FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.

  • Schools (almost) Out For Summer!

    As school and spring sports draw to a close, our MNC training group is growing. We are up to 37 athletes registered for summer training – and we’ve already been meeting 1-3x / week for the past 5 weeks.

    Summer Training Schedules:
    Please use this weblog as your first point of reference for our summertime training. I will update this site on a weekly basis with info regarding locations and formats for the following week of training.

    June 18 – June 24:
    Monday @ Range, 8:30 – 10:30am. Classic rollerskiing + specific strength.
    Wednesday @ Range, 8:30 – 10:30am. Skate rollerski + bounding/running.
    Thursday (Comp Team) @ Shelburne, 4:30 – 6:30pm. Skate rollerski + speed.
    Saturday @ Mud Pond (Williston), 9:00 – 11:00am. Classic roll + run.

    …

    Yesterday was a combined rollerski and strength test day. Eric Tremble from the EABC took our group to do some fitness and strength testing. Below are a few pictures:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qga5eONXU_4

  • New FIS Point Criteria for WJC Qualification

    As often happens, FasterSkier gifted me with a handy topic for a few posts to kill time with over the summer by publishing a summary of USSA’s new criteria for automatic qualification for WJCs/U23s.

    For WJCs, the FIS point cutoff has been lowered to 50 for both men and women (it used to be higher for women than for men) and it can come from any FIS sanctioned race between Nov 1st and Dec 31st.

    Generally, I’m skeptical of the wisdom of allowing people to automatically pre-qualify based on a single race (albeit a good one). But I’ll come back to that issue in a subsequent post. For the moment, I was curious where US juniors might be able to find races with penalties under 50 during that time of year (excluding WC races, of course). So here’s a summary of all such races that fit that bill for recent seasons:

    This is showing the number of FIS races in each country within those dates with a penalty less than 50. (Of course, this doesn’t reflect how many skiers in that race broke 50 points, just that someone did.) I wasn’t expecting there to be such a big disparity between the distance and sprint races, to be honest. Part of me is wondering if this rule change will favor juniors who make the effort to get over to Europe during the fall in the hopes of popping a great race. Now that I write that, it occurs to me that encouraging juniors to “go to Europe for their points” might be part of the intent here, but that’s just speculation.

    Related posts:

    1. <Post-WJC/U23 Development: Canada
    2. <North American Race Penalties Over Time
    3. <Predicting FIS Points For World Cup Races


  • The Summer Sessions

    Today we had our first summer session — it is so nice to be in the laid back summer zone.

    Ian Moore, Devlin and Kaitlin took on the 800m uphill test (which might be 810m after review:)
    We took a swim in the Mad and I made a fun video to get ya all smiling.
    On a more spectacular note check out Hans on the lax field: GMVS Wins State D2 Championship.
    We train again on Wednesday and Thursday.
    Be well.

  • Sognefjell is Amazing

    Amy and I left home Saturday morning, flew out of JFK in the afternoon, arrived in Oslo Sunday morning, took a train to Lillehammer, picked up a Madshus race service vehicle from Per Wiik, and drove to Sognefjell (about three hours) in time for afternoon training. If you think that sentence was long, just imagine the day/night/day combo involved! It rained for most of our drive from Lillehammer, so we were prepared for bad weather. But we broke out of the bad weather shortly before arriving, and have had phenomenal ski conditions for two sessions now.

    Grossi, (Michael Grossegger, Fischer biathlon race service) gesticulating (as normal)

    It’s been great meeting up with various industry friends – our timing here is perfect to be able to test some really interesting new products. This morning I skied on the new Alpina skate boot, which was great. This afternoon I’m going back out on some pretty raw looking prototype full-carbon Salomon boots that weigh practically nothing. We’ll also be testing skis up here – Hakan Nordback from Madshus will arrive this afternoon with some more stuff to test.

