November, 2009

Don’t forget, the FinnSisu SuperFit sale is this weekend.  SuperFit is a CXC program where CXC Vertical Limit athletes and coaches work with local retailers to help skiers find the best equipment for the coming winter.  I was scheduled to work at the event, but had to back out at the last minute to take advantage of the opportunity to get on snow.  Hopefully Ahvo will understand that while I love my Marwe’s, they just don’t compare to the real thing!  There will be several clinics worth attending and you can check out the schedule here.

Roberto Carcelen is a member of the Peruvian National Team.  In fact, for all intents and purposes, Carcelen is the Peruvian National Team.  I first met Roberto on a bus ride home from the venue at the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic last winter.  He’s one of the few other skiers out on the trails here in Silver Star and we had a chance to catch up during a ski this afternoon.

Roberto Carcelen

Like us, Roberto is out on the trail testing his new fleet and getting some valuable time on snow at altitude.  If he toes the line in Vancouver this February, he will be the first Peruvian to compete in the Winter Olympics, ever.  He’s here with his wife and their two-year old daughter training for the week.  (MaryBeth, I’ve been trying to convince Matt that he needs to bring you and the kids out here next time!).  They actually live in Seattle and Roberto does most of his skiing up in the Methow Valley.  Gotta say, I was pretty impressed by how well Roberto was skiing this afternoon.  He says he does a lot of his training down in the Andes running on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, where he operates his business Inca Runners.  He’ll be joining us on our intervals tomorrow.  It’ll be exciting to follow his progress, along with all of Peru, during the coming winter.

Another beautiful day in Silver Star.  Matt & I are out of the hostel and living with Marshall Greene, my old Middlebury teammate, & Brayton Osgood of the XC Oregon team, in a little condo.  After a lot of planning and travel, it’s great to be in one place for a while.

We skied classic at Sovereign Lake this morning on Toko red.  Could’ve used a little binder to keep the wax on longer, but, if that’s my only complaint, I really can’t complain.  Conditions are better at Sovereign now than they were in December last year and we enjoyed a few loops ripping around the World Cup trails.

Sovereign Lake Nordic Chalet

"What do I use this cork for?"

Marshall & Brayton

Today is also Marshall’s Birthday.  Not a bad way to celebrate!

Monday, November 2, 2009.

SilverStar, BC.

Matt Liebsch in the Same Sun Hostel Silver Star

Sweet!

I always thought that riding in the team van was slow, stopping at every rest stop to relieve full bladders and top off empty Nalgenes.  Well, compared to my first experience on a Greyhound bus yesterday, I’ve decided the van feels like a Formula 1 race car, flying down the road making wicked fast pit stops.  The travel day started great with a bulkhead seat on an almost empty plane, almost too good to be true!

This never happens!

Flying into Vancouver: Sea to Sky

Driving through Vancouver has never left a positive impression on me, as the traffic and stoplights make getting anywhere efficiently next to impossible.  Riding the Vancouver Sky Tram (the public transportation network), on the other hand, was easy, fast, and inexpensive.  For $1.50 (Canadian!), I was able to take a 45 minute train ride into Downtown, then transfer trains to Pacific Station (read: Greyhound Depot).  A beautiful, sunny afternoon made traveling through town with a full ski bag and duffel much easier.

Riding the Greyhound was my payback for the empty, direct flight to Vancouver.  The bus was totally full (as Bill the bus driver pointed out: “54 fewer cars on the road”) for the entire 6 hour 30 minute journey.

If the Polar Express were a bus, it would be the Greyhound from Vancouver to Kelowna.  As the sun set, a full moon rose over the mountains.  The bus climbed into the mountains (getting passed by semi trucks) and the small snow piles along the interstate turned into white fields of snow, illuminated by the moonlight.  Kelowna was a valley of welcoming lights at the end of my Greyhound journey.  Liebsch picked me up in his rental car (he was able to fly directly into Kelowna) and less than an hour later, we had a car full of groceries as we pulled into Silver Star.  We went to bed dreaming of the snow we were going to schuss in the morning.

Chuck came up to Hayward last Wednesday to pick up his new skis.  We heard through the grapevine that Silver Star got hit by a big snowstorm and, what started as a “what if. . .?” on a wet and rainy roller ski quickly turned into a conceivable plan. . .

Matt Liebsch