FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • brief summer update

    This update is way over due. I am going to start bliggidy bloggin more often now that the races are about to begin.
    It’s been a really good summer for me. I was able to get in some high quality training, in places that I had never been before. Training with the World Cup Team for the first time was amazing. Alex, Devon, and Ivan are incredible athletes; I am trying to soak up all the helpful advice that they give me.
    First, though I took a month off and my summer started off with a little bit of fun in the sun.  I spent two windy weeks in Maui windsurfing. This was my first time in Hawaii, and I LOVED it. I rented a beauty of a car while I was there. Let me tell you, it’s not your usual rental car that’s for sure. Before leaving Toronto, the owner of the rental car company left me a voicemail saying “Aloha, the car will be waiting for you in the parking lot just outside of Arrivals. It’s a grey Nissan Sentra, and the keys are in the ignition.” The man wasn’t kidding; I found the car at the end of the parking lot ready to rock.
    I contemplated waiting in Maui for an additional 4 weeks until our team training camp, but then I remembered that I am a Cross Country skier not a windsurfer.  
    Our first team training camp of the summer was held in Bend, Or. This place was really cool, we stayed in amazing rental houses in the warm desert climate, and skiing was only a 25-minute drive away. This camp was a perfect time for Justin to help me dial in my technique, it was time to get rid of my old bad habits. The US national team was training in Bend at the same time as us. It was good to meet the new members of the team and do some intensity workouts together. 
    After the Bend camp, it was time for the first ever Hawaii training camp. The training was absolutely amazing. We pounded out two weeks of really quality training. Most of our training was done climbing the hot and steep roads of the Haleakala Volcano. This is a big hill, its 38 miles of steady climbing. 4 hours of biking/rollerskiing/running still left us short of the summit. We had a couple easier days during the camp, so we all went to catch some Hawaiian Waves. I am sure that the whole team would agree with me, saying that this was the best camp ever. We then flew straight to Canmore to finish off the second half of the training block.
    I spent the next couple weeks training on my own. I spent 6 days fishing in Alaska with my teammate Dave Greer, and then made my way home for some RR by the lake.
    Before I got too settled down at home, it was time for the New Zealand man camp and the NZ Winter Games races. Skiing was amazing at the snow farm this year. Almost everyday was sunny. We were able to put in some long hard training days.

    During my time at home, I had the privilege to go and help out at the SOD training camp at Hardwood Ski and Bike. Hardwood is the ski centre where it all began for me, they were the ones who taught me how to ski! I was really excited to help coach, talk, and train with the 120+ kids that came out to the camp.  

    The final training camps were held in Park City, Canmore, and Whistler. The first three weeks were at altitude with lots of hours, and the week in Whistler was a low altitude intensity camp. I was feeling pretty tired after all the altitude training that I didn’t perform all that well in Whistler. It was all part of the plan to be tired in Whistler and enjoy a nice easy week after to recover.
    The final three weeks I spent in Quebec preparing for the Fall World Cups in Scandinavia.
    This was a super brief rundown of how my summer went, I will keep you updated regularly now with news from Europe.
      

  • brief summer update

    This update is way over due. I am going to start bliggidy bloggin more often now that the races are about to begin.
    It’s been a really good summer for me. I was able to get in some high quality training, in places that I had never been before. Training with the World Cup Team for the first time was amazing. Alex, Devon, and Ivan are incredible athletes; I am trying to soak up all the helpful advice that they give me.
    First, though I took a month off and my summer started off with a little bit of fun in the sun.  I spent two windy weeks in Maui windsurfing. This was my first time in Hawaii, and I LOVED it. I rented a beauty of a car while I was there. Let me tell you, it’s not your usual rental car that’s for sure. Before leaving Toronto, the owner of the rental car company left me a voicemail saying “Aloha, the car will be waiting for you in the parking lot just outside of Arrivals. It’s a grey Nissan Sentra, and the keys are in the ignition.” The man wasn’t kidding; I found the car at the end of the parking lot ready to rock.
    I contemplated waiting in Maui for an additional 4 weeks until our team training camp, but then I remembered that I am a Cross Country skier not a windsurfer.  
    Our first team training camp of the summer was held in Bend, Or. This place was really cool, we stayed in amazing rental houses in the warm desert climate, and skiing was only a 25-minute drive away. This camp was a perfect time for Justin to help me dial in my technique, it was time to get rid of my old bad habits. The US national team was training in Bend at the same time as us. It was good to meet the new members of the team and do some intensity workouts together. 
    After the Bend camp, it was time for the first ever Hawaii training camp. The training was absolutely amazing. We pounded out two weeks of really quality training. Most of our training was done climbing the hot and steep roads of the Haleakala Volcano. This is a big hill, its 38 miles of steady climbing. 4 hours of biking/rollerskiing/running still left us short of the summit. We had a couple easier days during the camp, so we all went to catch some Hawaiian Waves. I am sure that the whole team would agree with me, saying that this was the best camp ever. We then flew straight to Canmore to finish off the second half of the training block.
    I spent the next couple weeks training on my own. I spent 6 days fishing in Alaska with my teammate Dave Greer, and then made my way home for some RR by the lake.
    Before I got too settled down at home, it was time for the New Zealand man camp and the NZ Winter Games races. Skiing was amazing at the snow farm this year. Almost everyday was sunny. We were able to put in some long hard training days.

