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Competition
2007/08
After a long, dry winter in Park City, training camps started
up again with the team in May. I have to say here that in many
ways it was good to have a Winter away from competition. It gave
me time to pursue other interests, primarily the home remodel
project that is just finishing now. It gave me time to do a lot of
freeskiing, something I have taken for granted for years while
competing. I also had time for introspection. Since I have been
living in Park City for the past 9 months, Jasmine has been in
school in Idaho, preparing to enter medical school and cure all
sickness on earth. It has been very difficult to live apart from her,
especially after the trauma of last year. She means the world to
me, and each day that becomes more clear to me.
Sorry, back to current events in skiing. Our first camp was
back in May at Mammoth. At first it was strange to be back in the
usual pattern, it didn't seem to fit. But, after a few days things
came back, and it was really awesome to spend time with the
athletes and coaches again. Camp went really well overall, I was
able to work on some basic technical issues that have plagued me
my whole career, and I made some good progress. I also had
equipment issues to sort out. I decided to pursue a deal with
Atomic in an effort to get on the best possible equipment for my
return. The gear felt really good, so I made the move shortly after
Mammoth, and skied on it for the first time at Mt. Hood in June.
Good ole Mt. Hood! Thought I was too old for that place.
Although it is not ideal snow, Mt. Hood is great for basic technical
work and for repetition. Run after run for 10 days, you can get into
"ski shape" fast! So, mission accomplished. Then back to Park
City for conditioning, and then we came down to New Zealand
August 4th. So far our camp has been challenging, the weather
has not cooperated and we have had a lot of rain. However, the
next three days look cold and clear, so skiing should be great. I
will keep you posted!