    Frise – Patrice Frison-Roche, Salomon race service

    They’re serving five meals a day here – Breakfast, Lunch, late lunch (before afternoon training) Dinner, and Supper. Pretty much nothing to do but ski, eat, and hang-out, and we’ve managed to book three and a half days of this! We’re definitely congratulating ourselves, as long as we keep stealing sunshine from the ever-present chance of rain. Time now for me to go wax up some skis for Noah and Kris (once a wax tech, always a wax tech) in preparation for the afternoon session.

  • Combi OD

     This morning we had perfect weather (mid 60s & cool) for our combi ski/run/hike OD.  We staggered our group so the boys started first, the old girls started a few K down the road from the boys, and the younger girls a few K down the road from them.  Everyone skied through the town of Stratton and up to Grout Pond, arriving within a few minutes of each other.   We swapped our classic boots for running shoes and then went up and over the backside of Stratton on the AT and then down the alpine trails back to school.   It was great to have Alex and Helena join us for practice!  
     Alex striding into the town of Stratton.  
     Older girls cruising along together – Heather, Mollie, and Anika.
     Tess & Kate.
     Helena and Alex went no poles for 15 minutes to work on their weight shift.  You can see the older girls in the background starting to catch up to them.   
     Alex.
     Heather, Anika, Mollie.
     Sneakers and PowerBars waiting in the van! 
     Tess and Kate catch up to Helena & Alex. 
     The boys arrive a few minutes later – Hamish, Tyler, & Mac.
     “YES!” 
     Heading off down the IP road towards the AT.  
     Girls at the AT crossing.  
     Heather and Mollie.
     Mac, Hamish, & Tyler. 
     Mollie & Heather on their way down Stratton.
    Tess & Kate.
    Alex and Helena with Bromley behind them. 

  • Last Day of Classes!

     Summer is almost here!  Yesterday we had our last day of classes and final exams are Monday through Wednesday next week.  We’ve gotten in a solid week of training and dodged some sporadic rain showers on our way through the week.  Above, Brooke warms up for some classic drills.  
     Anika.
     Tess & Kenz.
     Tyler and Mac.
     Mollie.
     Gino & Hamish.
     Junior boys.
     Some no pole skiing. 
     Tyler and the boys try the running drill.
     Hamish.
     Cooling down. 
     Girls team.
     Girls try the running drill.
     Kate, Kenz, Tess.
     Anika, Kate.
     After classes we spun and did our strength workout.  Kate works on her one-leg squats.
     Anika gets a spot from Heather. 
     Hamish.
     Anya and Cam came back to visit this afternoon and do some core with Mac and Tyler!
     Wrapping up with floor core.
    This photo is from Thursday – we went for a nice run down on the West River Trail in South Londonderry.  

  • June Training on XC Ski Girl….

    My monthly post about June is up on XC Ski Girl’s website.  Check it out here if you’re interested:

    Also, I was finally able to put my classic max test on youtube if you want to witness some of the pain I experienced during my testing cycle at the COE back in May.  Keep in mind that this skiing is the last and final minute of what was 10 or 11 minutes.  The goal is to ski absolutely as long as your can, all the while the treadmill is getting faster and steeper.  Ski till you drop! (Literally) 

    More to come… until then, have a great day! 
    Ciao, 
    Holly 🙂 
    PS. Thanks again to Matt (USST Women’s Coach) who provided some great cheering for this max test. Matt also celebrated his birthday yesterday. Happy belated Birthday Matt! 

  • Performance Trends In US Alpine Skiing

    This is just a quick note as I sift through some of the alpine skiing data. I’ve made similar plots as these for XC skiing in the past, so these are just the same idea but for the US alpine folks. First a look at the men:

    This is tracking the results (per race) for US men over all WC, OWG and WSC races in these events for each season. Since in alpine skiing you routinely have final results with barely more than 30 skiers, I dropped the ‘Top Thirty’ category. The Bode Miller effect is fairly evident, particularly in the speed events (Downhill and Super-G). The GS results have been generally pretty stable over the last decade, with the usual ups and downs from year to year. Slalom has probably been the weakest event, although it’s interesting to note as a XC fan that they’re still pulling down a top ten result fairly regularly.

