I wanted to suck some training talk out of him, so I made up some BS about having a bad race and threw in a cheap shot about Americans being slow (USST, I didn’t mean it at all).

Through the noise, norwegian, and waking up at 11am, here’s the best that I can remember from a conversation/rant/binge between 1:30 and 2am:

He said, “All that matters is you have a good miljø (which means culture and environment) and that you have the…(tried to explain ‘the fire within you’, but couldn’t).” He was very animated. “Where did you finish today?”

“50,” I lied.

“Ja. You are here now with (unnamed coach),”

(places a beer in the lonely corner of the bar)

“This is winning your Nationals.”

(places a beer in front of him)

“This is winning a World Cup.”

(practically tosses a beer out of reach and off the bar)

“If you want to win you need to train 1200 hours like Justyna (Kawuckchuck). You are not even close.” he said.

“That’s rediculous! Not to mention totally ‘questionable’,” I said.

“But have you tried? No. That’s why you won’t win. If you train 1200 hours THEN you will know how to train. You are not even close.”

The thing that blew me away is that it was immediately apparent that he comes from a COMPLETELY different world than we do. He’s right, we aren’t even close. Nowhere near it.

When guys like him talk about training it’s not about getting faster or making some team, it’s about *winning world cups*. Even when he’s talking to someone he doesn’t know.

He’s right, he has the miljø, so he doesn’t have to consider second best. It’s tip-top or nothing. Train more, *lots* more. Don’t expect help, because you are the one that has to race. Don’t come to a workout and say “what are we doing today?” - just show up with a plan.

This energy I got from that beer soaked nordmann is something I can’t describe in writing.

No doubt.

The kids here understand what it means to be a serious nordic skier. They get to see it on the World Cup from time to time, and when they put on a World Cup they get to see the best in the world at their best. They groom perfect cords and perfect tracks down Main Street for night-time awards and festivities. They line the trails three hills high with noise makers and they even cheer when they (yet again) watch the highlight of Chandra winning her Olympic gold medal on the scoreboard - right before a start four years later.

Canmore Cids

Skiing isn’t one of the popular sports in Canada either, but the kids here are growing up knowing how fun and cool it can be to be a fast ski racer. Now, as they get older, they can choose if they want to make it a popular sport in their community. Big events like the World Cup show them that competitive skiing has a real purpose, and great organizations like Fast and Female help to remind them of that feeling after all the glory and drama has moved past this small, beautiful part of central Canada. It’s no wonder their hiding a few Olympic medals in the town.

I was hitching back from the race venue yesterday by a Canadian National team member. We exchanged waves with Chandra Crawford as she drove by in her pink detailed Prius. We made an errand stop at Sarah Renner’s house. She told me how her ski club was running a computerized stationary bike sprint at the bar on Saturday night.

“With beer?” I said?

“Yeah, with beer.”

Now THAT’s what I’m talking about. I’m planning on winning back some bragging rights after the Pan-Canadian-Alaskan competition from the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge back in summer 2008. Go Nanooks.

Yesterday morning an American skier jokingly poked,

“Hey Pat, so you going for a run early tomorrow morning?”

“Damn. Uhh, yeah, totally.” I thought fast. “Hey Brent, you racing tomorrow?”

I wouldn’t miss an dawn patrol run with local mountain maniac and Team Rabdo Captain (*8* liters of IV takes the cake) the BK Broiler, and we all know that alpenglow and morning moonlight in the Zion-esque Canmore/Banff area is a sight to behold…

A.M. Alpenglow in the Rockes

…running with one of your good friends after flying solo for several months is another great thing. It’s amazing how recharging and motivating it can be to hang with a serious athlete again. That makes thinking fast is a no-brainer. Man.

So it’s 9:51am on Saturday and I’m grabbing a breakfast bagel and coffee on the way to the venue to watch the classic sprint. Nat and Topher have been doing a fantastic job with the coverage, and I’d expect the same from them today.

