Bucket List……

Everyone should have a bucket list.  There should be no age limit and it should not be set in stone.  A bucket list is a list where you write down your secret dreams, missions and ambitions.  My first bucket list started about 4 years ago while hiking with my Mom and friend.  We were in Waterton National Park; it was fall the scenery was beautiful.  It was also bear season.  So we decided that we needed to be constantly talking which led to the creation of my first bucket list.

I have to be perfectly honest here and tell you that I do not remember all of them.  I suppose that it is a way to filter out the important ones from the not so important ones.  One that stayed on my list and in my mind was Rome.  This Christmas I got to check that off my list.  There is no better feeling in the world than a line through an item on a “list”!  The item stays but the line is such a feeling of accomplishment; okay I might be slightly driven and crazy!

Rome is such an amazing city; organized chaos. It felt like everywhere I looked and every corner I turned unveiled a new treasure, landmark or café.  My ignorance of Roman history is a little embarrassing but I must admit that upon seeing all the landmarks, I did in fact know about them.  I was the annoying little tourist too cheap to pay for a guide and opting instead to tag onto a group here and there and pick up some good info.  The history in the city of Rome is never ending.  The myths, the battles, the storylines, and the cultures are immense. At the heart of Rome is the Vatican and although much has changed between now and 2000 years ago, it is still the hub and it is still pulsing. I went to see the Pope at one of his Daily Audiences.  I always find it so surreal seeing someone so famous and so influential in person.  There were people from all over the world there to see him.  Sitting ahead of us was a group from Mexico! They were so enthusiastic and happy to see the Pope that I thought that I was at a hockey game; they even had cheers.

Being in Italy and in one of the fashion centers of the country, I could not bring myself to wear sneakers!! Instead, I donned my good old boots, and teetered my way over all the cobblestone streets; ah, the price of vanity.  My feet have never been so sore and I have a whole new appreciation for women who wear those types of shoes all day, every day!

Trying to be sneaky and not fall for the tourist traps we only went to restaurants and cafes off the beaten track.  The good news is, Rome does not have a shortage of restaurants or cafes.  I loved the food and wine.  It felt like my days revolved around walking and eating; not such a tough life.

I have always thought that they best way to discover a city is to walk.  Well, since I am an athlete and in the middle of the season I opted for a couple runs as well.  I am not too sure who was more confused; me getting lost in the maze of streets or the locals watching some North American run in tights on Christmas Eve!  The Italians definitely are not shy and their favourite pastime just might be staring!

My top 5 experiences of Rome are.

-          Fontana dell’Acqua  Paolo

-          The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica

-          The Colosseo

-          The “Wedding Cake” monument. AKA – Vittorio Emanuele Monument

-          Our two hours lunches which included amazing food and wine.  We often overstayed our welcome and cut into the owners “siesta” time….oops.

-          Roaming the tiny narrow streets, while avoiding being taken out by a moped.

I will never forget Rome. It is a place where I hope to return one day. I am so happy that I saw it away from the high tourist season and sweltering temperatures.  I feel that I got a more authentic and real experiences instead of battling people, pickpockets and lines.

It has been an amazing six days away from snow, mountains and ski boots.  I am refuelled and ready to go for the next part of the seasoon.

It is always amazing at how fast a dream can be taken from you.  How quickly your life changes and alters route.  Throughout my career as a ski racer I have come to many “y’s” in the road and I have also come to many massive road blocks that totally alter my path.  One can never prepare for these times in our lives so it is can debilitating when they come.   In the eyes of Canadians and the World, never has an amateur athletic career been so important, as the 2010 winter Olympics approaches quickly and relentlessly.  Never has there been so much anticipation and lead up as right now and thus comes pressure, expectation and weighted dreams and goals.

