The last two weeks in Oslo I hooked up with the Kollenhopp club team to train.  It’s interesting getting different feedback from coaches.  Technically speaking, the overall idea is the same, but every coach has a different approach as to how to fix things.  Instead of playing back technique videos and working from the affect, we tried to find the cause and go from there.  Even the way coaches word things can sink in with some people and not others.  I imagine it’s the exact same with XC.  I had a great time working from a new perspective though, and I hope I can combine these ideas with what I’ve been working on consistently with my regular coach.

We had a lot of technique sessions, weighted plyos and strength sessions, and a few days jumping the K88 in Marikollen.  Before I left, I decided to invest in a new suit.  I say “invest” because getting a good suit is often difficult, and they’re not cheap.  There is one legal cut everyone is required to have, and just this summer FIS changed this rule for the women.  We now have to have an extra seam over the breast panel.  There was never a test period for this rule…  I remember one euro FIS official saying something a few years ago like, “the suits are not flattering on the women’s bodies…”  Hmm.  No test period for the new women’s suit rule.  Seam directly over the breast to create a more “hourglass” shape.  Makes some of us wonder if this “rule” was implemented for flying purposes (which is why suit rules are created in the first place), or if it was more for the spectators.  You can see what I’m talking about….

Old suit rule in red, new ladies suit rule in teal.  Regardless, suits are unflattering on everyone in my opinion.  I’ll make a stink when FIS requires us to wear pageant make-up and glitter… a new seam doesn’t change much.

Another thing about picking suits is the material.  Contrary to what most people think, jumpers don’t usually pick the colors they think are the prettiest.  Each color passes a certain amount of air and feels different when flying.  Some people like faster materials, some people like them slower.  Regardless of speeds though, every section of every panel must pass at least 40 liters of air.  There is a machine they use to test this, and if it passes, you get a “plum”, or a little silver button on the right calf of the suit.  A suit has to have a plum to be used on the hill in competition… but since there are ways to clog the pores of a suit (to restrict air flow and create lift in flight), they can test suit air flow right after a comp jump.  So even if you have a plum, but the suit doesn’t pass at least 40 liters in every spot, you will be disqualified.  There are also rules pertaining to the difference in percentage of air flow in the front panels versus the back panels, but I wont get into that now.

This is the raw suit material at the Spinno factory,  and the almost finished product.

With all the rules on how a suit needs to fit, the process is extremely time consuming.  When I have gone to Spinno with the team in the past, we spend 8 or 9 hours making alterations.  The people at the factory have our measurements, and the suits are all pre-ordered, so when you show up its made.  I’m talking 8 or 9 hours for alterations alone.  This past time when I went, it was only myself and another jumper who needed suits, so for two of us it only took 5 and a half hours.  Jump suits are a pain in the ass, to say the least.  Here, my pseudo coach Roy is checking the fit for the eleventy billionth time.  This guy knows his shit.  He called in the suit for me and told me he would pick the special colors.  Hello, mystery suit.

After throwing down for the mystery suit, we headed to Lillehammer for the weekend and I was stoked to test my new digs.  My jumper friend Eirik Kjelstrup and I went up a day early to meet up with some of the Nordic Combined guys and stay at a friends cabin for the night.  The rest of the team was leaving Oslo the next morning at 7am to be in Lillehammer for the morning session, so we figured this way we could sleep a few extra hours and join the team at the hill.

Sturla Sandøy, Taylor Fletcher, Eirik Kjelstrup, Christian Erichsen, Nick Hendrickson, and Brett Denney.

Yes, the cabin was made of wood and we ate brown cheese for breakfast.  Weird, I know.

We jumped all weekend and fortunately for me, Roy knows what he’s talking about.  The suit felt great, especially with thicker air and good pressure on Lillehammer’s K120.  Suit material can get worn out fast, so it’s best to take a few jumps in it, see how it feels, and if it’s good, save it for when it counts… in competition.

Although I definitely won’t miss Wasa and fish-in-a-tube, I was pretty bummed to have to leave.  It was fun to get into a different team dynamic and work on other hills besides Park City.   For the next week or so, we are jumping here in PC and getting ready to head back to Lake Placid for Nationals on the 6th.  Til then.

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