Once you’ve done a few races “in town” this World Cup stuff is super easy. I’ve found I’ve got a real knack for interviewing and sucking the words out of people, even when they are currently ranking number one in the world and just won a World Cup event. Pietro Piller Cotrer is my favorite so far. Poor Charlotte Kalla though, she was so tired when I talked to her….very nice girl though.

Never met Northug. Never met Alsgaard. never met Kuitenten. Shoot, I’ve never even met Newell.

Olympics

Bummer news. My Olympic credential fell through, and I’m not going to Whistler. I’m sort of running out of money and am going to cut my losses and head back to the states before paying for a month on the road. I’m super bummed. If I do go there I’ll end up just going for a few days to see Holly, James, Compton, and all the other Americans and Canadians race at the top of the athletic world. What an experience it will be for them.

So, I’m punting and putting in another extremely long two-day drive in to California. I’ve got all my skis, all my work stuff, and my winter running shoes. I’m thinking sunshine, Royal Gorge, Tahoe/Donner, more altitude, and maybe a four-day “camp” running single track in the mountains. UAA will be at the UNR invite so I’ll cheer for my buddies for sure, maybe even take some pictures. Go Seawolves.

I’m not in shape. It’s time to get serious about my base. Contrary to popular belief, sometimes It’s all about the hours. E.S. This bud’s for you…

Qualifiers start in 15 minutes. I hope wherever you are you’re getting outside, and keeping you head above water. Game on.

But, once again, this is FAR MORE IMPORTANT:

A/T Anonymous: A Tale of a Telemarker Turned A/T Skier from Jason Mitchell on Vimeo.

After translating a certain couple of articles, I was reminded about how I wish nordic skiing included more striding and dependence on cardio capacity than on strength.

One article was about the width of the tracks, and how making them narrower would allow easier weight transfer and double-pole kicking and striding up more hills. Skiers are becoming double pole monsters instead, which isn’t really as much skiing as the other graceful and cardio-centric techniques.

The other article, one I just put up, is about how Frode Lillifjell (2007 American 50K Champ and former APU Coach) has been training his Team Trøndelag for more aerobic capacity along with Oddvar Brå.

Now, I’m one skier that will favor a classic hill climb over a traditional trail race because I tend to do well using more motor and less technique. I’m also not the sharpest nail in the box when it comes to top-level skiing. But, when I watch those old race videos I feel like we are missing something.

Watch the ones right before they started skating, when they are sprinting and sprinting and sprinting - in diagonal striding technique - to the finish line. Then you start to see some crazy V1 skating over 50K, then you start to see this slow morph into big upper bodies and crunching and hammering on top of your poles that we are teaching skiers today.

It’s kind of like how snowboards brought on this whole mega-fat powder ski trend we are in now. Those powder skis don’t make better alpine skiers, they make you perform well in that powder niche, and they make it fun. Skiing hard-ass bumps in heavy and stiff skis is what makes you a better alpine skier.

After a certain special Christmas a couple of years ago with a three-hour ski in to the Serenity Falls cabin with a few friends, I realized what the beauty of a long, hard classic ski was like. I got into a good rhythm, found a little better technique, and hammered them both all the way to the cabin. It never got old, it never got tiring…unlike a boring-ass double pole and double pole kick will do. I gladly did it the same. The technique is good, so keep it around.

How much of the old style do we want to lose in favor of hulky sprinter bodies? How much to we want to remember and bring back? How about never slipping once in a race? How about unmatchable capacity? Personally, I’d like to get in a competitive race where I can just stride my way to winning, and the double poles are saved for the downhills.

Maybe that’s why I bought some randonnee racing skis.

Big Capasity is the Secret To Team Trøndelag
Narrower Track Will Give Better Technique

Here’s my (known) competition this year. Am I totally insane?

 http://www.adn.com/running/story/868942….
 http://akrunning.blogspot.com/
 http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/featur…
 http://www.alaskapacific.edu/oncampus/no…

It was nice to hang with some real athletes in Bozeman this weekend. I actually hit the hay at 9:45 one night instead of going to the bar with the coaches. What the hell is wrong with me?