Alpine Skiing is an extreme sport and probably one of the Olympic’s most dangerous and injury prone disciplines. When you sign up to be an alpine racer, you don’t do so without understanding the risks, repercussions and challenges.  I think that around 85% of world cup racers have had some sort of knee injury.  I would say that 100% have had at least one major crash.  I would say that we were crazy, but as a racer myself, it is just part of the package and normal in my eyes.  Each of us must crave the adrenaline, the excitement, the risk and the unknown, otherwise why would we be doing what we do.  I know that I am still here, shooting for my 3^rd Olympics with many injuries and crashes under my belt and yet having never felt more confident, comfortable and prepared.  To be a champion on the slopes you need to take chances.  The older and more experienced that you get the more calculated they become but they are still “risks”.  You will never win in the comfort zone and we are not here for mediocre.

Having said all that, my heart is sad and sits at least a couple inches lower than where it did a couple weeks ago.  Having John Kucera and JP Roy out for the season and their Olympic dreams dashed, I thought to myself “what bad luck” for our team and country.  Little did I know that that was just the beginning of something so much bigger, darker and unexplainable.

Last week in Val D’Isere we were racing on the old hill, the sun was out and everyone was excited to be back there and racing on that track.  I know that my spirits were considerably lifted since I knew that I didn’t have to race on the world champ hill and also because I really love the track in Val D’Isere.   The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for racing.  Unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be all that perfect for our team as we lost one of our young stars Larisa Yurkiw.  She took a good little crash about halfway down the course and ended up blowing her knee…..Olympic Dream ended.  I was so sad for her. I was at a loss of words but not emotion having experienced something similar 3 months prior to Salt Lake City. I could understand a little bit of what she was going through but definitely not on the same scale as it being a “home “Olympics.  There has been such anticipation for this event that when it gets taken away from you the “disappointment” is even greater. She was a little trooper though and held her head high.  She will be back stronger than ever and will eventually lead our team to great things in the future.

Day 2.  Training run #2.  Sunny day. Perfect course conditions.  Then what went wrong?  It was as I was standing in the finish area after my run while watching Kelly Vanderbeek come down the course, ripping turns that things drastically changed.  After catching a couple edges and near recoveries she took a massive crash, her body torquing into shapes and angles that make the cirque de soleil look mild.  At that moment my heart sunk even lower.  There are crashes that look bad but turn out okay and then there are crashes that look bad and turn out bad.  Well, Kelly’s was one of those.  I almost don’t have words to explain the emotion that I felt and the sadness that I felt for her.  We are a small team with 5 girls and when two are taken away from you, it changes everything.  When it is 2 of your friends and teammates that get hurt, it really makes you realize how vulnerable you really are.  Why did this happen to us?  Why did this happen now when the games are so close and the window for a comeback is well closed.  Our team has never been more prepared, fit and healthy.  Why the curve ball now?  I truly felt like we really are in no control of our destiny and or our dreams.  Although Kelly put on a brave face and inspired us to keep going, it was one of the toughest times in my career.  She will come back and she will be stronger because of it. She will have success again but in this moment I am so sorry that her cards got dealt the way they did.

The day after the 2^nd training run was the combined race.  I knew that I needed to do something special. I knew that I needed to dig deep for myself and for my team. It was only Shona and I competing so it was important that we bring something good out of the day.  The value of getting back out there and conquering your fears is so strong and important that I knew it was the only way to move on and build from our new reality.  I charged out of the start gate in the downhill portion of the race like never before, only to be flagged about 30seconds into the course…..seriously!! It was almost like a joke.  Karma is not on Alpine Canada’s side for sure!!  I was almost laughing as I got onto the back of the skidoo and headed back up to the start of the race.  I decided to have my rerun quite quickly after arriving at the top because I knew that bad weather was coming in and I also wanted to use the adrenaline that I had pumping already.  I charged out the gate with even more vigour the second time and ended up having one of the runs of my life, earning the 3^rd best time.  In the finish I collapsed because I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I put so much into that run and to earn a 3^rd place finish was more than I could ever have asked for.  I felt that I had done my job and now was play time for the slalom run.   I have been training a little slalom lately so I knew that I had the tools to hold my own out there and that I did, earning a 7^th place overall finish in the combined race, finishing among the top slalom skiers in the world.   The slalom course and hill was a lot of fun and as I like to call it, “downhiller friendly”!