    And here’s a look at the women:

    Same (familiar) story, with the strengths being the speed events, for the most part. The dip in the downhill results marks a sort of transition between the Picabo Street era and the Lindsay Vonn era. I’m less of a student of US alpine racing, but obviously the 2004-2005 season stands out in slalom. A quick check reminds me of a particularly good season by one Kristina Koznick (and also Sarah Schleper).


    Related posts:

    1. <Skiing Performance and Age
    2. <Trends In US Skiing Performance: Distance
    3. <Trends In US Skiing Performance: Sprint


  • Performance Trends In US Alpine Skiing

    This is just a quick note as I sift through some of the alpine skiing data. I’ve made similar plots as these for XC skiing in the past, so these are just the same idea but for the US alpine folks. First a look at the men:

    This is tracking the results (per race) for US men over all WC, OWG and WSC races in these events for each season. Since in alpine skiing you routinely have final results with barely more than 30 skiers, I dropped the ‘Top Thirty’ category. The Bode Miller effect is fairly evident, particularly in the speed events (Downhill and Super-G). The GS results have been generally pretty stable over the last decade, with the usual ups and downs from year to year. Slalom has probably been the weakest event, although it’s interesting to note as a XC fan that they’re still pulling down a top ten result fairly regularly.

    And here’s a look at the women:

    Same (familiar) story, with the strengths being the speed events, for the most part. The dip in the downhill results marks a sort of transition between the Picabo Street era and the Lindsay Vonn era. I’m less of a student of US alpine racing, but obviously the 2004-2005 season stands out in slalom. A quick check reminds me of a particularly good season by one Kristina Koznick (and also Sarah Schleper).

    Related posts:

    1. <Skiing Performance and Age
    2. <Trends In US Skiing Performance: Distance
    3. <Trends In US Skiing Performance: Sprint


  • Invite Camps and Summer Training


    6/11 – Monday:
    9am 800m Plunkton Test. Strength.

    PM Recovery jog and swim

    6/13 – Wednesday:
    2pm Bike/Run (hike) adventure. Distance.

    6/14 – Thursday:
    9am 5/10km skate tt on East Warren/Plunkton roads


    A little update on training dates over the summer — I will be updating the blog with changes in schedule do to weather, etc, but please contact me if you would like more information about these sessions.
    We have a good group shaping up for the summer and we’d love to share the Mad River Valley with you.
    beck@gmvs.org


    Invite Camps:
    These camps are a grass roots experience with supervised training and transportation — we try and arrange home stays or students commute to and from home.  We can put together meals as a group and focus on some high level training during these periods, each session includes at least one Time Trial and often these are repeated through the summer to gauge fitness progress.  The cost of joining this program is $200 for the summer and the kids can make as many sessions as possible (if athletes are only able to attend a few sessions we treat that on a per case basis).
    Dates:
    June 7 — Classic Roll with DP intensity
    June 11, 13 – 4 — Skate TT and 800m Double Pole
    July 16 -18 — Classic TT and Sprint Simulation TT
    July 30 – August 1 — Skate TT and 800m Double Pole
    August 13 -15  — Including the LAMB Ride and Sprint Simulation TT
    In addition to organized training, GMVS Nordic also offers introductory rollerskiing sessions in partnership with NENSA.

