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From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.

Author: Pate Neumann

  • Frozen Thunder!

    Today I did my first intensity session on snow since the spring. It was a 4 x 6 minute zone 3 classic workout with some sprints at the end. It felt so good to do something fast on snow! The snow is so much more forgiving then rollerskiing on pavement (see video at end of post!).
    Frozen Thunder has been open for skiing for a few days now, and people have been coming from all over North America to make use of the early season skiing. The warm weather and rain in Canmore hasn’t been ideal for the integrity of the loop, but the cold temperatures later this week look promising.    
    Life in Canmore has been pretty good over the last few weeks. Training has been consistent, with good feedback coming from my body and race efforts. With the opening of Frozen Thunder has also come the realization that the racing season is fast approaching. Over the next few weeks we have some big events in town that will give everyone an idea of where their shape is, heading into November. This coming Saturday we have the annual Spray Drag running race put on by the AWCA team. The race is a 7.5km uphill grunt that requires an extended stay in the pain cave. Devon Kershaw and Ivan Babikov will be racing again this year, along with the AWCA team, so there is no shortage of competition. The following weekend we have the Frozen Thunder Invitational Sprint Race put on by the National Ski Team. Rumor has it that the US Ski Team will be coming up for the race, along with many other Canadians from across the country. It should be one of the most competitive sprint races in Canada this year, (second of course to the December World Cups!).
    Below are some video’s from this mornings classic workout.

  • BWTC Treadmill

    Last weeks 3x5min zone 4 intensity was done on the treadmill at the BWTC because of snowy weather. Filmed by my friend Russell!

  • August in Pictures

    August has come and gone… actually… so has September too. What that means is this blog post about August has been sitting on my computer for the last month, just waiting to be finished and posted. Usually things get better with age, I am afraid that my blog postings are not one of those things. As time goes by, I forget the little details and it is harder to retract them from deep inside my brain. Pictures however, can tell a story all on their own. This is what my blogging has come too, pictures with some words in between to fill the gaps and transition one photo to another. Good writers are able to paint pictures with words, I however opt to paint words with pictures!

    August was a good month. The Canmore team went up to the Haig for an spectacular week of skiing (I posted about that earlier). Once I got down from the Haig I had a rest week and my grandparents came out to visit from Ontario. We had a great week of touring Canmore, exploring Lake O’Hara and relaxing at Nipika. It was a busy week, jam packed full with the best of the Bow Valley.

    Emma and I out for a run at Lake O’Hara

     
    While we were out running, my grandparents hung out down by the lake, catching up on their reading and vitamin D.

    My grandmother and me

    Getting ready for Movember

    Next it was off to Nipika for two nights. Nipika has turned into one of my favorite places to go and relax. The few days we spent there involved some mountain biking, reading, fishing and lots of sleeping.

    The land features at Nipika are spectacular!

    Below are some wise words from some wise people. If you go into one of the warming cabins at Nipika you will be surrounded be quotes of deep thought and meaning…

    Fun river crossing on an afternoon ride.

    Breakfast of Champions!

    Awesome.

  • Last Day on the Haig!

     Well, today wraps up an amazing week on the Haig! 30 hours of training since Monday, and almost all of it was above 2400m. A pretty solid week! We were very lucky with weather and snow conditions. As you can see below, today was an incredible way to end the week. Blue bird sky’s, crust skiing and warm weather!

     Crust skiing

  • Last Day on the Haig!

     Well, today wraps up an amazing week on the Haig! 30 hours of training since Monday, and almost all of it was above 2400m. A pretty solid week! We were very lucky with weather and snow conditions. As you can see below, today was an incredible way to end the week. Blue bird sky’s, crust skiing and warm weather!

     Crust skiing

  • Haig Day 6

     Today was one of those days on the glacier that is hard to explain in words, so here are some pictures from this morning!

     The view on the mornings hike.

    Ben and Stefan heading up.

  • Haig Glacier!

    The Haig Glacier. One of my favorite spots to come and do some big volume. This week has been pretty spectacular so far. As you can see from the pictures below we have had lots of sunshine, and most recently 20cm of snow. Winter is definitely on its way in the mountains and this mornings fresh snow was a good reminder that racing season is just around the corner!