In some ways winning seems impossible, and on the same token failing but beating the old record seems like a great consolation. On the other hand I don’t want to get third and beat the old record, I want to be fitter than I’ve ever been in my life and I want to WIN. All this comes in waves.

What a concept - putting yourself in a position to chase something with no real reason to follow through. There’s no one telling you to do it, and plenty of people who will still think you’re cool even if you bail. What a trip.

RIGHT NOW

I’m back in Bozeman to see a friend race his first collegiate race. He killed it, I’m psyched for him. A quick stop in West Yellowstone is always a nice way to break up the drive from Jackson, and the trails are always in excellent shape.

In reality, I don’t have much to report on the last month. I didn’t go to Anchorage, I haven’t done any races, the snow pack in Jackson Hole has totally utterly absolutely sucked ultra donkey, and I’ve spent too much time chasing girls to think about my abs. I know, I don’t have a clue how those aren’t related either.

I’m supposed to be writing up the MSU invite, but I’m too fried from training the last two days to dream up an angle. Count them - TWO DAYS. I’m (relatively) out of shape and skied 115 minutes at West Yellowstone with hard threshold work yesterday. I skied all day and watched the collegiate race at Bohart today, then skied until I couldn’t ski any more.

ASPIRE TO THIS:

I skied so hard that I made it 10 minutes from the venue before I crawling like a dying ferret into my back seat to pass out 10 minutes from the venue. I woke in a sweaty feverish hypo-glycemic and continuously freaked way the hell out until the waiter brought me a pint of root beer to pound like a leprechaun, no ice.

Whatever.

I’ve done a lot of talking about training, and thinking…and stuff…and working touchy-feely attitude to get myself in line. Now it’s all about the hours and cutting the bullshit. The proof is in the pudding. The piss is in the pitcher. Time to bring the hammer.

July 18th

When Petter gets on the buss the trainer looks at his stop watch and says “that wasn’t five minutes”. Then Petter sits next to Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset and gives him a teddy bear. They’re on their way.

But back here, my training for Crow Pass as just begun

WARNING: This post contains boring workout stuff. Continue reading only if you are a workout nerd like me!

My first week is over. The goal was to go for an easy 10 hour week to get a handle what would and wouldn’t work here in the land of drunk and stoned ski bums. These are the important things that I will juggle week to week:

*** Work - Pays the rent.

*** Workout Types: - Rule #1 They have to be fun. Running on a bike path or flat country road is athletic suicide. Running point-to-point along ridges that I can step back and look at like conquered big game is key. But being in a new place means that logistical details like race simulations, transportation, precise terrain-specific characteristics can make this difficult. These are the disciplines that I juggle in a workout week:

• - Randonnée racing takes precedence Dec - April 1 with running 1-2 times a week.
• - Backcountry skiing is perfect training for that, and in-bounds skiing mixes hard downhill with hiking out the gates for 45-60 minutes per session…and it’s fun, free hours.
• - Running point-to-point on trails is what my race is, and is super fun!
• - Nordic skiing is low-priority and not in the plan, but if the conditions suck for everything else it’s on.

*** Alpine at Resort - Dec through March is base building and alpine skiing at The Village keeps it that way. You don’t have to sacrifice hours, you just have to get there after you’re done and work it into the plan. Alpine skiing at an awesome resort makes everything fun and keeps your “head above water”!

*** Socializing, etc - This is a big one. Working at home means flexibility but also no social life and death for an individual athlete. Living 2 blocks from downtown means I can walk to bars and music every night. And when I hang with other people, the workouts are over and the brain switches off. This is absolutely essential, but also something to watch out for with respect to drinking and staying up late. You can go have just as much fun without drinking alcohol too, remember? Just remember not to be a social pussy when they are all getting hammered and you are wondering what your AM workout will be.

And I want to add something to that…I have finally come to terms that I **NEED** to shake my ass with a sea of people at a techno disco every so often to stay alive. Plus, I believe this is totally OK. Sleep in the next day, and call it a rest day. Nothing can beat a dose of high amperage now and again. Add that to a week of top-notch training and you’ve got yourself a happy paddy.