  • A Review of Wild Shot by Andy Liebner

    Overcome the Obstacles and Achieve Your Potential
    Cross-Country skiing is more of a calling than a sport, and nowhere is that more obvious than in Andy Liebner’s skiing memoir “Wild Shot.” The book chronicles a period in Liebner’s life when he decided to throw caution to the wind and spend a couple seasons training and racing as a professional athlete in Europe and Australia. But this book is not just an athlete’s story, it is also a travel memoir and a very personal quest for self. Despite tremendous results in world class events, Liebner frequently struggles with self-doubt that threatens to overwhelm him. His ability to overcome obstacles, not the least of which are his own personal demons, is what makes “Wild Shot” a truly compelling read.
    For those of us who have dabbled in sport, the attraction is clear. Where in other pursuits the result can be tainted by privilege, prejudice, or money, in a race things are simpler. The best man or woman in the event is the one that crosses the line first.
    Period.
    There is something pure about the knowledge that, no matter what other obstacles people put in front of you, the race will always reveal the truth.
    However, in “Wild Shot,” Liebner shows how even the sanctity of the race has been compromised. Sure, once the starting gun goes off, the best competitor wins. But the race can still be rigged by not allowing some athletes to compete.
    Such is the case with Andy Liebner, an aspiring Biathlete who finds he has been unceremoniously dumped by the US’s governing body of the sport (the USBA). Annoyed by the bureaucratic tape, Liebner decides to travel to Europe to train and race with the best Biathletes of the world. However, even though he is supporting his own racing and training, the USBA will not grant him permission to enter international biathlon events, even if there are no other American athletes participating.
    Undaunted, Liebner finds his way into various high profile events, and as he racks up several podium finishes, he begins to achieve a stature that is beyond what the USBA can suppress.
    As an avid skier myself, I was extremely frustrated by Liebner’s description of what the “system” for developing cross-country athletes is like in the US. Cross-Country skiing is a fringe sport that needs champions to increase its popularity in the US. Based on “Wild Shot,” the USBA seems to be doing the opposite.
    However, Andy Liebner’s tenacious pursuit of his dream is inspiring to follow. Yes, he feels doubt along the way, sometimes even in the face of success, but it’s that tremendous human element that makes the book a rewarding read.
    If you’re interested in reading something that will inspire you to achieve your fullest potential no matter what obstacles are in your way, “Wild Shot” is the book for you.