    The Canmore Nordic Ski Team split their athletes into two groups. The first few days were for the younger skiers, and the last half of the week has been for the CNSC Men’s Team. 16 dudes up here in total… that’s a lot of testosterone.

    Day 1
    I was lucky enough to fly into the glacier after staging on Monday and ski for a glorious 2:30hrs.

    Looking down towards Lawson Lake

    Day 2
    Amazing grooming and bright sunshine all day.
    Looking down the valley
    Mt Jericho

  • Spring Crust Skiing

    Next up, crust skiing in Sunshine meadows at the end of May! Opportunists like this is one of my favorite parts of being a skier. One of the most spectacular days I have had on snow!
     
      Groomed trail…

    Perfect crust

     Citadel Pass, our destination (smaller hump mountain just right of centre)

    Looking back towards Citadel Pass

  • Pictures

    The next few posts are going to be of pictures throughout this spring and summer. Hopefully the pictures tell the stories, there may be a few words here and there to string things together.
    First up, my motorcycle adventure from Canmore to Rossland, Rossland to Bellingham WA for the Ski to Sea relay race and then onto Vancouver before straight shotting it back to Canmore. This trip happened in May… I know, that was three months ago.

    Red Mountain
    Valleyview Cabin, my home away from home away from home.
    North Cascades HWY through Washington. Unbelievable drive.

    Bellingham

    Mount Baker- where the xc ski leg was held.

    Back in Canmore… I guess Vancouver got left out of the picture itinerary!

  • I Am Happier With That

    Today’s 10km classic was the race I was looking for. I went into this race hoping my body would be able to handle the tough 3.3km course, and it seemed to do just that. I was still a little further down the results list then I would have liked, but 14th is a lot better then last weekends 28th. The plan will be to keep splitting the results in half. Today was a good kicker to get the body back in race mode. I felt like I was actually racing out there and not just out for an incredibly painful shuffle on classic skis!

    I am excited for tomorrows skate sprint, looking to move past the quarter final. Stay tuned to Zone 4 for start lists, heat times and final results!

    Pate

    Photo: Angus Cockney
    Hanging on to Brent up the final climb of the day.

    Photo: Angus Cockney 
    Striding it out early on in the race.

    Photo: Angus Cockney 
    Here is a great picture of the 15km skate back in Rossland from Angus Cockney

  • How Much Can The Body Take?

    This is what I had to ask myself on Wednesday night when I was contemplating starting the 30km pursuit yesterday. If you look at the results from the race you will see that I started, skied 3.75km, and then pulled out. It was pretty clear that my body wasn’t ready to race yet, but I had to give it a shot. I had to hope for a miracle that would leave me fighting in the lead group.

    To back up a few weeks, I returned home to Canmore from a great Christmas in Ontario and immediately got sick. I spent 5 day with a bad cold (stuffy nose, sore throat, chest congestion and cough… the works). It was clear my body was run down and needed some time to heal. I spent those five days sleeping, stretching and being as quiet as I could. Eventually things came back together and I rejoined the team and started training again. I slowly built into it, and did my first intensity session since Rossland four days after being deemed healthy. It went well, and I recommitted to my original training program. Unfortunately, that only last two days.

    This past Monday our team did a time trail in Canmore. 9km of classic double poling on rocket fast tracks. Again, things went well and I was finally feeling some confidence heading into Whistler.
    I left the workout pumped, I went home and ate, slept, and had a massage. After my massage my stomach started gurgling. I walked home and just as I got to my house it all came out. When I say “it” I mean all the food I had eaten that day, strewn across my driveway in a disgusting mess. I made it in side, cleaned myself up and immediately got in bed. My stomach settled down, and the hot/cold flashes hit me. My awesome girlfriend came to my rescue and went out to buy the usual flu remedies; chicken noodle soup, ginger ale, Gravol and some bread. She urged me to eat, so I did. Little bits at a time but it wasn’t much use because a short while later I saw all that food again, this time in my bathroom.

    Sorry to give you the complete play by play but I figured it would give you a better idea of what actually happened! And don’t worry, that was the last time I puked.

    So there I was, a sick mess huddled up at home, not being able to digest any food since before the mornings time trial, on the night before our team was scheduled to fly to Whistler for trials. Great.