Unfortunately, the downhill was cancelled the following day and in the Super-G on Sunday I didn’t have a great race.  I was really hoping to get in one last downhill race down the track and really felt confident for Saturday but the wind and snow where merciless.  Hopefully they will reschedule the downhill in January sometime.

Now I am in Rome enjoying a lovely little Christmas holiday with my Mom and best friend. It is a great city in which to immerse yourself in and get lost in.  There is so much to see, experience and learn.  I drink more coffee than water and could eat all day everyday!  I will give a little Christmas blog in a couple days time.  I wish everyone a Happy Holiday season and all the best in the New Year.

Well, who would have thought!!!

A 2^nd place finish in the downhill on Friday, followed by a 3^rd place finish on Saturday.  These results have happening in my mind for many many years, but to actually have them become a reality was almost beyond words.  After my performance on Friday it was like a giant weight and black cloud off of my shoulders as I finally conquered the Lake Louise track.  I have always loved racing here but I have never been able to execute my game plan on race day.  This year was different. I seemed to have this hidden and silent confidence about me.  I was happy with my training runs although none of them resulted in a top 10 finish.  I just knew that I had another gear and was going to do something special come race day.

When I woke up Friday morning, it was dumping with snow and looking like a not “ideal” downhill race day scenario but then I thought to myself why not. I grew in Fernie, which is the land of white fluffy stuff; why not turn this reality into a positive. I knew that some of the other girls would be hesitating with the poor visibility and that I could use it in my favour.  The start of the course ended up being moved down about 25 seconds which changed up the tactics of the course a little bit. I had been struggling in the upper section in training and now that that wasn’t a part of the race I felt more confident.  I charged out of the start with all the power, intention and motivation that I could muster up.  I skied with determination and drive, which in turn led me to one of the runs of my life.  The nerve racking part was not so much the actual racing the waiting game in the finish corral.  Having started 9^th, I had a long wait ahead of me to see if my 2^nd place position would hold and it did J  I don’t think that I have ever been more emotional with a result before.  This was something that I had been trying to do for over a decade.  It was something that I had been trying to do to show my appreciation for all the hard work and support that the volunteers, my sponsors, friends and family had put in each and every year.  This was my time to overcome pressure and expectation and make a dream come true.

Having achieved one of my career long goals, I had a deep desire to prove to people that it wasn’t just a “fluke”.  Saturday morning was cold, clear and one could call it quite “crisp”.  It was an ideal day for racing in Lake Louise.  This meant that we would be starting from the top and that it would be a full length, full Lake Louise Downhill. I was excited to race from the top and I knew that my confidence from yesterday would carry over to the second downhill.  In inspection I really looked at the top part of the course because I knew that if I was able to nail the upper part of the course I could do something special.  Needless to say, I attacked and charged the course like never before and came into the finish with a 6 tenth lead.  The long waiting game began again. I was really happy with my run but wasn’t so sure that it would hold up like yesterday.  Well, I can happily say that I was wrong.  I ended up in 3^rd place and racked up another podium finish in Lake Louise.  Not only was it probably the tallest podium finish ever, with Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch both on the podium but it was the same podium and the day before.

The last day of racing in Lake Louise was a Super-G.  Unfortunately, I didn’t really step up to the race plate and had to be happy with 17^th place.  After my two previous days of racing I could ask for no more and left the finish with a smile on my face!  On the day of the Super-G all 6 Canadian racers made it into the top 30 which was an amazing feet and a true testament to the talent and depth of our speed team.  Watch out for us in a couple weeks time in Val D’Isere, France.

I sit here at the Chateau Lake Louise,  on the cusp of an exciting, inspiring, challenging and consequential year.

Lake Louise is always host to the women’s opening World Cup of the season but this year it feels even more special.  I have never been more ready to race.  I have never been more anxious. I have also never been more aware of what it is at stake.