  • Two weeks in photos…

    The last two and a half weeks have been (another) whirl-wind of travel, training, testing & visits.  Here it is, in pictures: 
    After a red-eye flight and (three) airplanes to get from ANC to SLC for my first round of US Ski Team testing I arrived 9 hours earlier than the other girls. Luckily this meant a visit with my good friend and ex-teammate, Katie Ronsse who is in PT school in Salt Lake. Here we are taking shots in her garden!  .
    Shots of Wheatgrass that is! 
    When Sadie and Kikkan arrived they came to Katie’s house to pick me up.  Before departing for Park City we took this “chic” picture! Katie had a few generations of chickens due to a recent dog accident
    Next, I spent two 12-hour days at the COE (USSA’s 67 Million dollar training facility called the “Center of Excellence.)  We completed 6 (?) Roller ski treadmill tests, strength tests, specific double pole tests, mobility tests, full blood screening, hemoglobin, dexascans, etc. Seeing that this was my first time going through the battery of tests I don’t have any results to compare to but I’m hoping to glean some knowledge from my tests and get a couple of pointers for the direction of my summer training.  In theory, we will conduct the same slew of tests in Park City come October to see what changes our summer training resulted in. 
    Jess with a big smile warming up on the treadmill 
    Here I am mid skate L3 altitude test.  This particular test was 4 x 7 miles at a steady pace featuring four different levels of oxygen.  (I have a mask & a nose plug)  The first test was sea level, then 1000 meters, the altitude of Val di Fiemme, this year’s World Champs. The third test was 1500 meters, the elevation of Sochi (2014 Winter Olympics) and the final test was higher; the elevation of Park City.  During each test our heart rates were monitored and after each test they took blood samples to see how we were reacting to skiing at that particular altitude. 
    Erik Bjornsen & USST Women’s coach, Matt Whitcomb on the Double pole urg. Here we did a max test – testing “force” for five maximum pulls as well as an endurance/power test 1 x 30 seconds. 
    O2 bottles used for Roller Ski treadmill tests. 
    Jessie completing her hemoglobin test 
    During PC Camp it was Simi’s birthday. We had a team dinner and I obviously caught him at the right time during our happy birthday song. It looks like he’s planning on stealing ALL the cupcakes and running away with them! 
    Liz, me, Alberto, Sadie, Kikkan & Jessie 
    The second day of testing we had some special guests. Alberto Salazar and his Nike team were our guests at the COE!!! Salazar is a legendary athlete and coach having won both the Boston and New York Marathons, setting World and American Records.  Today, he coaches the Nike Oregon Project and some of the best distance runners in the country.  If you’re unfamiliar with him, check out his Wikipedia page HERE. 
    A coach’s only shot: Salazar & Matt! 
    Matt was seriously the BEST cheer leader for these all out, max effort tests. We did two tests, a classic and a double pole only test that were ALL OUT as hard as you can go. We actually wear a chest harness so you ski until you drop – literally.  I even found a new max heart rate, 194! 
    EBJ showing off the on-demand Gatorade machine 🙂 
    There are some additional perks of being in Park City.  Along with training in a facility which house’s the entire USSA staff, (Admin, travel agents, PTs, Drs, Nutritionists, Coaches, etc) there is the Athlete kitchen!  It’s full of healthy snack for pre and/or post-training.  Adam Korzun, the Ski Team Nutritionist is always cooking up something good & nutritious.  
    A quick shot of the COE kitchen 
    I could have spent a lot more time in Park City and was bummed that I felt as if I didn’t have sufficient time to meet with everyone I wanted to at the COE. Being named to the Ski Team has opened up a whole new set of doors and resources. If I lived in PC, I’d have access to these all the time but seeing that I live in AK I tried to take advantage of everything I could during my SHORT visit there.  Next visit I will surely plan more time there….. 
    After Park City we jumped on a plane and traveled to the first team camp on the new training year; Bend on snow! Here’s the 2012-2013 team in it’s entirety! 
    Men: Skyler Davis, Erik Bjornsen, Simi Hamilton, Tad Elliot, Andy Newell, Noah Hoffman, Kris Freeman. Ladies: Me, Liz Stephan, Ida Sargeant, Jessie Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen & Kikkan Randall. 
    If you had asked me about Bend Camp in early April I wasn’t too excited about it. I was tired from the road and just wanted to be at home. But, come mid May I was pumped to be in Bend and back in a training camp environment.  I spent lots of time skiing in Bend growing up (PNSA roots!) and it was fun to be back after so many years! 
    Team Salmon; Brooks & Diggins! 
    Team Erik: Bjornsen & Flora 
    Typical scene post-training waiting for van-mates to finish up the session! 