*** Down Time - Required at night to relax and fall asleep.

Here’s approximately how they pan out, including overhead:

Work: 3-8 hours, 7 days/w
Workouts: 120 minutes w/ shower, 6 days/w
Alpine at Resort: 3+ hours w/ bus, 6 days/w
Socializing: 3+ hours, 5 days/w
Down Time: 2 hours, 7 days/w

(Geeze, I’m starting to look like Justin Freeman here)

Making A Plan

From now till April, It’s simple. Just follow this basic skeleton, but look for opportunities to improve every day:

1 x 60m intro run
2 x 90m run/skin
2 x Intensity workouts a week, mostly threshold hiking/skinning and little VO2.
1 x 90-120 Alternative (backcountry, nordic, etc) work toward 180 minutes
1 day rest

April 1:

1 x 90m intro run
2 x 120m run/ski
2 x threshold intensity (2 or 3 L4 efforts total)
1 x 120-360 mountain/ridge running + road biking.
1 day rest

Staying Flexible and Creative

It’s amazing how you will magically come up with great workout ideas if you really want to get out there and push it above all else. Especially when you need to accommodate for bad weather or schedule mixups.

On Monday I had to work late so I did some 15 min fast-foot tempo runs to make it hurt a little. The next day I still felt capable so I did “natural threshold” intervals up 1000 feet of gradually climbing snowy single track for a total of 45 minutes of intensity. The goal was total exhaustion.

The last 300′ was steep vertical hiking through bushes and knee-deep snow, so I pushed it 15 minutes to the top with HR > 90%. That reminded me of a picture I once saw of a norwegian guy moose-hoofing through waste deep mud with the open-mouth closed-eyes hate face of death. Push the natural resistance! Then I ran back down the fast cat track as hard as I could. It helps a lot to be able to step back and see the whole series of ridge lines that you just did for an excellent sense of accomplishment.

Here’s the creative part: That was 2 days of intense effort. I was 100% thrashed, but then I went to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and skied as many HARD 4000′ tram laps laps I could in the last two hours of the day to finish myself off. This means leg-scortching tucks all the way to the bottom with the heart rate pegged. SO FUN!! This works because it is so fun that it doesn’t seem like work! You put me on alpine skis and I find it extremely difficult to ski slow.

Now for one day of rest, then back to thinking outside the box and put together more point-to-point Crow Pass simulations here. The next step is to put together a 3-4 week goal to continue the base work. Then I am thinking another goal for a month after that to keep it simple. 

I ordered Randonnee racing gear today. Game On

Read this first: http://www.johnnyklister.com/post/286940…

Holy **** ***kin harsh!

Harsh, but no argument from this native Anchoraguan.

#10 Locals don’t need studs. You need studs.
#9 I grew up eating there too, but only because my Dad was a pipeliner.
#8 I’m telling them for the LAST EFFING TIME, they need to have ANOTHER hunt in the park. In a 120 minute tempo last year I ran into 9 moose. NINE. How do you spell no natural predators in English??
#7 And you should have seen that **** in the 70’s. I wish I could have.
#6 Granted, the NSAA lost $250,000 to that ****ty registration service, but seriously, dirt on Nationals the sprint course? The Muni does get the rest of the city though.
#5 Ouch. I just sent the Arian Nation and the Crue a Christmas card. It’ll get there around Jan 5th, guys. NOTE: AMH is very kind to local racers.
#4 Ask for the Velvet Box.
#3 Remember when Arians said “don’t be a prick?” This is where they send Anchorage’s pricks when they are being bad. I used to wake up there when I fell asleep on the bus after school.
#2 I think I had a peice o’ that when I was five. He tasted like whiskey, shotgun pellets, and two-stroke oil.
#1 Word to the race jury (I know where you live), USE YOUR OWN THERMOMETERS!

Good luck every body. I’ll be shredding sick pow down here while the rest of you are enjoying the races.

Now GO SHOOT A FREAKIN MOOSE!