    During my time at home, I had the privilege to go and help out at the SOD training camp at Hardwood Ski and Bike. Hardwood is the ski centre where it all began for me, they were the ones who taught me how to ski! I was really excited to help coach, talk, and train with the 120+ kids that came out to the camp.  

    The final training camps were held in Park City, Canmore, and Whistler. The first three weeks were at altitude with lots of hours, and the week in Whistler was a low altitude intensity camp. I was feeling pretty tired after all the altitude training that I didn’t perform all that well in Whistler. It was all part of the plan to be tired in Whistler and enjoy a nice easy week after to recover.
    The final three weeks I spent in Quebec preparing for the Fall World Cups in Scandinavia.
    This was a super brief rundown of how my summer went, I will keep you updated regularly now with news from Europe.
      

  • Uphill Run/Fun

    This morning we ran our 2 mile uphill test. It was a beautiful day and we had some fast times.

    We use the test to see how individuals and the group are reacting to the training. As a group, things look good ( 70% set PR’s today). For the people who did not improve today, we chat to see what we can learn. Sometimes you can learn more from a poor performance than from a good one.
    During the fall we tend to have everyone train similarly. Hopefully over this period we can find patterns that lead each person to good and bad performances. These patterns are very individual. As we get dialed in with each person, we start to individualize more and during the winter we try to get each skier on a pattern that helps them feel best for their biggest races.
    The course starts below school at the bottom of County Road and climbs 2 miles up to the end of our double pole test.
    Here are todays times:
    Calvin 12:04
    Paddy 12:10
    Gino 12:45
    Tyler 12:50
    Skyler 13:17
    Nick 13:42
    Hamish 13:50
    Mac 14:09
    Issy 15:15
    Kate 16:33
    Tess 16:38
    Runners of the day are Issy (34 sec PR) and Gino (24 sec PR) with honorable mention to Tess and Tyler :).
    While the runners were running, Mollie and Brooke did a tough 9 minute uphill classic test and Anika and Corky skied a distance workout with a couple of pick ups.
    We then all gathered and joined the snowboarders for a great game of 4 team, 4 goal, 3 ball soccer. See if you can figure that out! (it was awesome).
    Now it’s class time until 5:15, then we’ll do some strength. Pictures from this morning below:

    Lead pack off the start.
    Kate & Tess head up the hill.
    Gorgeous day for running – feels more like a warm September day, rather than early November!
    Course map.
    Elevation – start at 1604 feet, finish at 1984 feet. Not too shabby. Dirt road for the first 1.2 miles and then on a paved road until the finish.
    Calvin & Paddy at the halfway point (1 mile mark).
    Gino.
    Skyler.
    Tyler.
    Murph.
    Hamish.
    Mac.
    Issy.
    Tess & Kate.
    Kate.
    Coming into the home stretch (100m to go) – Calvin a few seconds ahead of Paddy.
    Paddy.
    Gino & Tyler.
    Skyler.

    Murph.
    Hamish.

    Mac.
    Issy.

    Kate.Tess.

  • Uphill Run/Fun

    This morning we ran our 2 mile uphill test. It was a beautiful day and we had some fast times.

    We use the test to see how individuals and the group are reacting to the training. As a group, things look good ( 70% set PR’s today). For the people who did not improve today, we chat to see what we can learn. Sometimes you can learn more from a poor performance than from a good one.
    During the fall we tend to have everyone train similarly. Hopefully over this period we can find patterns that lead each person to good and bad performances. These patterns are very individual. As we get dialed in with each person, we start to individualize more and during the winter we try to get each skier on a pattern that helps them feel best for their biggest races.
    The course starts below school at the bottom of County Road and climbs 2 miles up to the end of our double pole test.
    Here are todays times:
    Calvin 12:04
    Paddy 12:10
    Gino 12:45
    Tyler 12:50
    Skyler 13:17
    Nick 13:42
    Hamish 13:50
    Mac 14:09
    Issy 15:15
    Kate 16:33
    Tess 16:38
    Runners of the day are Issy (34 sec PR) and Gino (24 sec PR) with honorable mention to Tess and Tyler :).
    While the runners were running, Mollie and Brooke did a tough 9 minute uphill classic test and Anika and Corky skied a distance workout with a couple of pick ups.
    We then all gathered and joined the snowboarders for a great game of 4 team, 4 goal, 3 ball soccer. See if you can figure that out! (it was awesome).
    Now it’s class time until 5:15, then we’ll do some strength. Pictures from this morning below:

    Lead pack off the start.
    Kate & Tess head up the hill.
    Gorgeous day for running – feels more like a warm September day, rather than early November!
    Course map.
    Elevation – start at 1604 feet, finish at 1984 feet. Not too shabby. Dirt road for the first 1.2 miles and then on a paved road until the finish.
    Calvin & Paddy at the halfway point (1 mile mark).
    Gino.
    Skyler.
    Tyler.
    Murph.
    Hamish.
    Mac.
    Issy.
    Tess & Kate.
    Kate.
    Coming into the home stretch (100m to go) – Calvin a few seconds ahead of Paddy.
    Paddy.
    Gino & Tyler.
    Skyler.

    Murph.
    Hamish.

    Mac.
    Issy.

    Kate.Tess.

  • Signs Of Kazahk Greatness To Come?

    I’m continuing to pick and choose which nations in Fasterskier’s countdown to write about. The US and Canada I’ll cover later in more detail, and I’m written about Japan a fair bit in the past.

    A couple of comments in their write up about Kazahkstan stuck out to me. The first was the comment about Alexey Poltaranin being the next Vladimir Smirnov. (I realize their posts are written partly in fun, and not always entirely seriously.) This is hard for me to assess with data, since so much of Smirnov’s younger days took place prior to 1992. But here’s a rough comparison of their major international results by age, using standardized percent behind the median skier:

    While that seems to suggest a smooth transition, keep the x axis scales in mind. There’s a 3 year gap there. Also, be careful about trends at the end points, since age can be split across two different seasons, as in Poltaranin’s case. One little exercise for you is this: carefully cover up Poltaranin’s one excellent race from last year (his best). How much is that one point influencing the visual impression of a steady improvement?

    The other skier mentioned that caught my eye was Anastasia Slonova, who’s had some strong results as a junior. Although, I only have 29 FIS races on record for her including both sprint and distance events. She hasn’t had any stellar results yet in the handful of WC’s that she’s done, topping out at around 40th or so. But she is still quite young.

    If you look at her cohort graph, that compares her FIS points to women who went on to record a top ten finish in a WC race, you see that she’s mostly on track in distance events:

    So her distance FIS points are right in the middle of where you want to be if you’re aiming for WC success.

     

    Related posts:

    1. <Most Improved: Women’s Distance
    2. <Prediction Game: Who’s Gonna Podium In Their Very Next Race?
    3. <USST Preview: Liz Stephen & Morgan Arritola


  • Signs Of Kazahk Greatness To Come?

    I’m continuing to pick and choose which nations in Fasterskier’s countdown to write about. The US and Canada I’ll cover later in more detail, and I’m written about Japan a fair bit in the past.

    A couple of comments in their write up about Kazahkstan stuck out to me. The first was the comment about Alexey Poltaranin being the next Vladimir Smirnov. (I realize their posts are written partly in fun, and not always entirely seriously.) This is hard for me to assess with data, since so much of Smirnov’s younger days took place prior to 1992. But here’s a rough comparison of their major international results by age, using standardized percent behind the median skier:

    While that seems to suggest a smooth transition, keep the x axis scales in mind. There’s a 3 year gap there. Also, be careful about trends at the end points, since age can be split across two different seasons, as in Poltaranin’s case. One little exercise for you is this: carefully cover up Poltaranin’s one excellent race from last year (his best). How much is that one point influencing the visual impression of a steady improvement?

    The other skier mentioned that caught my eye was Anastasia Slonova, who’s had some strong results as a junior. Although, I only have 29 FIS races on record for her including both sprint and distance events. She hasn’t had any stellar results yet in the handful of WC’s that she’s done, topping out at around 40th or so. But she is still quite young.

    If you look at her cohort graph, that compares her FIS points to women who went on to record a top ten finish in a WC race, you see that she’s mostly on track in distance events:

    So her distance FIS points are right in the middle of where you want to be if you’re aiming for WC success.

     

    Related posts:

    1. <Most Improved: Women’s Distance
    2. <Prediction Game: Who’s Gonna Podium In Their Very Next Race?
    3. <USST Preview: Liz Stephen & Morgan Arritola


  • Signs Of Kazahk Greatness To Come?

    I’m continuing to pick and choose which nations in Fasterskier’s countdown to write about. The US and Canada I’ll cover later in more detail, and I’m written about Japan a fair bit in the past.