    I woke up the next morning feeling quite a bit better, but needless to say I wasn’t on my way to Whistler. I stayed home, sipping Pedialite and chicken noodle soup. After talking with Mike and our team doctor it was decided I had caught a bad 24hr flu that has been making its way through Canmore.  The plan was to try and eat as much as I could tolerate that day, and try and fly to whistler the next day (Wednesday). Wednesday rolled around and I was up early and heading to the Calgary airport. I was feeling much better, and eating my first real meals in two days, but a long way from 100%. It was a busy day, lots of waiting and shuttles, but by 4pm I was skiing at the Whistler Olympic Park, trying to decide if I should race.

    I decided I had nothing to lose. I may as well start the race and see what happens. My body felt fine off the start, but by the time we got to the high point of the course, it was clear it wasn’t meant to be. My heart was beating at 2,000,000 beats per minute and I felt a bonk coming on… at the 3km mark. Only 27km to go!

    That was the end of my day. Frustrating for sure. 30km pursuits are my favorite races, and they usually only happen once a year… at the U23/WJ trial races. For me, the 30km and Sundays 15km classic race are qualifiers for the OPA tour trip. Having already not finished 50% of the qualifying races I need to produce something incredible on my classic skis.

    The plan from here on out is to continue to eat and rehydrate myself as much as possible. My body is obviously still in the recovery stages, and yesterday was a good reminder of how much recovery I still need. I am going to take it race by race, hoping to see improvements along the way. I will start tomorrow’s skate sprint, and reevaluate after the qualifier. I have decided to throw the pressure and the expectations out the window, and just focus on getting healthy. Next weekend we have the Western Canadian Champs in Canmore and I want to be ready to go for that. Selection, team trips and race starts will be decided, but I don’t need to waste valuable energy mulling over what could be. I just need to go out and race.

    This year I have been plagued with sickness more then any other year. Underneath it all there is a fit skier just waiting to break free. It will happen soon, I know it. It will just take a little time.

    Thanks for all your support. I will keep you posted on what unfolds this weekend!

    Pate

  • Christmas then a whole lot of sick!

     

    This will be a recap of my Christmas mostly through pictures!
    Sunrise in Vernon!
    Our coaches are incredibly efficient waxers. Imagine having to race wax this many skis?!

    The travel gnome at Valleyview Cabin in Rossland. It has been signed by many skiers over the years!

    Mens 15km Skate podium in Rossland. Kev, Brent, Graeme, Pate
    Woman’s 10km Skate podium in Rossland. Alysson Marshall 2nd, Kate Brennan 5th

    Ski touring above Rossland.

     Peter Moffet teaching me the basics.
    Moving on to Wheeler Hut in Rogers pass with Emma, Phil and Kate
     Emma about to head out.
    Wheeler Hut with our big crew of 24 Canmorons.
    Lots of snow

    Breaking trail as we head up.

    Andrew, Annika and Phil climbing steady 
    Macx and Andrew
    Greg Thompson, our fearless leader.

    Some of the crew.
    The drying room at Wheeler Hut. Packed.
     
     Moving onto Christmas Eve back home in Ontario!
    My mom, the Neumann kids and my cousin Mads dressed to impress on Christmas morning.

    My brother Sam and his latest musical instrument from Santa.
    Christmas at Dads!

    Out for a humid and snowy ski at home!
    Palgrave on a beautiful morning!
    So that wraps up my Christmas post! Now onto the “whole lot of sick” part of the title. I bet you are all wondering how I am doing in Whistler? Well, I am surviving but I am going to nap first and then bring everyone up to speed on my health. So go back and enjoy the pictures, and I will have another update ready in a few hours! Promise!
    Thanks for checking in!
    Pate

  • Silverstar

     Today I am sitting out the 15km classic. It was tough decision, but after last weekends 10km classic in Canmore, I was pretty run down. I woke up Monday morning with a tickle in my throat, (every skiers worst nightmare upon waking up!) but after some easy days and lots of sleep, I was able to catch it before it turned into anything major. I brought my energy levels back up enough to do an intensity workout on Thursday. I felt decent, and decided it was safe to start the classic sprint yesterday. It was test number two, and it didn’t go so well. I felt fine skiing easy, but during the qualifier it didn’t take long to realize things weren’t quite back to normal.

    I decided to play it safe and rest up for next weekend. I didn’t want to have two mediocre NorAm weekends in a row. I will rest up, and hope to get things back on track for next weekends skate sprint and 15km mass start skate race. 