Dan Millman, Chicken Soup For The Soul

Bill Bowerman And Steve Prefontaine

The Big Secret

Each of these rules is as important as the other, and they all work separately but compliment each other. Every one comes from a fatal mistake I’ve made in the past. If I was an elementary teacher I’d draw one of those cheesy wheel diagram things.

2010 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

First: Follow the music

This is the number one rule of engagement.

These means always do what makes you happy, even (and especially) if it means you need to drop the goal and do something else. If you aren’t happy, then you are missing the point. I call it following the “music” because when I think back to the things that made me happy, I can feel the groove. I can’t feel it in bad memories.

Another way I think of this, is where “the sun shines the brightest.” Remember that vacation where the sun was just raging through and all the colors and life was super bright? That’s your happy place. Music. Sunshine. Vibe.

Remembering this also helps picking your goal. Quality aspirations makes for quality preparation.

Declare and remember why you want to do it

When you follow the path to your goal, remember what you want to do it for. If you want to score points to make the team more than anything, that’s it. If it’s shallow and you just want people to like you, then fine! Just remember to look out for when that’s not enough to satisfy you and you need to bail, or when you can find another easier way to accomplish that goal.

Make the choice to commit

No standing on the fence. Making the conscious decision to commit magically changes your whole thought process. Live in the now! Don’t think “I’m gonna, I’m gonna.” Think “See? I am, I am.”

Think it through, shake hands with fate, agree to win.

Stay pumped to push it

The number one thing that can answer all your questions on how and when to train is to be pumped to get out there and push it. There is no substitute for this. If you are excited, you will just get out there and get in shape, like magic. This will keep quality in your workouts. You can’t go out and convince yourself that you are psyched, you just are. Remember that.

No crappy days where you are just logging hours allowed. Be psyched.

Make small, attainable, incremental goals

If your goal is to just “train hard and win the race”, you will end up with too much pressure and you’ll burn right the hell out. This is especially true when the training season gets longer than 4 months. If you divide a 9 month season into 4 parts, then you can relax on the big goal and just get all anxious and worried about the next small goal - not that big of a deal when it’s only 2 months away. Divide and conquer, baby.

When the workout is over, it’s over

Give yourself a chance to rest. When you hit the shower, you forget about training. Go outside, draw a picture, drink a beer, call your mom, whatev. If you don’t rest your brain, you can’t rest your body.

Regular self-checkins

You have to keep your head “above water.” When you get so focused on your goal that you fall down the rabbit hole and never take your nose off the grindstone, your nose will bleed and you’ll rip your face off. Your training will suck and you’ll lose sight of the big picture. Make a conscious, considerate effort to regularly check in with yourself in order to make sure that you are doing everything on this list.

Good luck! We all need it.

On my iPod right now

Almost Cut My Hair 256 kbps 4:29 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Deja Vu Rock 12/31/60
Jesus Is Just Alright 320 kbps 4:36 The Doobie Brothers Best Of The Doobies Rock

So, I need some more nominations in the comment box blow, and I’ll do the dirty work and find a suit and no-suit picture for the poll. This is what I have for girls:

Steffi Boeller
Chandra Crawford
Virpi Kuitenen
Theresa Johaug
Astrid Jacobsen

Ladies - Help me out and add some nominations for guys!

Thanks!

Step Aside

The last couple of weeks out on the road got me fired up. For the last 11 months or so I’ve been dilly-dallying around getting outside and doing some slack-jawed training, but now fate is starting to fall into place. Here’s the date:

July 18th, 2010

But I’ve never dealt with far-off goals very well, which is why a 11 month ski season is always so hard for me. I usually get too amped up and train for perfection too early, so I need to work on spreading it out and smelling the breeze a little more. I’ll try to put together some incremental goals that will take the focus off the big race in the mean time.

When I was really fit in 2008, I said that if I could call a 2 hour run/hike a boilerplate workout by April 1, I would be on track. By that point long runs should be 3 hours, and every so often a 4 hour run would be great.

Last year I never got my butt in gear and two guys broke that 3 hour mark. One is a locally iconic skiing and running machine, and the other is one of the best Ultra runners in the country. I know they are putting in a hell of a lot more hours than I want to, and they are doing it *right now*. My problem is that despite knowing all of that, I really love that race and want to win it.