    Liz and I went to soak our legs in the Deschutes after a hard trail run one day. It wasn’t nearly as cold as AK rivers for “icing legs!” 
    Bend camp was busier than I initially anticipated. One reason is because we put together three team US Ski Team teams for Bend’s Pole, Peddle, Paddle multi-sport event. Here is Ida, sporting Liz’s old GS suit to rock the Downhill skiing section of the relay race! 
    You would think we would have been more prepared but we got the start early in the morning only to realize that 1) Kikkan’s borrowed set up for downhill skis still had wax – on the skis. After Matt scrapped them with his driver’s license we realized that the bindings didn’t fit her boots! Luckily she was able to rent gear with t-50 minutes until race start! Our women’s teams ended up going 1-2 and our men’s team won.  Kris Freeman, the only one to take on the individual event won the entire thing too!  
    We joked about the PPP being the “Bend Olympics!”  People certainly take this race seriously…. 
    While in Bend we were also able to host the Bend edition of Fast and Female. Here is our traditional endurance/dance station: 
    I got to be a co-leader with Susan Dunklee for the oldest girls and we had a really fun and productive goal setting session. Both Susan and I shared our path’s with making goals as well as some of our personal goals for the upcoming season. Susan told the girls to “Aim for the moon and you might land in the stars!”  I told the girls that I hoped that one of Susan’s goals was to get an Olympic Gold Medal after her breakthrough 5th place finish at World Champs for Biathlon last year! 
    At Fast and Female I had the pleasure of meeting Mikayla Briere – a Whitman College student!  Mikayla is pursuing para-olympic cross country skiing and it was awesome to meet her.  She has a wonderful spirit and I have every reason to believe she’ll go far!  After camp she was scheduled to depart on a ten-day field course in Yellowstone National Park with a professor that I’d had at Whitman too! Good luck with everything Mikayla & keep in touch! 
    Sometimes, on the road traveling, training & racing I have a hard time finding balance.  In a team environment it can get claustrophobic at times and if you’re not careful, it’s easy to loose sight of the things that keep you grounded and make you happy.  Hence, on our pseudo off-day I made plans to spend the night at my one of my best friend’s farm, Rainshadow Organics.  It can be hard to leave the team because you never know when group plans will change or when an opening with the PT will come up but it had to be done. Sarah only lives 50 minutes from Bend and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t make time to visit her. 
    And, who wouldn’t want to go to the farm? Sarah has done incredible work taking her family’s farm through the three year FDA organic process. She has a flourishing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), tons of animals, and fun events going on! 
    Sarahlee with a group of baby chics!  Sarah and her boyfriend Tall are starting a meat CSA too! 
    Fitz made the trip out for a day as well! 
    Perhaps my highlight of the day was feeding the pigs.  Tall has some connections with people who drive refrigerator trucks and they donate expired or close to expired milk, eggs, and Naked Juices for the pigs to eat.  These are some LUCKY pigs that live a VERY happy life! 
    The food trough! 
    Seeing that it was still pre-Memorial Day most things were just starting but the greens were in full swing!  We got to pick some freshies for dinner and to take back to the team.  Thanks Sarah! 
    Me & Sarah with fresh veggies and a beautiful rainbow in the background! 
    Fitz, Tall, Sarah & Me! 
     Adam K, the ski team nutritionist spoiled us by coming to the last couple days of camp to help cook.  Adam makes some great eats and it’s really fun to pick up some healthy cooking tips from him.  He also brought a suitcase full of vitamins for us! 
    I left Bend a couple days early to travel and compete in another fun multi sport event. This time it was Ski to Sea in Bellingham, Washington.  Last year I competed with my family in the family division.  This time around I was recruited to join an all women’s team representing Fast and Female.  It was fun to meet girls from other sports…. here’s our pre-race picture from our team meeting: 
     Ski to Sea is always a fun reunion of nordic skiers. Here I am with Josh Smullin and Matt Liebsch – Mt. Shuksan in the background. (Once again we lucked out on the weather!) 
     Thanks so much to Tony Valesco for putting together not only my team but 5 other teams for the event! He is such a master-mind! 
    Following the race I got to spend a couple of days in Seattle with my family. Here I am with my mom and dad getting ready to go to the airport 🙂 
    It’s great to be back in Alaska and I’m really looking forward to two solid months of quality training at home before departing for our USA/Sweden joint women’s camp in August. 
    Have a wonderful day and until next time, 
    Cheers, 
    Holly 🙂 