 With each subsequent year of racing that I do, the harder it is for me to really push it during the training season.  I believe that I become more of a race horse each year and thus making the desire to risk and “push it” in training slim. Although I truly believe that I have a 5^th gear, it is sometimes hard when I don’t see it reflected in the run times throughout the summer and fall training blocks.

When I pushed out of the start hut today for the first training run of the upcoming World Cup this weekend, there was a smile on my face and a readiness in my body language.  The nerves, the adrenaline and the challenge are what inspire me these days.  I feel that ski racing is a form of expression and today’s expression was one of fun, ease and joy.

Having had the men perform to the highest of expectations last weekend, there is somewhat of an expectation for us to follow.  Now, this works in two ways, one it is inspiring and motivating because we know what they have done this summer.  We have been given the same tools, and we have also had past success. On the other side of things, there is this massive pressure to match or even better the men’s performance.  This is a blessing in disguise because it can only prepare us for this upcoming season and the Olympic Games, which I now refer to as the “O” word.

I cannot predict the future but I think that it will be an exciting weekend of racing here in Lake Louise!

In some places, 3 is a lucky number and now it has become mine!!  Yes, I am embarking on the journey to my third Olympic Games.   At the rip age of 29 I feel that I am finally ready to compete at home in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.  It will be a dream come true and an honour beyond words.

For some, this event has little meaning outside the unjustifiable spending of money but for many this is a chance to show the World what Canada is all about.  The value of the Olympics Games transcends the medals and the shows.  Instead, it breaks down limiting barriers between people, cultures and countries; it is the biggest unifying event in the world in my eyes. I am so proud to be Canadian and I think that Canadians should be proud too. By being given a chance to represent my country doing something that I absolutely love to do, is an opportunity beyond words and I hope that I can do it with honour, humility, success and passion.

My first Olympic experience took place in Salt Lake City in 2002 where I experienced a bitter sweetness like never before; milk chocolate versus 80% dark cacao. I had just come back from a potentially career ending injury in February 2001 to only come across another career altering obstacle; another knee injury. This knee injury crippled me; not literally but emotionally! I thought that my Olympic Dream was over.  Little did I know that one man’s belief and a support network that could move mountains would change that belief and grant me my childhood dream; the Olympic Games.  Now, it was not all glory.  It was by far the hardest thing in my life I have ever achieved and as I stood there in the opening ceremonies, I truly believed that it I could overcome this, anything was possible.  I went on to compete in the Slalom and Giant Slalom disciplines which were my only races that years and in which I represented myself proudly. On the day of my first race I realized two things….one, I hate losing and two, I would be back!

So here I was, 4 years later, a medal hopeful, entering the 2006 Torino Winter Games with a feeling like I was on top of my game and ready for “My Moment”!  I had the expectations of myself and my country on my shoulder and I ended up crumbled like an old Greek ruin.  The disappointment in how I performed was indescribable and it took a long time to shake it and look at it from a different perspective; 9^th place isn’t all that bad!  This is when I came to another two conclusions…..Nothing can break me, and two, I would be back!

My hopeful third Olympic experience will be a culmination of the past two Olympic Games and what I have learned in between those two massive bench marks.  To make things clear, as I sit here and write this column I have yet to fully qualify for the Games as one of my qualifications must take place in the year of the Games but I am under the total belief that if I can’t reach the qualification standard I really don’t deserve to be there!  When I think of February 2010, I try and think of it as one of the major peaks in my mountain range of a career.   I am prepared mentally, physically and emotionally to take on the word.  I feel an energy that I have not felt in a long time and although my body sometimes disagrees, it is like a new beginning and a new chance on a clean slate.

This fire inside of me has sometimes flickered and nearly gone out but it never stopped burning.  Now it burns as strong as my loyal wood stove at home that kept me warm my whole childhood.  My goal is to stand in that start gate at the Olympic Games knowing that I did everything possible in my control to be prepared and ready; regrets are for the past.  Just thinking of it know, I can feel the energy of the people, the passion of my competitors and the burning in my soul to do myself proud, my family and friends proud and my country proud.  Feel the passion, Share the Passion, Be the Passion. You are now on this Olympic Journey with me….welcome aboard!!!