    Disappointing for sure, and as hard as it is to watch my teammates hit the start line without me, I want to be 100% ready to go in Rossland.

    Before heading to Silverstar, I went to Lake Louise to watch Tess Davies race in her first World Cup Downhill. Annika, Kendra and I made up her personal cheering squad. It was an great day and super fun to watch Tess race!

    The cheering squad, Kendra and Annika.
    All smiles after finishing

    Leah was there in spirit. 
    Signing autographs
    Sunrise in Silverstar.

  • Only 3 Mo’ Days! + 10km Classic + A Wild Drive!

    Only 3 mo’ days to donate to the Acade’mos! 
    Please head to our team mo’ space and make a contribution to fighting prostate cancer!!
    CLICK HERE TO CHECK US OUT AND DONATE!

     A big thanks to those of you who have donated already!

    Things wrapped up pretty nicely in West Yellowstone on Saturday. The 10km classic race was one of my better classic races to date. I was still 53 seconds off of teammate Graeme Killick’s winning time, but things felt good. My body felt way better then in Fridays 15km skate (I think I needed a good hard effort to blow the crap out of my legs). It felt strong technically, and I stuck to my race plan. Now I just need to figure out how to find those 53 seconds!

    Overall I am very happy with our trip to West Yellowstone. It was nice to get the first races of the year under my belt. The first race weekend of the season is always a shock to the system, and the fact that these races were at over 2000m in elevation made it a serious shock. I have a good idea of where my fitness stands, and I have a solid plan moving forwards towards Silverstar and Rossland. Spending a week at altitude is also going to help out when we hit the start line in Silverstar!

    Yesterday we finished our long drive home to Canmore. The last 4 hours of the drive were pretty exciting. Check out these pictures and the article from CBC below…

    This pretty much sums up the drive “gusts reaching 144 km/h in Claresholm, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.” We drove through Lethbridge, Fort McLeod, Claresholm and into the south of Calgary. Pretty much right through the entire wind tunnel.

    Flipped truck #1.

     Flipped truck #2
     Flipped truck #3

     Flipped truck #4

    Here is the link to the CBC ARTICLE. We eventually passed 5 flipped transport trucks. The academy van and trailer were rock solid, thanks to the over packing by myself and some of my teammates. Better safe then sorry!

    This week is going to be a medium training week with some rest at the beginning to recover from Yellowstone and some racing at the end of the week. We have the Alberta Cup skate sprint Saturday and a Classic 10km Sunday. Should be a good time!

    Over and out.

    Pate

  • Some Photos

     Check out these pictures of yesterdays 15km Skate from Fasterskier.com. Some of the pictures give you a pretty good idea of how stormy it go in the middle of the race.

    Check out the full article HERE

  • The First Race of the Year is in the Books!

    It was a very challenging 15km skate today. The course was full of false flats and working downhills. My race plan was to go out at a comfortable pace, find my rhythm, and try and build to the finish. I went out at a comfortable pace, and it turned into an uncomfortable pace by the end of the first lap. Altitude is a silent killer! I was able to keep it together enough for a 10th place finish, respectable in my opinion for the end of November. It was for sure one of the toughest races I have done. The sensation is hard to describe; you feel as if you are skiing at a medium/slow race pace, but at the same time it feels like you couldn’t go any harder if you tried. Your heart rate is pinned, and with any increase in speed (especially on the climbs) you end up full to the brim with lactate. Another surprise factor of the day was the freak snow squall that blew in right in the middle of the men’s race. It coated the slick trails with that deadly powdery fluff that is detrimental to your glide. It affected the speed of the skis, but more noticeably it turned the rest on the course into work.

    Todays race was an excellent wake up call to the body. Race season is upon us and it hurts like hell! Tomorrow’s 10km classic is going to be fun. We are using the same 5km loop as today, and the steady grade will mean lots of kick double pole and long, smooth striding. It is time to get my BIG on and ski like the 6ft beast I pretend to be.