  • Yet Another Athlete Development Marker

    Everyone wants to nab podiums at the World Cup level, which means everyone can be pretty fascinated with the development characteristics of those skiers who end up on the podium. Here’s yet another way to slice that.

    If we take the skiers who’ve attained at least one podium result at the WC level between 2006-2007 and 2010-2011, one thing we can ask is what proportion of them had attained a certain number of top thirty results by a given age:

    Here’s how we read this: the top left panel corresponds to men’s distance podium winners. It says that by the age of 20, roughly 20% of them had managed at least one top thirty (red line), and almost none of them had managed at least 5 or 10 (green and blue lines).

    If you’re in the mood to be intimidated, consider how high these proportions have become by the time we get to age 25. In all four disciplines, an overwhelming majority of future podiums finishers have racked up at least 30 top thirty results.

    Related posts:

    1. <Post-WJC/U23 Development: Canada
    2. <Post-WJC/U23 Development: Germany
    3. <Post-WJC/U23 Development: Italy


  • 22 and old as dirt… well sort of?

     “22 going on 80: A Whole Lot of Ways Biathlon has Made Me an Old Lady”

    • I have a bed time. And it is early… like… ’10pm is hours past it’ sort of early.
    • All my injuries are related to falling down.
    • I get cranky if I miss my afternoon nap.
    • Velcro waist bands.
    • I have, in fact, cried out, “Ow ow oooow! My hip! My hip!!!”
    • I am always cold. Seriously why am I always so cold!?
    • I am only capable of knitting really ugly things.
    • Most foods are too oily, salty, or sweet for me… but I will never turn down ice cream.
    • My joints frequently ache, creek, and pop.
    • I can’t touch my toes. 
    • One drink and I am just like your Grandma Betty at Thanksgiving… asleep on the couch.
    • I understand the convenience of velcro shoes.
    • At the first sign of the sniffles I will proclaim to everyone within ear shot that I have most definitely “caught death.”
    • I appreciate foods that do not need to be chewed. Apple sauce, yogurt, mash potatoes… 
    • Walking up a flight of stairs is frequently a challenge.
    • I have a strange affinity for really ugly (but oh so cozy) socks.
    • The only thing separating life in the OTC from assisted living is a curtain between you and your room mate and a emergency button by the toilet.
      *Seriously, all your friends live down the hall, hot meals are served three times a day, and alcohol is not allowed on campus. 
    • It is way past my bed time.  Goodnight.



  • More Spring Training

    This spring is perhaps my busiest ever, largely due to that wedding thing in two weeks… Alison and I have been steadily tying down plans and getting things ready for the ~200 people who will converge in my parents’ back yard for our union. Should be a great time. The food is certainly going to warrant a party; our friend Leds is in charge of grilling up some spectacular flat-iron steaks, and my Dad and our friend Laurel, a semi-pro homebrewer, have crafted some amazing custom brews for the reception. Nobody will go hungry, nor will their whistles go un-wet.

    Overdistance ski touring session, North Cascades, WA

    But on to training. This spring we have started up in a more aggressive fashion than in years past, with more intensity incorporated with the “base” training. I use the punctuation because we’re now training the next level above the base, with higher training speeds and greater resistance loads. So far it’s been great and I’ve found I’m handling the increased stress well. In addition, Brian Gregg (CXC) is out here for a few weeks to deepen his own training. It’s been great having a workout partner for the last month.

    Each year we learn more and more about the most efficient methods to train and improve. One of the recurrent themes we’ve encountered is the frustrating lack of quantifiable training methods for skiing. Cycling, running and swimming all have equal distances and relatively constant courses, allowing for infinite possibilities to data mine your efforts. Not so with skiing, at least in the traditional manners. But we’ve developed some exciting means to better understand and execute the training and both Brian and I are already seeing big differences in our daily performances. By using GPS and being more meticulous with workout venues we’ve been able to keep closer tabs on day-to-day fluctuations, as well as hone in on more exacting progressions of a given method. All good stuff.

    Brian on top of Hart’s Pass. Pretty sloppy snow.

    Last Friday we took what may have been the last on-snow adventure, up to Hart’s Pass Guard Station. The highest road in Washington State, Hart’s Pass road is unplowed and rarely clear of snow before July. Brian and I drove up as far as allowed and through a combination of hiking and skiing on zeroes and fish-scales, made it to the pass and back to complete a great recovery session.

    We’ve started using some old Russian strength training, too. I don’t know where Scott digs this stuff up, but apparently the guy who developed it was the guru for Renato Canova, our Italian patron saint of kick-ass workouts. These new Ruskie workouts involve lots and lots and lots of sets and reps of squat jumps and split jumps and such with about 40% of your max squat weight on your back. Did you know you can buy 70# weight vests? You can. Donning one is quite awkward, but it has compelled me to elicit great sympathy for Octo-Mom. I’m glad I won’t be bearing huge loads of children.

    And finally, I have to give another shoutout to Scott Shoes for the slammin’ kicks I’ve been using lately. The newest version of the e-ride Grip trail shoe is unparalleled – lightweight, low-profile and grippy. If you would’ve told me when I was 16 that I’d be running 50 miles a week and yearning for more, I’d have probably spewed Capri-Sun juice right out my nose. No foolin’.

    Best trail shoe I’ve ever had, complete with Euro-stylin’ color schemes

  • Boom. Grad. Summer Time.

    Team celebrating the years with Hans and Kaitlin.
    Amazing last weeks of school with rafting, celebration, and some nice weather to boot.