I am slowly going crazy……. 

I have been in Solden now for 4 days and have skied 1. Winter has come with a vengeance.  The good news is that all of Europe seems to be shut down and it is not like the weather is just picking on us innocent Canadians.

We complain when there is not enough snow, as in 4 days ago and we complain when winter comes and there is too much snow and wind to ski as in the last 3 days; apparently it is hard to make us ski racers happy.  After my initial shock at seeing the Solden glacier or the lack thereof, I understand the importance of this winter storm but as a ski racer who has come to train in Europe for 2 weeks, missing three days in a row is not ideal.

I have been coming to these European glaciers for more than a decade and it is scary to see with my own eyes how the glaciers are receding and the environment is changing.  Where once, I could ski to the parking lot, there are now snow guns making snow on top of the black glacial ice.  Where once the glaciers looked like a giant, fluffy white clouds they now look like slabs of cement with fault lines marring the surface.  Winter is changing and summer skiing could just well be coming to an end…..

I find it quite funny when people think that I am actually a “winter” person when in reality, I am a wimp against the cold. Having spent most of my winters in Europe for the last 12 years, I have developed “soft skin” when it comes to the Canadian winters and looking ahead it slightly concerns me about when I actually have to live a true winter again!  Good news is that Vancouver is definitely on the milder side of Jack Frost.

The season is getting closer.  For some, it will start in a couple weeks here in Solden with a Giant Slalom. I have decided to “retire” from the GS discipline as I can no longer keep up with the “youngins” but I do love training it and find it extremely beneficial to my performance in my other disciplines.  My season will not start until Lake Louise which is still quite some time away and therefore, I am still in very much training mode.

It is exciting to know that I still have some great training opportunities ahead of me but having said that, each day that leads me closer to the season is extremely exciting.  This is going to be a big year, and I am understanding and accepting that fact more and more.  The Canadian public is getting more involved and with the help of CTV, our images are constantly being aired across the country; how can you not get excited. 

It is amazing how political sport actually is and the closer we get to these highly anticipated Games, the more I am realizing it.  We are no longer just athletes training for a sport we love in order to achieve dreams and goals and affect change in this world, but we have become poster children for hot topics and controversial ones at that.  With blogging as it has become in this day and age, freedom of speech is being tested at new levels and with it comes high risk and high consequences.   There are things that I feel strongly about and wish I could share but sometime the repercussions are just too great. I have recently been reminded how when saying one thing in the media, it can be turned into something entirely different.  How we are sometimes at the mercy of other peoples interpretations.  How, no matter how hard it may be, being an athlete or a person in the public eye has its responsibilities.  I can honestly say that I try and be as real and honest as possible and from there people can make their own decisions.

After being home for 3 weeks in Canada I realized the importance of our messages to the media, our availability to the media and our openness to the media. This is the time in Canadian sport to be a great advocate for sport and it benefits; having said that, I did run away to London, England last week. I am not sure if it was fuelled by flight or fight, or if I just knew deep down that I needed a little time away.  I love London and always have. I spent quite a few childhood holidays there as my Mom is British and all of her family lives there. I have many fond memories of Trafalgar square, the Tower of London, Big Ben and many more iconic London attractions.  I find London the most fascinating city with something new and undiscovered each time I go.  I think that its charm is a combination of the endless history paired with the English language and family and friends.  I have always been drawn to big cities, but who we are kidding I come from the small town of Fernie so I like the comfort of knowing that if I get lost, I can more than likely find  my way home again!  Highlights of this getaway where; High Tea in Wimbledon,  the Amish Kapoor exhibit,  the Salvador Dali exhibit, the Natural History Museum, bowling, shopping and dinner with friends and family.