    For full results on the day and a start list for tomorrows 10km classic click HERE

    I would also like to send out a huge congrats to my friend Lenny Valjas on his 5th place finish today in the classic sprint World Cup in Kuusamo! Lenny stormed through the heats with his fierce looking mustache and was the top Canadian of the day. Also congrats to AWCA teammates Alysson, Drew, Kevin and Nish for representing the team on the World Cup. Today was the first race of a three race mini tour for the crew. Full results from today’s race along with results for the rest of the weekend found HERE

    Time for bed. Another tough day of racing tomorrow!

    Pate

  • It’s Race Time!

    West Yellowstone, it’s a pretty cool place. Lots of snow, sunshine and some really fun ski trails. West Yellowstone is the Silver Star of Canada. Not in the colorful elvish village sort of way, but in the “it’s the first time everyone gets together for some great on snow skiing to kick off the race season” sort of way. There are tons of teams here, from young junior racers to factory teams to collegiate teams. The town has been rundown with skiers and its awesome. Unfortunately I have limited pictures, but I will attempt to take some over the next few days. Fortunatley, I have some sweet teammates like Jess who took pictures and then let me poach them and post them on my blog (Thanks Jess!).

    Photo: Jess Cockney
    The finishing climb on the sprint course with some mountains in the background
     Photo: Jess Cockney
    Ski testing with coach Cavaliere.
    Photo: Jess Cockney
    Tomorrow is my first official race of 2011! 15km skate. Start lists can be found HERE
    I will be sure to post a race report after things are all said and done. There will be four Academy racers starting tomorrow, Jess Cockney, Graeme Killick, Annika Hicks and myself. Saturday is a 10km classic.
    Lets get this season goin!
    Here are some pictures of fun times in Canmore over the last few weeks!

    Emma checking out the fish on the other side of the ice at Carrot Creek

    Ice treasures! Elk antler frozen in the ice.
    Skating on crystal clear ice is amazing, but kind of nerve wracking at times.

    Emma and I hiking up above Lake Minnewanka on the C Level Cirque. 
    The magnificent Bow Valley
     Lake Minnewanka
     The first pond hockey game of the year!
     

  • Fall in Canmore

    November has arrived! We have been on snow for over two weeks, but we have had very little natural snow. Frozen Thunder has held up surprisingly well. Despite being a little icy in sections, the coverage is still good. The snow guns are out at the Nordic Centre, but they have only had a chance to blow a few hours here and there, so there isn’t much to speak of.
     Sunrise in Canmore last week

     
    A little bit of the natural stuff.

    It is amazing how just a little dusting of snow can really freshen things up! 

    Halloween!!  This is the pumpkin Emma and I carved. I got to do the mini gourd being eaten by Emma’s big pumpkin.

     Emma and I dressed up as Danny and Sandy from Grease. We looked pretty damn good.
     Russell Kennedy- The newly appointed DJ at the Bill Warren Training Centre. Russell put on a sweet show for all the skiers in town last Sunday night. Lasers, strobe lights, fog machines… he went all out.
    This past Tuesday we flew the groomer out of the Haig Glacier for the winter. It was the first time the cat had been out since it was flown up in pieces in the 90’s. Needless to say it was high time for a tune up! We had a special Kamov Ka-32 helicopter come in and lift the 10,000lbs beast off the Haig. Unfortunately, I was relegated to man the office at the BWTC, and wasn’t able to go partake in the fun. I was able to get a bunch of pictures from Mick for your viewing pleasure though!

     Alpine Helicopters smaller Bell 407 was used to fly in the ground crew and load master
     The much bigger Kamov 32K dual rotor lifting machine
     Preparing for lift off.
    After numerous failed attempts to lift the cat, they had to come back and drop some fuel and extra non-necessity items like the engineer, the passenger seats and the rubber floor mats to try and boost the lift capacity of the helicopter.
     Success!

     The tricky part, landing the cat on the flat bed.

     Final adjustments.

     The cat’s hydraulic reservoir was frozen solid so the truck took it to Exshaw where it spent the night in a garage to thaw out. It was driven into Calgary yesterday to begin its overhaul. Next spring we will be flying it back in for another long, frozen decade on the Haig glacier. 

    The past two nights I have headed into Banff for the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Tuesday night was Radical Reels, there were some great adventure films, unfortunately I couldn’t find any trailers for my favorites (Reel Rock: Ice Revolution, Reel Rock: Race for the Nose and Sketchy Andy) but the trailer below for the Reel Rock Festival shows clips from each. If you have an opportunity to watch any of the films, please do. They will blow you mind!!