    Looking forward to a super summer of training and on to ski season 2013!

    There are a few more spots available for summer camps, email beck@gmvs.org if you haven’t secured a spot.

    Check back for updates on invite sessions and happenings here in the Mad River Valley.

  • Bend Camp

    Reynolds, Sylvan, and Patty O.

    With summer arriving in VT this week, it’s hard to believe there is still full winter in Bend, OR.

    But it’s true.  I’ve spent the last 12 days skiing every morning up on Mt. Bachelor, about 30 minutes up into the Cascades from the town of Bend.  In that period of time, we’ve seen pretty much an entire range of skiing conditions from rock hard crust, soft slush, and over a foot of fresh snow just a few days ago.  But the best part is that spring/summer weather remains pretty consistent lower down in town, and Bend is home to some of the best mountain biking and running trails in the country.  You can get spoiled pretty quickly cruising on firm crust in the morning up high around Broken Top and the surrounding snowfields, and then ripping endless singletrack on the bike in the afternoon.

    For my own part it’s been a really productive camp.  There are a ton of athletes out here including some of teammates from Craftsbury, the USST, USBA, and Canadian National team, as well as a handful of folks from some other top domestic clubs.  I’ve been able to log some solid technique work on snow with some close friends and strong skiers while keeping in touch with dryland fitness and generally just enjoying general training in May.  What a place to spend the first couple weeks of the training season! 

    Good luck to the lacrosse teams and congratulations to all the seniors! 

    Best from Bend,
    -Tim

  • Spring things

    It seems to me that spring is really comprised of at least 3 very short sub-seasons.  In a period of about 3 weeks Craftsbury went from cold and gray and leafless, through that brief neon green leaf-springing, and into a sudden early summer.  It was hot, there were big thunderstorms that knocked out the power, […]

  • Heading West for Snow

    It has been a long time since Minneapolis felt like winter, but believe it or no there is plenty of snow still around out West.  After enjoying a wonderful warm spring, I returned to my home state of Washington to find some late season snow and skiing.  Washington holds the record for the largest snow pack in the United States with over 1100 inches recorded on Mt. Baker.

    6,5000′ of elevation and there is still plenty of snow
    Although I am excited to be back in the mountains and training on snow I really miss everyone back at the Boys and Girls Club.  I do have some great memories from the week leading up to my trip out west.  
    Taji getting a little air on the pump track.  The regular mountain bike trails were closed all week because of the rain so we went to the ‘secret’ Wirth extension trails and played around on the jumps.  
    Getting ready to divide into teams for two-hand touch football
    Two Hand Touch
    Final ski race of the season: May 27th, 2012
    I am working with my my high school coach, Scott Johnston this year as part of a more hands on individual approach to training.  Training is going really well and I am really excited for this season.  We are monitoring speed, heart rate, lactates and distances in almost every workout and the progress has been fun to experience.  It is a big sacrifice on my part since I am away from Caitlin and our home in Minneapolis.  Life is good, but it will be fun to be back at the Club in late June.

  • Inspiration. Drive. Motivation.

    Writing a three-part article for Skierpost.com, I came across this from a notebook of Greg Lemond’s. Talk about setting some no-hold’s barred goals. The man definitely had something going on! It’s pretty amazing to get a glimpse like this into America’s first Tour de France champ.

    Last Memorial Day I rolled out of Salt Lake and headed back to Washington State for a 4,000 person multisport race by the name of Ski2Sea. The race starts on the slopes of Mt. Baker. 93 miles later, it finishes on Bellingham’s waterfront. My job was to run up Mt. Baker in my alpine gear, then ski down. My team had two other Olympians, both gold medalists. We won.

    This weekend, I also ran in a little 5km. Last year I couldn’t run until August. This year, I haven’t been running much. So to jog away from the field and comfortably run 16:13 so early in the training year makes me think I’m going in a good way. Next week, it’s off to Central Oregon. I stole this picture from my former roommate in Bend, the triathlete Matt Lieto. Yeah, I think they’ll have enough snow for me there in the Cascades…