Life is about balance. It is about work with recovery, yin and yang or whatever you may wish you call it.  I realize more and more the importance of balance in my life and in my ski career. This year is going to be a balancing act and one I hope that my past experiences will help guide me through.

It is that time of the year again, and no….I am not talking about skiing!! It is time to bring out the golf shoes, your inner child and open mind to the annual Emily Brydon Youth Foundation golf tournament.  The EBYF tournament is the key fundraiser for the foundation itself and an amazing way to connect with a cause that is close to my heart and the people of the Elk Valley.  

We have original ideas ranging from an “air tee” involving compressed air, closest to the zucchini and closest to the keg!  The tournament is about having fun and seeing the value of playing and what it can bring to the youth of our valley!

Over the last 4 years that foundation has donated thousands of dollars to a very diverse range of great causes.

-          $3000 to a local play ground

-          Over 50 ski/snowboard programs, including lift pass, lessons and equipment

-          Multiple school teams and programs

-          Summer camp

-          Hockey camp

-          Writers conference

This is just a few of the activities the Emily Brydon Youth Foundation has supported and believed in.

The golf tournament is taking place this Saturday, September 19^th at the Fernie Golf and Country Club!!

For more information email EBYF@shaw.ca

So here I am, almost 4 weeks into a great ski camp in New Zealand.  It is like I have been on my own little “lonely planet” tour, just through the eyes of a ski racer.  Once I got over the fact that I was leaving summer behind, I have been able to fully embrace the Kiwi winter (which really isn’t all that bad!).  On a little side note, I realize that I am not sure I handle Canadian winters anymore as my skin seems to have softened and I am finding -10 awfully cold!

I have probably skied 20 days so far, skied more slalom gates than my last couple of season combined and have raced in races put on by a couple local Canadians here in New Zealand at the New Zealand Winter Games and had some of my best training and some of my most challenging and humbling! Our whole team has been together since arriving down here but last weekend, our team split and the speed girls went mountain hopping all the way to Mt. Hutt.  The plan was to get in 10 days of speed training but since this resort is aptly named Mt. Shut it was a little ambitious! I am pretty sure that I have never seen wind as fierce before and needless to say we missed the first 4 days.  The good news is that we did manage to get in a day of downhill training today which turned out to be a blast.  It felt good to get back on the old skis again; it is like coming home J

Our two week block in Coronet Peak was great preparation for this speed portion and I feel that all the blood, sweat and tears (lots of those!) was definitely worth it.  Now it is time to capitalize on the speed training here and get as much as possible out of it before heading home in a week!  Unfortunately I have not been on any real Kiwi adventures….but then again there is still a week to go and who knows what can happen in that time.  I do know that I love black liquorice, flat whites, timtams and a good glass of local wine!

After a four month respite from skiing, I am back on snow and having a blast.  I arrived yesterday afternoon to lovely New Zealand where I am spending the next 4 weeks of my life training, racing and getting ready for the next World Cup season and Olympic Games.

Having come off the longest break of my career to date, I was a little concerned that I might have forgotten how to ski but good news folks; I survived today with flying colours and no crashes!  Apparently ski racing is just like riding a bike! Our camp is starting off in a place called Roundhill, which, according to a lovely couple in the inspection line at the airport is literally a “round hill”.  It is actually quite amazing because there are all these magnificent mountains surrounding Lake Takapo (the village where we are staying!) yet, the ski hill was built on the “round hill”.  I must admit that it was a nice transition, if that can even be the word, from no skiing to “we have a lot to do in the next 4 weeks, skiing and full length slalom courses!”

I have always really enjoyed coming to train in New Zealand over the years. There are many reasons for this but the first coming to mind being, English, similar cultures, low elevations, towns, shopping and good snow!  The first time I ever came to New Zealand was ten years ago when I came down with the ski team to a place called Porter Heights.  I realize now that those where definitely the days of character building, patience training and roughing it.  We had nine to a room, one house for the full 3 weeks, no civilization in sight and the hot tub consisted of a tub, full of hot water, precariously perched over an open fire!  This time round we are staying in beautiful condo’s right on the lake, cooking our own meals and in an area where there is a café and internet!