    Last night was the Snow Show at the Film Rest. It was a full evening of ski movies that left everyone in the audience amped for the season to begin!

    Below is the trailer for All. I. Can., definitely one of the best ski movies I have ever seen! If you ever get a chance to watch it, the Trail BC segment with JP Auclair is phenomenal and has an important underlying tone. The whole video is packed with wicked skiing, incredible slow motion and time lapse shots as well as some unique opinions on how our world is changing.

    The Freedom Chair, another favorite for the night is a must see. One of the most inspiring ski video’s I have seen for sure.

  • Spray Drag Race + Frozen Thunder!

    Well 31:32 was my time from last year, and 30:30 was my goal for this year. I stopped the clock at 30:30.8.  That’s pretty neat! I knew it was going to be a challenge to knock over a minute off my previous time, but looking at the results and seeing 30:30 was a good feeling! I guess I had a pretty good gauge of where my fitness was at!

    Yesterdays race went very smoothly. We started out at a medium pace, and brought the speed up as we climbed closer and closer to the top of the gap. Devon put in a surge when we hit the gravel and Ivan followed. Nish, Kev and I formed our own little group until Nish put in another surge and dropped Kev and I. Kev and I used our distance power to “sprint” to the finish. Overall an awesome morning! Stef did a wicked job organizing the event. Thanks to all those non Academy athletes for coming out and joining in the fun!

    Full Results Here

    Check out more pictures from the CNSC website!

     Kev and I battling it out to the finish
    Photo: Matt Wylie
    As the day went on it got even better. Instead of strapping on my rollerskis for a recovery workout, I headed up to the Nordic Centre and explored the ~2km of amazing skiing that is Frozen Thunder! The Canmore Nordic Centre has really outdone themselves this year!
    Frozen Thunder!
    Photo: Marlis Kromm
    Marlis and Jess
    And what is a blog post without a video?!? Here is a poorly edited, very shaky video filmed with my phone of my first ski of the season at the Nordic Centre. That’s right… October 15th baby! Warning: it might make you jealous if you don’t live in Canmore. Or it might just make you dizzy and pass out from the shakiness… but hey, I warned you 🙂

  • Frozen Thunder!

    Here are a few pics of the Canmore Nordic Centre pushing out Frozen Thunder over the last few days. Pretty exciting stuff! The CNC pushed a whole bunch of snow into a hole last spring and covered it with sawdust. And when I say a whole bunch, I mean a gigantic amount of snow! The pile of snow dubbed “Frozen Thunder” has been waiting out the summer and was uncovered earlier this week. The CNC has been working like crazy to get the snow out onto the trails. Tomorrow is the grand opening, with a loop around 2km in length (three meters wide with a 50cm base!!). For October 15th, that’s amazing! For most people, skiing is still two months away, but for the lucky residents of the Bow Valley, it is mere minutes away!

     The dump trucks are incredibly efficient.
     One truck waits while the other one dumps

    Just another one of the reasons Canmore is one of the best places on earth to live if you love to ski!

    Despite being the grand opening of Frozen Thunder, the Academy will be at a different event, trying to keep the course record for the HTFU run within the team. The HTFU run… (HTFU being the acronym for Harden The F*ck Up) is a 7km uphill running time trial from the base of the bow valley up to the Spray gap. A mere 7km with close to 400m of elevation change between the start and the finish line. We have been using this run as a measurement of our fitness over the last few years, but this year the Academy has opened the entry up anyone to loves a good romp around in the pain cave. Yes, for only $23 you too can enter a world of hurt you never new existed! FUN!

    But seriously, it is going to be a great event with over 70 runners making the journey up the gap. With names on the start list like Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov, Perianne Jones, Beckie Scott and Sara Renner, you know it is a high caliber event! Graham Nishikawa currently holds the men’s record at 29:23, while Madeleine Williams hold the woman’s 5km course record at 25:41. My goal is to run sub 30:30, my previous time being 31:32. Yes, a minute to shave off, but my fitness is feeling pretty good right now so I think it will be within my reach.

    I will post some pictures and an update of tomorrows festivities (uphill run in the AM followed by a ski at the CNC in the pm!) soon.

    Right now it is off to bed to rest my racing legs and get the mind ready to rock!

    Pate