    A couple of comments in their write up about Kazahkstan stuck out to me. The first was the comment about Alexey Poltaranin being the next Vladimir Smirnov. (I realize their posts are written partly in fun, and not always entirely seriously.) This is hard for me to assess with data, since so much of Smirnov’s younger days took place prior to 1992. But here’s a rough comparison of their major international results by age, using standardized percent behind the median skier:

    While that seems to suggest a smooth transition, keep the x axis scales in mind. There’s a 3 year gap there. Also, be careful about trends at the end points, since age can be split across two different seasons, as in Poltaranin’s case. One little exercise for you is this: carefully cover up Poltaranin’s one excellent race from last year (his best). How much is that one point influencing the visual impression of a steady improvement?

    The other skier mentioned that caught my eye was Anastasia Slonova, who’s had some strong results as a junior. Although, I only have 29 FIS races on record for her including both sprint and distance events. She hasn’t had any stellar results yet in the handful of WC’s that she’s done, topping out at around 40th or so. But she is still quite young.

    If you look at her cohort graph, that compares her FIS points to women who went on to record a top ten finish in a WC race, you see that she’s mostly on track in distance events:

    So her distance FIS points are right in the middle of where you want to be if you’re aiming for WC success.

     

    Related posts:

    1. <Most Improved: Women’s Distance
    2. <Prediction Game: Who’s Gonna Podium In Their Very Next Race?
    3. <USST Preview: Liz Stephen & Morgan Arritola


  • DP test 11/2/11 with comments from Andy Newell

    Some new footage and comments from our latest DP test. Most everyone is improving their technique even if the times tended to be slower than the earlier tests. If we had to find some reasons, it could be the mix of a busy academic testing week, colder temps (things tend to roll a little slower and a mini running taper for the XC running state meet. The mini taper meant a little less ski specific training leading into the race. and therefore the test. Special thanks to Hamish and Anika for the music. Enjoy the show!

    Click: HERE to see the SMS Nordic Video Channel

  • DP test 11/2/11 with comments from Andy Newell

    Some new footage and comments from our latest DP test. Most everyone is improving their technique even if the times tended to be slower than the earlier tests. If we had to find some reasons, it could be the mix of a busy academic testing week, colder temps (things tend to roll a little slower and a mini running taper for the XC running state meet. The mini taper meant a little less ski specific training leading into the race. and therefore the test. Special thanks to Hamish and Anika for the music. Enjoy the show!

    Click: HERE to see the SMS Nordic Video Channel

  • Sunny Morning at Lot 1

    Today we spent the morning at Lot 1 working on skate speeds. We had team line up two or three at a time and do a slightly downhill start and then, without pushing the pace, carry their speed around a wide sweeping corner and then turn it on again to sprint into the finish. It was a good chance for everyone to work on their starts, finishes, and also on their racing tactics. Better to lead? Better to come from behind? Skyler talked with the team about how he approaches starts and race tactics – really helpful input from a teammate. Check out the pictures below and tons more here. We started off practice with some slaloms & one leg slaloms.
    Koby & Gino.
    Mac, Tyler and Murph.Paddy & Corky.
    Chloe Levins came down from Rutland to join us for practice – great to have her out with the team! Her brother Jimmy (former Middlebury racer) drove her down and helped out at practice for the morning.
    Mollie.
    Hamish & Gino.
    Kate.
    Skyler – check the bent poles!
    Ladies – Mollie, Kate, Tess, & Chloe.
    Brooke & Issy.
    Koby & Calvin.
    Anika.
    Wrapped up practice with a quick game of keep-away.

  • Sunny Morning at Lot 1

    Today we spent the morning at Lot 1 working on skate speeds. We had team line up two or three at a time and do a slightly downhill start and then, without pushing the pace, carry their speed around a wide sweeping corner and then turn it on again to sprint into the finish. It was a good chance for everyone to work on their starts, finishes, and also on their racing tactics. Better to lead? Better to come from behind? Skyler talked with the team about how he approaches starts and race tactics – really helpful input from a teammate. Check out the pictures below and tons more here. We started off practice with some slaloms & one leg slaloms.
    Koby & Gino.
    Mac, Tyler and Murph.Paddy & Corky.
    Chloe Levins came down from Rutland to join us for practice – great to have her out with the team! Her brother Jimmy (former Middlebury racer) drove her down and helped out at practice for the morning.
    Mollie.
    Hamish & Gino.
    Kate.
    Skyler – check the bent poles!
    Ladies – Mollie, Kate, Tess, & Chloe.
    Brooke & Issy.
    Koby & Calvin.
    Anika.
    Wrapped up practice with a quick game of keep-away.

