December, 2010

After a great Christmas break in Minneapolis, I’m back on the road in Rumford, Maine getting ready for the US National Championships.  My week at home was a blast with lots of skiing at Wirth and hanging out with friends and the Kuzzy crew.  The skiing in the Cities was some of the best I can remember.  I was able to recharge my batteries and get ready for the races in Maine.  Here’s a quick update from Rumford. . .

Santa's Village

My travels to Maine were flawless. . .not what I was expecting after seeing the storm reports from the East Coast.  I arrived in Burlington right on schedule and cruised down to have a dinner of venison steaks with the Kaedings.  A home cooked meal after a day on the road really hit the spot, especially the tenderloin cooked to perfection with a Minnesota bean casserole.  Wow.

Gus and I had to make a stop at Santa’s Village to put in some belated requests (both of us were looking for new snow tires), but Santa must’ve already closed up shop for the season.

In Rumford, we were greeted by fresh snow and anticipated great conditions for skiing.

Karl waxing up his classic race skis

Unfortunately, the trail itself was far from ideal.  We had to swing back by the van and pick up skis that were more appropriate for the conditions.

"Well, at least the kick is good!"

Perhaps swim trunks would’ve been a better idea. . .

Gregg prepares for his dive as Cork stands, er sits, on guard duty.

At any rate, it’s good to have the whole team together out in Rumford getting ready for the races to come.  At least we’re getting some sun out here!

Back home again!  There’s so much snow here in Minneapolis that the police cars come standard with ski racks.

What do I do to kick back, relax, and get my mind off of skiing when I’m home?  Why, go skiing of course!  Got out with the Fays, Skolds, Bohns, and Kuzzys for a cruise around Baker.  The majority of the ski was spent hanging out at the barn enjoying refreshments and warm Glühwein.  That’s my kind of workout.

Prost!

After an eventful week in Silver Star, we are just getting settled into our newest home in Rossland, BC – just north of Spokane, Washington on the Canadian side of the border.  It’s rare that we get to a venue that is new to everyone, so I’m looking forward to checking out a new town.

Here’s a little recap with photos from our adventures in Silver Star.

In terms of skiing, it doesn’t get much better than Silver Star.  Anywhere you can ski right out your door is alright in my book and the Star has over 100km of breathtaking trails, groomed daily.  My only regret is that we couldn’t stay there longer!

Silver Star is owned by an Australian firm and, because of Commonwealth work visas, there are an inordinately high percentage of Aussies.  Their influence is so strong that Silver Star feels a lot more like it’s in Australia than Canada.

After a week of fresh snow every day, we had ideal conditions for racing.

Big congrats to our women’s team for stacking the podium in both the Sprint and 10km.  Rob Whitney (race winner Holly Brooks‘ husband) was on hand taking photos.  Here are some of Rob’s shots:

jessie, caitlin, brooke, and jennie

Brian Gregg took 3rd in the 15km Skate, putting in a blazing last lap to climb onto the podium.

cook and kuz

Cook and I skied the majority of the race together, chugging along in the CXC freight train.

kuz, gus, cook, cork, gregg, caitlin, jennie, brooke, and jessie - the cxc representation in canada

Thanks to Rob for all the photos from the weekend and to Gus and Jason for the great race support all season.

To cap off an already awesome week, we spent Sunday night playing hockey with the Sun Valley team and a bunch of Aussie workers at the Silver Star pond.

Matt Liebsch has got some serious hockey skills and was definitely our team mvp for the night.  Can’t wait to pull out the skates some more when I get home over Christmas.  Stay tuned for more from Rossland. . .

Pretty exciting.  16 hours in a van from West Yellowstone to Silver Star.  Lots of time to catch up on some well needed…

Sleep. Photo: Jessie Diggins

Curious what made us so tired?  You can catch up on our last week in West Yellowstone on the most recent Toko eBlast.

In case you haven’t figured it out already, I prefer posting photos more than text.  Here is a collection of photos that I have received from people over the past couple of weeks in West Yellowstone.  Enjoy!

Leading out the 2010 Season. Photo: Chris Magerl - Toko

Santi Ocariz, getting after it! Photo: fasterskier.com

Gregg and Compton, a.k.a. "Grompton" - Photo: xcskilife.com

Of course, the Sisu Skiers/Kuzzy Kids Clinic was a real highlight.  Check out the article from the West Yellowstone News.

Brian & Teague discuss the intricacies of skate technique. Photo: Bert Jackson

The Utah Nordic Alliance. These kids know how to ski & have fun. Photo: Bert Jackson

Gotta practice your balance. Photo: Rich Jehle

. . .and your lunge. Photo: Mike Brown - Sisu Skiers

And, of course, having fun! Photo: Mike Brown - Sisu Skiers

Ben Popp, leading the way. Photo: Mike Brown

A big thanks to the Sisu Skiers for their support of the clinic, both organizing and sponsoring it.  Ben Popp, Mike Nightengale, and Mike Brown all helped out with the clinic, even though their kids weren’t even in West.  They do some great things for the ski community in the Twin Cities and around the country.

How's your 360? Photo: Mike Brown

What do you do when you stand atop the podium? Photo: Mike Brown

Needless to say, it’s been a solid couple of weeks in West Yellowstone.  We’re packing today and heading north tomorrow to Silver Star, British Columbia for more racing next weekend.

If you still didn’t get your fix of winter photos, check out these shots from the Boston Globe–a great way to get fired up for winter.  Adios!