Week two of Austria was full of good training and lots of fun but unfortunately not much skiing. After the first week the weather got very warm and sunny causing all of the fresh good snow to melt down to glacier ice and we were unable to ski. Even though we couldn't ski we did some very fun hike/runs in the mountains and did some good rollerski workouts on the rollerski track. Overall the training camp was a success, I really enjoyed being able to ski. Skiing on snow helped me get in some good technique training that I will hopefully be able to carry through the fall and into the winter.
The last few days of the camp were pretty interesting in terms of current events, if you have been watching the news at all you have probably heard about all of the migrants traveling through Europe. Being in Europe close to where this was happening made a little bit of an unknown what the travel home across the normally open easily passable Austria German border was going to be like, I was hoping that the masses of migrants would hold off a few days before getting to Austria so that we would not have problems at the border. For the most part we were fine, driving to Munich we were in stop and go traffic for about an hour near the border but ended up not having the stop. The German border police was doing random car checks but luckily we were not selected.
I am now headed home to Washington to visit my family and hopefully have some good adventures in the mountains there as well.
On our mid camp off day we drove to Hallstatt, Austria to tour the town. It is right on the Hallstatt see and very picturesque and touristy. It was fun to see.
The side of a hotel in Hallstatt with a pear tree growing up the side. All of the branches were so close to the tree that all of the pears could be picked from the various windows.
The last day of skiing things were a little bleak on the glacier, besides being a little wet the skiing was still quite good
The Stang Alm that we passed by on an adventure run
A nice mountain lake along one of our adventures. Mike, Liz, and Ida
Mike and I enjoying the view of Schladming. Next time I want to bring my alpine skis and hit up the slopes.
Liz, Kate, Mike, and Ida trying to figure out where to go next
Mike and Liz enjoying some beautiful grassy mountain trails
The traffic at the Austria Germany border on the way home
So far our (The GRP teams) trip to Austria has been amazing. The first couple of days was kind of rainy but since then it has been beautiful every day. We have been skiing on the Dachstein glacier which has been really fun. Ski conditions have been very spring like with the tracks starting out a little hard but softening up and getting nice a little later in the morning. To get to the glacier we take a tram up the mountain, the tram ride is quite spectacular with a really good view. Coming into the tram station at the top you are so close to the rock face you look like you are going to crash into it, it was a little scary the first time but after that you realize your not going to crash into the mountain it is not to bad.
Besides skiing we have been doing some fun run hike adventures into the hills and mountains around Ramsau. We have done two intensity sessions both which have been on the rollerski track with shooting. The first time around the rollerski track was pretty intimidating because there are some big downhills with corners that are lined with crash pads. The crash pads make you think that the corners are going to be very sketchy and dangerous but because the corners are banked like a race car track you easily get pulled right around and they are quite fun.
Since I have only been to Europe in the winter it has been pretty cool to see what it's like in the summer. There are cows and sheep out grazing in all the fields and farmers cutting hay preparing for the winter. Being here for a training camp and not races is pretty fun too, even though I love coming over here to race, the overall atmosphere is much less stressful and more relaxed.
We have one more week of training here before we return home. Hopefully it will be filled with lots of skiing and fun adventures.
Passing the down tram on our way up the mountain. You can see the tram station perched on top mountain above the rock face.
The ski track loops back and fourth around an open area on the glacier and makes for about a 3km loop.
Beautiful ski tracks with the tram station in the distance.
The biathlon range at the rollerski track.
Looking down into the valley of Ramsau. The Guttenberg Haus, a mountain rest stop where you can get lunch and beer in foreground. In the background you can see the Schladming ski area, home of the 2013 alpine ski world championships as well as according to my uncle Steve the fastest downhill course he ever raced during his racing career.
Sheep grazing in the mountains near the Guttenburg Haus.
Two weeks ago were the Jericho rollerski races more formally known as the North American Rollerski Championships. These races were the first two of four which help determine who will fill the last World Cup start spot come November. As well as they basically mark the end of summer training. Like last year the races were very fun and the most competitive biathlon races that will take place in North America this year other then the two World Cup races that will be taking place in Canmore, Canada and Presque Isle, Maine this winter. At the beginning of the summer I was questioning if I would even be able to rollerski by August, that was not a problem and the races went quite well. The first day was a 10km sprint race. I shot clean (hit all my targets) and was 4th place behind athletes who have been consistently racing on the World Cup for the last few seasons. I was also first out the athletes in the selection trials. The second day was a 15km mass start race, this race was really run, I like mass start races because there is way more of a competitive feel, you are head to head with people and it is more of a tactical and mental race then an individual start race. This race I placed 7th with 4 misses, 1 prone and 3 standing. My skiing felt tired compared to the first day but it was still a solid race.
After the races I returned to Craftsbury to continue training. We had an easy week followed by a big volume week. It was nice to put in some good volume/distance training after having a few weeks of lots of intensity to prepare for the races. During the easy week I did my first ever V02 max test, this test measures how much oxygen your body can process and use. To do this you put on a mask connected to a computer that measures your breathing and then go as hard as you can in some physical manner. We did the test on the skierg double pole machine as a 5km time trial. The test took me just under 20 minutes and data was being collected the entire time.
Today I arrived with the rest of the Craftsbury team in Ramsau, Austria. We will be here for two and a half weeks training, the big bonus about coming here is that we will be able to ski on the Dachtein glacier. I have never had the opportunity to have real skiing during the training season or ski on a glacier. So far it is beautiful and I am super excited to be here. Our first day skiing wont be until Sunday so check back soon for pictures of skiing and snow!
Starting the mass start, I am the first person on the far left side #4
Lap 3 of the mass start race, skiing in a good pack
Doing the max V02 test on the skierg
Some technique video
Fishing with Mike and Ethan during some rest week off time
The team cooling off after a long distance workout