  • Anchorage is the Place To Be

    Perhaps it’s the endorphins, maybe it’s the odd affinity I have for white fluffy precip, or the fact that snowy roads don’t faze my vehicle, but today is fantastic. Anchorage, on November 8th of 2011, is definitely the best place in the world to be a ski racer.

    While skiers in Norway are beginning to genuinely worry about race cancellations, Munio’s skiing is rumored to be shut down, and the Swedes are flocking to ski tunnels… we are skiing on 10” of new snow, groomed as I type. This morning I skied along with Kikkan, Sadie, Lauren, and Sara. We goofed off with Kikkan’s Go Pro camera, hit a couple of jumps, chatted it up, and even glimpsed a couple of moose careening down the Spencer Loop. The sun started coming out towards the end of the ski, and the Alaska Range gleamed west of Cook Inlet. Really, it was absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is that there were no classic tracks this morning, and that my camera is not good enough to take a photo of the mountains at such a distance. However, grooming has been happening every morning, and I am sure they’ll add tracks soon. And really, as far as complaints go… it just goes to show how spoiled I am.

    I love it!!

  • Anchorage is the Place To Be

    Perhaps it’s the endorphins, maybe it’s the odd affinity I have for white fluffy precip, or the fact that snowy roads don’t faze my vehicle, but today is fantastic. Anchorage, on November 8th of 2011, is definitely the best place in the world to be a ski racer.

    While skiers in Norway are beginning to genuinely worry about race cancellations, Munio’s skiing is rumored to be shut down, and the Swedes are flocking to ski tunnels… we are skiing on 10” of new snow, groomed as I type. This morning I skied along with Kikkan, Sadie, Lauren, and Sara. We goofed off with Kikkan’s Go Pro camera, hit a couple of jumps, chatted it up, and even glimpsed a couple of moose careening down the Spencer Loop. The sun started coming out towards the end of the ski, and the Alaska Range gleamed west of Cook Inlet. Really, it was absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is that there were no classic tracks this morning, and that my camera is not good enough to take a photo of the mountains at such a distance. However, grooming has been happening every morning, and I am sure they’ll add tracks soon. And really, as far as complaints go… it just goes to show how spoiled I am.

    I love it!!

  • Anchorage is the Place To Be

    Perhaps it’s the endorphins, maybe it’s the odd affinity I have for white fluffy precip, or the fact that snowy roads don’t faze my vehicle, but today is fantastic. Anchorage, on November 8th of 2011, is definitely the best place in the world to be a ski racer.

    While skiers in Norway are beginning to genuinely worry about race cancellations, Munio’s skiing is rumored to be shut down, and the Swedes are flocking to ski tunnels… we are skiing on 10” of new snow, groomed as I type. This morning I skied along with Kikkan, Sadie, Lauren, and Sara. We goofed off with Kikkan’s Go Pro camera, hit a couple of jumps, chatted it up, and even glimpsed a couple of moose careening down the Spencer Loop. The sun started coming out towards the end of the ski, and the Alaska Range gleamed west of Cook Inlet. Really, it was absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is that there were no classic tracks this morning, and that my camera is not good enough to take a photo of the mountains at such a distance. However, grooming has been happening every morning, and I am sure they’ll add tracks soon. And really, as far as complaints go… it just goes to show how spoiled I am.

    I love it!!

  • Stone Grinding Schedule

    You’ve been training this summer and fall to get the most from your skiing, so make sure your skis aren’t a limiter.

    Prepare all of your skis to run their best with a fresh grind and hotbox service. At Nordic Ultratune, a grind batch starts every Thursday and those skis are ready for shipping on the following Monday — just 4 days later.

    Return shipping is FedEx Express Saver, which is 3rd day delivery. So, skis that are shipped out on Monday will arrive back to you on Thursday.

    Here’s the upcoming service schedule at Nordic Ultratune. Use these dates to make sure you get your skis ready before your most important races.
    • Skis in by Nov 10th will ship out on Nov 14th and arrive back to you by the 17th.
    • Skis in by Nov 17th will ship out on Nov 21st.
    • Skis in by Nov 23rd will ship out on Nov 28 (Closed on Thanksgiving day).
    • Skis in by Dec 1st will ship out on Dec 5th.
    • Skis in by Dec 8th will ship out on Dec 12th.

    You can see that there are still service batches scheduled before the big Thanksgiving week training camps (and races…). There is still time to get a fast grind on your skis before the season kicks off! But don’t delay… …fast boards are a joy to ski on, and they’re a real advantage.

  • Stone Grinding Schedule

    You’ve been training this summer and fall to get the most from your skiing, so make sure your skis aren’t a limiter.