As I mentioned earlier, I was off of snow for 4 months this year, which is the longest time I have been off snow in the last 13 years probably.  It was a break that I dearly needed and one which I tried to capitalize on and one that I think was absolutely necessary to get me ready for what lies ahead.  I only had a few mild panic attacks on the hill today when trying out new drills and courses which seems much more complicated before my break!!! What I have really realized is that I am finally fresh and ready to learn again.

Once you have been on the National Team for as long as I have and once you reach a certain level on the World Cup, training isn’t so much about how many runs you can do a day, it is about fine tuning and making the most out of each run you take. I am not going to go out there and change my technique drastically, but I am trying to eliminate some of my bad habits and to solidify a great base from which to work from.  I am looking for the hundredths of a second that separate the winners from the non podium achievers.

This camp here in New Zealand is where we set the base and tone for the season to come.  I will be spending 5 days here in Roundhill, and then I am heading up to Queenstown for 2 weeks and finishing off the camp in Mt. Hutt.  There will be a couple races that my team might attend while we are down here but I am really trying to focus on the technical aspects that I need to alter, refine and imprint.

I was so excited to be back on my skis today and although I did suffer from a little leg burn and “slalom back”, it was well worth it! I hope that everyone is enjoying summer and not thinking of snow flakes!

A summer of Fun!

Now what is it that ski racers do in the summer months when there is no snow to be seen and the skis are waxed and put away to collect dust for the summer? Contrary to what most people think, summer is not all about beer, beach and barbeques, but about barbells, bikes and bruises.

This summer I wanted to find my inner “athlete” again and so I found myself back in Fernie, purchasing a new mountain bike and pushing my fear limits on the trails throughout the valley.  I also enjoyed working out in the local gym and scaring the dickens out of everyone while enduring my 2 min clean-squat interval. This was a great interlude for what was to come in Whistler where the team converged together for a 10 day dryland camp.

Sometimes I find it a little hard to get up the motivation for the team dryland camps because I do enjoy my time away from the team and the comfort of my own home but I have been pleasantly surprised in Whistler.  The program was adapted from spending 3.5hours in the gym in the mornings and again a 1.5hr session in the afternoon to intervals, jumps and agility outdoors and epic bike rides in the afternoons. After the first day I was slightly concerned that we were training for the strongman championship after a serious log rolling contest but it turns out that it is also productive training for a ski racer.  The mountain biking has been a blast especially having our ski coaches out with us (Rob Boyd is still as crazy as ever!).

I have come to the conclusion, that although many of us will deny it initially, we are all adrenaline seekers.  Whether it is on the mountain bike flying downhill, or jumping off bridges, we all get such a kick out of it and it becomes quite apparent why we do what we do.  Yesterday after possibly the hardest bike ride of the summer we did team bungee jumping.  Yup, that is right, my whole team jumped with flying colours off the bridge at Whistler Bungee with laughter, screams and pizzazz. I must admit though that by the time I went (last out of the bunch, had to switch cables…..) my stomach was in my throat and I was doubting my bravado.

The thing that is crazy about my sport is the fact that I almost need to train to train, meaning that I need to get as fit as possible off the snow in order to maximize my on snow training. Due to the fact that we need to travel far and wide in the search of snow, when we get there it is extremely important to use the time efficiently and productively and thus the gruelling hours in the gym.

Whistler is a really important time for our team. It is the last major dryland training block before we hit the slopes of New Zealand at the beginning of August.   I have had almost 4 months off of snow already and it has been an excellent refuelling period and now I am ready to hit the slopes again.

What I have come to realize at this Whistler camp is that we have an amazing group of athletic women who are fun, adventurous and all on the same journey to success.  We have a blast together and complement each other in ways that make spending months on end together possible. I am so excited for this next year and what it will bring. It is going to be an experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget!