and really took it out of the legs. So about half way down when we stopped to catch our breath and my dad looked at me and asked me if I could imagine tucking down this crazy mountainside. I just shook my head and said, "No Way!!" Little did I know that I would be doing just that 12 years later!



I got to forerun the first two days of the World Cup DH in Beaver Creek and had the best time of my life! Every run I came through the finish with a huge grin on my face just hoping to get another crack at it if there was a course hold. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences I have ever had! I was a bit nervous the first run for the left footed cooridor on the pitch called "Talon Turn." It is 52 degrees at its steepest and is quite intimidating. After I made it the first time and realized it was skiable for us mortals as well as the legends on the startlist there was nothing more exhilerating or fun on the planet. (Having my Dad there to watch was really great too. It's always nice when your family can come to an event to watch. Makes the whole thing that much better. :) I skied really well and hopefully will get some DH starts when we go to Europe in January as a result!  

NORAMS

The first NORAMS of the year were a great success!  I skied really well in all four races and finished at both Loveland and Aspen! (That's the first time in my career I have finished tech races at either of those resorts, so I was very pleased.) The conditions were great for this time of year, but running around 80 every day left the track a little bit haggard. It made for a pretty great challenge!! I knew coming into these races that I probably wouldn't come out with a score, but it was a really good confidence builder to ski well and perform in the first big races of the year. I am really looking forward to building off of this in Canada! 

RAMPING UP!!!!

First NORAM races of the year are tomorrow morning at Loveland, CO! Starting 76th on non-injected snow it should be a pretty exciting first run! The goal is to make the flip or close to it in the first run in order to be within striking distance to finish top 30 over all. That way I score NORAM points and don't have to start way back there again in Panorama come December!

 I trained Slalom today after 4 days at home for the holidays and am feeling really well prepaired and ready to go! Should be a good race!

SKIING!!!!!

I'm 10 days into training here in Colorado and it has been great!! The new trail at Copper Mt. is absolutely awesome and gives us a great opportunity for four event training. Today was full length DH in the morning followed by 55 second GS in the afternoon. I don't think there is training like this to be had anywhere else on earth! I am skiing really fast and can't wait for the first races of the year on the 18th of this month here at Copper!

Almost time!!

Physical testing is all over and I am now wrapping up this strength training block here in Park City. I learned two things this camp that should dramatically improve my results this season... They are: 1. a double backflip on a trampoline, and 2. a standing backflip from the ground. I can't wait to feel the gains when I get back on snow!! But seriously, it was a really successful camp and I feel really great going into these next 3 weeks in colorado!

 I looked out my window this morning and it was dumping snow so hard I couldn't help but have a smile on my face!  Can't wait for some real winter skiing in 4 days!!

Taking one for the team....

My first step towards hollywood came this week when Nolan Kasper and Steven Nyman made commercials for Fantasy Ski Racing, and I got to take a part. Of course, being the young punk in the group, I got to be a stunt dummy and a light switch manager(very important work mind you.) It was so much fun!! I didn't stop laughing all day and really gained respect for the patience of actors in the film industry... Here is the link to one of the clips and you can check out the others on youtube or at www.fantasyskiracer.com !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td7xgnol-24 

Park City

After my Grand Canyon adventures I had one week to spend at home before heading down to Park City, Utah for physical training at the USST Center of Excellence. None of the other D-Team boys were there, so it was just me and a coach training together each day. Its amazing how fast things get done when there are only two of you! I'm feeling really strong right now and can't wait for testing day on the 25th!

Chile

No hablo espanol? I arrived in Chile the 16th of September super excited and honestly a little bit nervous. I skied well my last camp in Mt. Hood in August, but I never know how much I will retain in the months off snow. That said, my fears turned out to be groundless.

The training in La Parva is some of the best you can find anywhere. We get 4 event training with great snow conditions and tons of options as far as venues and terrain for the coaches to play with. The mountain turns training into a workout as well! It consists predominantly of Pomas instead of chairlifts, so the legs never get a break! (Talk about a good way to get back into skiing shape!) The snow was about as good as it gets for training, but started to thin out a bit towards the end of the camp. Thankfully, my skis didn’t suffer nearly as bad as some of my buddies’ did.

The great conditions allowed for the perfect time to work on things. I felt like myself on my skis again for the first time in a year and couldn’t stop smiling! I went back to skiing the deep line and was flowing really well in GS. (Something I struggled with a lot last year.) Downhill and Super G went very well too. I made huge improvements solidifying my jumping technique and aerodynamics and am looking forward to seeing some results when I get to Colorado next month! J It was a great two weeks and I am really excited moving into three weeks of lifting in Park City at the Center of Excellence followed by on snow training again in November!  

Here is a pic of the guys at the top of the course in La Parva. Great group!

Home?

I flew home from my two week camp in Chile on the 1st of October and am now on the second day of a backpacking trip with my brother through the Grand Canyon!! Quite a change from ski racing in Chile I'll tell ya! I didn't have any internet while in La Parva, and I wont for the next few days here, but I will make up for it when I get back to civilization. Should have some awesome pics for my next post!!

Prepairing for winter!!!

It's my last day at home before heading to Chile for 15 days of training and I'm so excited I can't see straight! I've been lifting hard this last block and am feeling really strong coming into this camp. I am looking forward to feeling my hard work pay off when I get on snow! Internet is not always that great down there but I'll do my best to keep everybody posted!

Hood Camp!

Things were really starting to come around in the early-August camp in Mt. Hood, OR! I could feel so much power in the top of the turn that it made me smile without realizing it. I have been working on running the line deep in GS and pressuring the new ski as early as possible, and am getting some cool feedback from the skis! The snow was awesome for the most part, about as good as I have ever seen it at Hood. There were only a few nights that it didn't freeze, and that's what salt is for. :-)

The first Hood camp of the year was down on the "Mile" lift which is mild terrain and great for working on stuff. This one was focused on taking the movements learned on that less challenging terrain to the steeper "Palmer" lift with the same amount of precision. It was a complete success! Even my Slalom, which I have been struggling with a little bit recently, came on strong the last few days. I had a great time and am feeling very confident about next season. Time for winter!! 

Physical Testing Completed and Now on to the White Stuff!

I came to Park City on the 25th after an awesome month at home. It was great to have some time to work, play baseball, lift, and just wind down. I think it is so important to have that time at home with family to just relax and get things done. Now I am packing up to head to Mt. Hood after and awesome week of lifting and testing. I improved my strength in all the tests and am really happy with my progress. Can't wait to feel the difference in my skiing next week!

 After lifting yesterday 4 of us D-Team guys went out to Walt Evans' house to help him buck some hay. It was only about 2 hours of work and afterwards we were paid with as much of his wife's cooking as we could stomach; It was so great! Tonight I'm packing and am heading out for Hood early tomorrow morning. Getting ready for snow!!

Mt. Hood

I had a great camp in Mt. Hood, OR! It was the first true camp of the 2011-12 season  and I'm already feeling a lot of progress. The weather was awesome for the most part and the training was great. We were training down on "The Mile," which is a pretty mild pitch and good for working on fundementals and tactics. The coaches experimented with some different brush drills in the course and I think they found the perfect one for what I'm working on. I was really pumped on the power I was getting out of the ski in the top of the turn and through the transition! The other guys are awesome and a blast to hang out with so I'm looking forward to getting back together with them at the end of this month. For now, I am at home working my job and lifting hard getting ready for testing in Park City and skiing in Hood again starting the 25th!     

High School Finished!!

I graduated from High School this week and am pleased to have a little break from school.  Being in the Idaho Virtual Academy since fifth grade, I had never met any of my classmates. Graduation gave me the chance to put some faces to names and I really enjoyed it.

I've been in school year round for three years in order to accomodate my ski racing.  Last year I was the only guy on the Team still in High School, which was sometimes a real pain.  Now I can select courses and adjust my own workload as I nibble away at college.  This year I'm going to focus on languages and knock off some elective credits with on-line German courses. Should be usefull on our Euro-trip as well!

Tryout Camp

I just got home from a seven day training camp at Mount Bachelor.  The camp was quite large (16 athletes) since it doubled as a try-out camp to fill vacancies on the Team.  I'd already made team criteria, so was able to focus entirely on my skiing without preasure. I felt like it was a very productive camp. 

The group of guys was great.  I was already good friends with the 8 guys from the West, having raced and travelled with them a lot over the years. I got to room with some the East guys and really liked them as well.  The team nominations were announced last week, and all the guys on the list are pretty awesome.  I'm looking forward to a fun and productive year!

And it starts again!

Well, its time to start packing once again! After an awesome two weeks at home I am getting ready for 3 days of strength testing in Park City, UT followed by 8 days on snow in Mt. Bachelor, Oregon. I have been lifting a lot of weights and digging a lot of ditches for the last few weeks and am feeling really strong and ready for testing. I know a bunch of the guys I'll be with down there too and can't wait to spend some time with them! Should be a great camp!

Winding down

The last 10 races of the year did not go as well as I had hoped. I didn't have any results that were scores, but felt like I figured some things out that I struggled with throughout the season from a technical standpoint. I didn't "pinch off" the line nearly as much as I had been early in the year, and really could feel the top of the turn working for me in GS. Also on the positive side of things; the snow was great! It was exactly the surface I had been looking for since the start of the year. Not quite ice, but hard enough not to leave a track. Not a bad way to end the season! :)

I got home two days ago and have been getting back into normal life with tons of lifting, school, and shooting. I leave on the 9th for a training camp at Mt. Bachelor, OR, but for now, it's great to be back in my own bed!

US Alpine Championships

I had a great time at US Alpine Champs in Winter Park, CO this last week and skied really well. It was the first time the whole team has been together since November and gosh it was fun to see the older guys around! The last day was pretty bad weather, but the Super-G and GS days were sunny and beautiful.(much nicer than skiing in the rain like last year! :-) The GS was a minute thirteen seconds long, bumpy, and at eleven thousand feet in elevation was one of the highest GS races of the season. Needless to say I arrived at the finish out of breath, and with burning legs. That said I still skied pretty well and wasn't upset with my result. The SG day was a pretty big dissapointment. I woke up in the morning ready to go, inspected the course and was pumped with how it was set, and felt great on my skis during warmups; I was ready. After the second intermediate time I was only 1 second out of the lead which would have put me in the top ten, things were going well. Then, four gates from the finish, I pushed the line just a little bit too far and caught my outside ski in some bumps; that was all it took. I was basically sitting on my inside binding with my outside leg fully extended with no pressure on it. That move for half a second was enough to make me miss the next gate and end my race. I had to remind myself to keep looking at the positive, "I skied well and I was going fast." Things could have been a lot worse. I ended the week up with a pretty good slalom race in really tough conditions. That was followed by two GS races in Breckenridge, which brought with them my first score of the year in GS. It sure feels great to have that pressure off my back! I am now home for a night before heading on my way to spring series at Mission Ridge, WA. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight!     

Back On Snow

I am now in Frisco, Colorado after my first two races back from a possible concussion. My last day in Whistler, BC at NORAM Finals I felt like I had a breakthrough in GS, and I have been worried that my week off snow would allow the time to effectively forget what it was I figured out. That said I feel great after two days of slalom races in Beaver Creek, and am looking forward to SG tomorrow at Breckenridge.

My crash at Whistler was nothing special, but still worried some of the staff enough to have me take the impact test. The first time I took it my reactions were .07 of a second slower than they were in July, with everything else the same. The Doctor said that I was probably fine, but that it would be wise to give it at least 24 hrs to make sure things were all ok. After a few days there with limited activity, I decided that it was best for me to get on the road for CO, and get my brain moving again. I stopped in at the COE in Park City on the way for an impact test and some physical examination and passed them both. =) Its great to be back on snow!

Whistler

I went into NORAM Finals in Whistler, BC really pumped on how I was skiing and ready to go. The first day of GS was one of good performance, but not the best circumstances... And all of my own making. In a confusing turn of events I "misplaced" my skis at the start and ended up running on one of my buddies' trainers-- not the best plan! I skied well, but was not in the front of the pack.  The second day, however, was far better! I moved from 73rd starting position in the first run, to 24th place and got to start 7th in the second run; It was a perfect situation. I skied well all the way until the last pitch where I got pulled low and caught some soft snow. I couldn't get my foot out of it in time and straddled the gate with my shin. It was a pretty good crash, but I didn't really think much of it at the time. Just another day, you know? Well the IMPACT test (a special test which compares against a previous baseline and determines if there's a head injury) said otherwise apparently! They are still not sure if I have a concussion, but my reaction time is 7 hundreths of a second slower than it was when I tested in July.  The bottom line is that I am not racing until that changes or the Team doctors decide that I am 100%. I left three days early from Canada after being told that I wouldn't be racing in order to get on the road for Colorado and save some money. Two days of driving later has put me in Park City, UT where I will be testing again tomorrow to see if I can get back on snow. I hope it goes well!!

Home

I have been home for 4 days now, which is the longest since Christmas, and am thoroughly enjoying every second of it! It’s been dumping snow ever since I got here and I am getting very familiar with my pow-skis. :) A friend of ours rented Turner Mountain for his Birthday and invited a large group up for a day of rippin'. The top half of the Mountain was dumping snow, and the bottom was pouring rain, yet the lodge was totally empty.. Gotta love those North Idaho people!! I drive out tomorrow for NORAM Finals in Whistler, BC and am very excited for these next few races! 

Park City

Back to base camp for a week in Park City! After Racing 4 tech races up in Rossland, BC, I headed down to Park City, Utah for 5 days of lifting and training. The snow was a bit crumbly and it snowed a couple days, but the value of training couldn’t have been much better. After all, we ARE heading to some interesting conditions in whistler, BC next week. The off snow training was good as well, allowing me the first chance to get in the gym in quite a while. I look forward to the next and final trip of the season starting with NORAM Finals in Whistler!

Bigsky, MT

After arriving home from Europe, I got to spend a day recovering from jetlag at our family friends the Kern’s house in Washington, DC. My dad flew in the day after me, and we hit the road hours after his wheels touched down. Two, 17 hour, speeding filled, days later we arrived in Bozeman, MT to race the FIS speed series at Big Sky. It was such a great time! The downside to always traveling the NORAM circuit is not being able to see many of my old friends that only do the FIS elite races, so I tried to make up for lost time while there. Sure was great to see them! I didn’t expect to score at all at these races, but was rather just looking for speed-training going into the NORAM speed-week in Aspen, CO. I came out with two 37’s in SG and four days of DH training before the biggest speed races of the year; couldn’t ask for more!   

Europe!

          I had a great two weeks of training in Europe. The snow was difficult to figure out (pretty peely and inconsistent) but still was well worth it. The schedule didn’t end up having as many starts as I would have liked, but I still got three GS starts and a ton of time on snow.

          I had forgotten how much I love everything over there! The little shops, the amazing food, the people, and basically the entire environment are just awesome and smile inspiring. Each day after training we would all go out free skiing as a group for a few hours; what a blast!! The Italians don’t seem to mind fast skiers like many American ski resorts do…  At home you blow by a group of beginners too close and you get reported to the ski patrol for being reckless, over there the entire group starts tucking and straight lining trying to keep up! However, they do mind people skiing the “off piste.” One afternoon we decided to hit up some cool looking powder lines just off the main trails. It wasn’t roped off so we figured it was fair game and sent it. We also figured that the man yelling at us at the bottom was congratulating us on some awesome skiing, and failed to notice the “Carbineri” patch on the back of his coat.  After asking for documents and lift tickets, he took us to the Police station on the top of the mountain and paced back and forth talking animatedly on his phone. After what seemed like an interminable amount of time he told us to stay on the groomers in the future and keep the speeds slow. I could swear he wanted to arrest the lot of us, but apparently I need work on my Italian hand signal diagnostics. Thank goodness they liked us there!