    Prepare all of your skis to run their best with a fresh grind and hotbox service. At Nordic Ultratune, a grind batch starts every Thursday and those skis are ready for shipping on the following Monday — just 4 days later.

    Return shipping is FedEx Express Saver, which is 3rd day delivery. So, skis that are shipped out on Monday will arrive back to you on Thursday.

    Here’s the upcoming service schedule at Nordic Ultratune. Use these dates to make sure you get your skis ready before your most important races.
    • Skis in by Nov 10th will ship out on Nov 14th and arrive back to you by the 17th.
    • Skis in by Nov 17th will ship out on Nov 21st.
    • Skis in by Nov 23rd will ship out on Nov 28 (Closed on Thanksgiving day).
    • Skis in by Dec 1st will ship out on Dec 5th.
    • Skis in by Dec 8th will ship out on Dec 12th.

    You can see that there are still service batches scheduled before the big Thanksgiving week training camps (and races…). There is still time to get a fast grind on your skis before the season kicks off! But don’t delay… …fast boards are a joy to ski on, and they’re a real advantage.

  • Monday, Monday: Sweet Mad River Monday.

    Today was a great day in the Valley — a nice heavy frost in the morning, and clear, dry air all day.
    So nice to see morning light after changing the clocks! At breakfast, Evan and I talked about ideas for the new club we are forming to promote cross-country ski racing in the Valley.  We’re stoked to share the fun we are having training, racing, and exploring on skis.

    Pigs getting BK at the Gaylord Farm.

    After breakfast I took a trip down to the farm to drop off a weekend’s worth of kitchen scraps to the pigs.  The “scraps” are food preppings, and plate scrapings from the school kitchen.  As a result of our Pig Bucket program, we have diverted tons of waste over the past two years.   Not only are we reducing our waste stream, but we are linking our school with the greater community. 

    A part of what makes Waitsfield and the Mad River Valley so great for living is the community that is built around around mountains and rivers.  The hills make for awesome recreation and they define a community that enjoys exploring and playing outside.  The river winds its way through the Valley and allows for agriculture, more recreation, places for reflection, and occasionally shows its awesome force (check out the link to some flooding pics).

    We’ve been using Monday mornings for recovery sessions, which include a short adventure jog out the back door, looking for logs to scurry over, and stream beds with rocks to skip across.  Today we tried some ski imitation about four feet off the deck on a fallen hemlock in the sharp morning light.  We ran for 25 minutes and returned to a body-scan form of yoga.  For the past two Mondays we have spent a half an hour in silence following our breath through our bodies, noticing sensations of tightness or aching in our athletic bodies.  This week we moved into a new and more dynamic stage of body awareness.

    We’ve been doing a lot of work on becoming aware of and firing the deep supportive muscles that link our frame or “skiing muscle” together.  As ski racers we can find ourselves in compromised positions where we develop momentum by forcing our bodies through the motions.  Think of the nagging aches and deep soreness we experience during ski races and hard training.  Stronger “core” muscles mean more efficient motion, faster ski speed, and less chance for use injuries.  C-spine, tucking hips, pulling the belly button towards the spine, or … “turning off the flow of urine,” are all common terms we use to try and activate strong positions.

    Dev must have been really fired up today because lunch was pulled pork sandwiches.

    The afternoon session called for specific strength on classic roller skis.  We headed to a great new stretch of pavement on a quiet road north of town with reflective shirts and ready bodies.  To increase mobility and balance we forced striding technique as a warm-up.  Even thought the terrain dictates KDP or DP we force the technique, thinking of reaching forward and popping down on the ski to produce a long and free gliding stride.

    After that we put our legs together and single stick up a slightly steeper grade for 10 minutes.  The movement feels easy at first, but soon the hard work sets in.  When fatigued in single stick it is common to let the weight bob up and down, and gain momentum by dropping the weight on the poles — effective, but inefficient.  We hold strong and pull the hips up with our abs and glutes.

    As we finish our single pole we start to get a view into the upper basin of North Fayston.  We can see the opening on Burnt Rock and dashes of snow that linger on the top of the ridge.  We kick double pole (KDP) to the top of the pavement, again focusing on strong body motions — pulling the hips up to the hands — and enjoy the late autumn scenery.  The dirt above the pavement is smooth, and its slick surface yields a more “snowlike” feel as we head up using mixed techniques at a brisk and light pace to flushing the lactate from our arms.  We get to a height of land and pull up next to a fellow who is splitting wood in his front yard.  He’s drawn to our arduous activity and knows exactly where we are from.  The community might be small here, but the community is big and strong like the mountains rising above us.

    Oh, yeah and it’s snowing in West Yellowstone!  A few more running races and ski prep are on the calendar.  Waitsfield, Vermont — not a bad place to spend your days.

    Stay tuned for more info on the club and look at these awesome pics of Elena Luethi, alum ’11, killing it down south at Williams Colege. More here.

  • Monday, Monday: Sweet Mad River Monday.

    Today was a great day in the Valley — a nice heavy frost in the morning, and clear, dry air all day.
    So nice to see morning light after changing the clocks! At breakfast, Evan and I talked about ideas for the new club we are forming to promote cross-country ski racing in the Valley.  We’re stoked to share the fun we are having training, racing, and exploring on skis.

    Pigs getting BK at the Gaylord Farm.

    After breakfast I took a trip down to the farm to drop off a weekend’s worth of kitchen scraps to the pigs.  The “scraps” are food preppings, and plate scrapings from the school kitchen.  As a result of our Pig Bucket program, we have diverted tons of waste over the past two years.   Not only are we reducing our waste stream, but we are linking our school with the greater community. 

    A part of what makes Waitsfield and the Mad River Valley so great for living is the community that is built around around mountains and rivers.  The hills make for awesome recreation and they define a community that enjoys exploring and playing outside.  The river winds its way through the Valley and allows for agriculture, more recreation, places for reflection, and occasionally shows its awesome force (check out the link to some flooding pics).

    We’ve been using Monday mornings for recovery sessions, which include a short adventure jog out the back door, looking for logs to scurry over, and stream beds with rocks to skip across.  Today we tried some ski imitation about four feet off the deck on a fallen hemlock in the sharp morning light.  We ran for 25 minutes and returned to a body-scan form of yoga.  For the past two Mondays we have spent a half an hour in silence following our breath through our bodies, noticing sensations of tightness or aching in our athletic bodies.  This week we moved into a new and more dynamic stage of body awareness.

    We’ve been doing a lot of work on becoming aware of and firing the deep supportive muscles that link our frame or “skiing muscle” together.  As ski racers we can find ourselves in compromised positions where we develop momentum by forcing our bodies through the motions.  Think of the nagging aches and deep soreness we experience during ski races and hard training.  Stronger “core” muscles mean more efficient motion, faster ski speed, and less chance for use injuries.  C-spine, tucking hips, pulling the belly button towards the spine, or … “turning off the flow of urine,” are all common terms we use to try and activate strong positions.

    Dev must have been really fired up today because lunch was pulled pork sandwiches.

    The afternoon session called for specific strength on classic roller skis.  We headed to a great new stretch of pavement on a quiet road north of town with reflective shirts and ready bodies.  To increase mobility and balance we forced striding technique as a warm-up.  Even thought the terrain dictates KDP or DP we force the technique, thinking of reaching forward and popping down on the ski to produce a long and free gliding stride.

    After that we put our legs together and single stick up a slightly steeper grade for 10 minutes.  The movement feels easy at first, but soon the hard work sets in.  When fatigued in single stick it is common to let the weight bob up and down, and gain momentum by dropping the weight on the poles — effective, but inefficient.  We hold strong and pull the hips up with our abs and glutes.

    As we finish our single pole we start to get a view into the upper basin of North Fayston.  We can see the opening on Burnt Rock and dashes of snow that linger on the top of the ridge.  We kick double pole (KDP) to the top of the pavement, again focusing on strong body motions — pulling the hips up to the hands — and enjoy the late autumn scenery.  The dirt above the pavement is smooth, and its slick surface yields a more “snowlike” feel as we head up using mixed techniques at a brisk and light pace to flushing the lactate from our arms.  We get to a height of land and pull up next to a fellow who is splitting wood in his front yard.  He’s drawn to our arduous activity and knows exactly where we are from.  The community might be small here, but the community is big and strong like the mountains rising above us.

    Oh, yeah and it’s snowing in West Yellowstone!  A few more running races and ski prep are on the calendar.  Waitsfield, Vermont — not a bad place to spend your days.

    Stay tuned for more info on the club and look at these awesome pics of Elena Luethi, alum ’11, killing it down south at Williams Colege. More here.

  • Monday, Monday: Sweet Mad River Monday.

    Today was a great day in the Valley — a nice heavy frost in the morning, and clear, dry air all day.
    So nice to see morning light after changing the clocks! At breakfast, Evan and I talked about ideas for the new club we are forming to promote cross-country ski racing in the Valley.  We’re stoked to share the fun we are having training, racing, and exploring on skis.

    Pigs getting BK at the Gaylord Farm.

    After breakfast I took a trip down to the farm to drop off a weekend’s worth of kitchen scraps to the pigs.  The “scraps” are food preppings, and plate scrapings from the school kitchen.  As a result of our Pig Bucket program, we have diverted tons of waste over the past two years.   Not only are we reducing our waste stream, but we are linking our school with the greater community. 

    A part of what makes Waitsfield and the Mad River Valley so great for living is the community that is built around around mountains and rivers.  The hills make for awesome recreation and they define a community that enjoys exploring and playing outside.  The river winds its way through the Valley and allows for agriculture, more recreation, places for reflection, and occasionally shows its awesome force (check out the link to some flooding pics).

    We’ve been using Monday mornings for recovery sessions, which include a short adventure jog out the back door, looking for logs to scurry over, and stream beds with rocks to skip across.  Today we tried some ski imitation about four feet off the deck on a fallen hemlock in the sharp morning light.  We ran for 25 minutes and returned to a body-scan form of yoga.  For the past two Mondays we have spent a half an hour in silence following our breath through our bodies, noticing sensations of tightness or aching in our athletic bodies.  This week we moved into a new and more dynamic stage of body awareness.

    We’ve been doing a lot of work on becoming aware of and firing the deep supportive muscles that link our frame or “skiing muscle” together.  As ski racers we can find ourselves in compromised positions where we develop momentum by forcing our bodies through the motions.  Think of the nagging aches and deep soreness we experience during ski races and hard training.  Stronger “core” muscles mean more efficient motion, faster ski speed, and less chance for use injuries.  C-spine, tucking hips, pulling the belly button towards the spine, or … “turning off the flow of urine,” are all common terms we use to try and activate strong positions.

    Dev must have been really fired up today because lunch was pulled pork sandwiches.

    The afternoon session called for specific strength on classic roller skis.  We headed to a great new stretch of pavement on a quiet road north of town with reflective shirts and ready bodies.  To increase mobility and balance we forced striding technique as a warm-up.  Even thought the terrain dictates KDP or DP we force the technique, thinking of reaching forward and popping down on the ski to produce a long and free gliding stride.

    After that we put our legs together and single stick up a slightly steeper grade for 10 minutes.  The movement feels easy at first, but soon the hard work sets in.  When fatigued in single stick it is common to let the weight bob up and down, and gain momentum by dropping the weight on the poles — effective, but inefficient.  We hold strong and pull the hips up with our abs and glutes.

    As we finish our single pole we start to get a view into the upper basin of North Fayston.  We can see the opening on Burnt Rock and dashes of snow that linger on the top of the ridge.  We kick double pole (KDP) to the top of the pavement, again focusing on strong body motions — pulling the hips up to the hands — and enjoy the late autumn scenery.  The dirt above the pavement is smooth, and its slick surface yields a more “snowlike” feel as we head up using mixed techniques at a brisk and light pace to flushing the lactate from our arms.  We get to a height of land and pull up next to a fellow who is splitting wood in his front yard.  He’s drawn to our arduous activity and knows exactly where we are from.  The community might be small here, but the community is big and strong like the mountains rising above us.

    Oh, yeah and it’s snowing in West Yellowstone!  A few more running races and ski prep are on the calendar.  Waitsfield, Vermont — not a bad place to spend your days.

    Stay tuned for more info on the club and look at these awesome pics of Elena Luethi, alum ’11, killing it down south at Williams Colege. More here.

  • Switching Gears: Morning Training

    Today was a great day. Start of second quarter (first quarter tests are behind us!), start of our morning training schedule, a beautiful sunny day, and a really giggly and goofy team. We started off this morning with our weekly team meeting where we went over the schedule for this week and what’s coming up in the next few weeks (Nationals week, Thanksgiving break, fall camp). Then we headed out for an 1:30 double pole around campus before lunch and afternoon classes. Above, Anika is all smiles. : )
    Tess kick-DP’ing her way to the top.
    Mollie.
    Rizio & Kate.
    Mollie & Brooke, quick water break and some technique pointers.
    Hamish.
    Gino.
    Murph.
    Calvin.
    Anika.
    Charlie & Tyler.
    Skyler, Murph & Calvin.
    Skyler.Classes today were from 12:30pm to 5:15pm. After class we hit the gym for some strength.
    The team warms up on spin bikes before starting our strength routine.
    Goofballs. : )
    Mollie.
    Brooke, hammering.

    Paddy (of FasterSkier fame). : )
    Tess.
    Anika.
    Issy.
    Murph, getting after it.
    “Woodchoppers” – throwing the medicine ball as hard as you can against the ground to your partner.
    Yeah Sver!
    Wooo!
    Mac takes it to the rollerboard.
    Corky’s a blur!
    Kate.
    Tyler, ski-erging.
    Rizio, giving it all she’s got.
    Boobs gives Gino a hand.
    One handed med-ball crunches.
    Calvin.
    Tess.
    Charlie was in rare form this afternoon. : )
    Anika, taking care of business.
    When planks are just too easy…