The motivation to race hard creeps back like a sickness, no matter how balanced I manage to get. It comes back and tears at my soul like a bad crack habit, and says “get back in there!!!”

All it takes is the thrill of watching a race or two and a little bit of shameless ignorance hinting that it’s all within reach, and I’m back in the saddle.

Tetons, don’t fail me know.

1) Harry Johnson
2) Gary Snyder
3) Trond Flagstad
4) Rune Christopherson
5) Rob Whitney

The ability to cause someone to dream is a profound one. The ability to cause someone to follow their dreams is godly. Whether it’s directly through words or just by being there in their chaotic glory…

Bingo

Tag, you’re it.

Here’s more 1am napkin writing in a West Yellowstone bar. I stopped back in West for a night on the way to Bozeman, and checking in on the volunteer party at the Wild West Saloon. I got to chat (read: enthusiastically) with some of them about how to make the West Yellowstone Ski Festival better.

Here’s what they said:

Ways to make this week better

Ways to make this week better

- More normal skiers
- More hot chicks (& dudes)
- More first timers
- Less white lycra (cover it up)
- More alcohol on the race course
- More Après-fires, etc.
- More Salt, less Peppa!
- More stripper poling less double poling (unless you are twins)
- Nordic skiers are horrible tippers (Canadians are the worst!).
- Lots of thanking volunteers.
- More Gregg and Swanson and Casey
- More poachable hot tubs.

I think the “more hot chicks” one was a mandatory line-item.

The locals say that they absolutely LOVE this weekend. They said that they have a ton of fun skiing around, and that it’s a bunch of good people that come and add to the town’s atmosphere.

That said, here are couple of important notable points.

They are interested in camp fires and hot dogs (and beers?) on the course to build a good spectator presence. Even locals that don’t ski would be into that.

They feel like it would really benefit the festival to add more beginner-friendly feel. That means a goofy race, or something that is just a little less…umm…tense, than the SuperTour races can be for a beginner.

They did mention that nordic skiers are horrible tippers. That sucks, guys. Like really sucks. One of them said that there was $10 in the tip jar at the end of one day at everyone’s favorite gear and coffee shop. Next year, or the next time you come through town, make sure you tip really well - and not just the hot ladies at Free Heel and Wheel. These people rock and they deserve it.

There are 1200 residents in West Yellowstone, and about 10% actually ski. The fact that they get the volunteers out to do what they do is nothing short of a miracle. Most of the volunteers don’t actually ski.

Because of that, the volunteer pool is pegged. If anything is going to improve during the week, it has to come from outside.

I think that’s a pretty good summation of the event. The week happens because a lot of people come together into one place and add positively to the chaos. It would be *really* cool to see some creativity brought by some of the people that aren’t exhausted from waxing skis or crushing themselves as professional ski racers.

I already know what I’m going to add to the festival next year. Do you?

WTF? Did I just buy a season pass at this mountain?

From the USSMA Website (US Ski Mountaineering Assc. - basically USSA for Randonee racing)

Submitted by FernieBoy on December 8, 2008 - 3:32pm:

“First race no, no”

Whatever you do, avoid handling or “checking out” the ultralight set-ups that the top guys and gals are on. Next thing you know, you’ll be layin’ down 3g’s for for new boots, bindings, skis, and skins. You’re dreams will be filled with visions of gram-shaving mods. You’ll ponder weird and wild diet and training regimes in order to shave 30 pounds off your 175lbs North American, sasquatch-like frame in an effort to half resemble the Italian and Spanish racers you see on YouTube! Ah!
Other than that, racing is great fun. Just don’t pick up any ski with the words SkiTrab or Dynafit…. Trust me.

Now THAT’s the attitude I’m talking about.

Randonnée Exsposé!

Alaska residents don’t get exposed to ski mountaineering. Why would they? There’s nowhere to drive to race. Shucks, there’s no freaking races! I can’t bloody imagine training and racing in the Alps and then racing in the race in the following movie.

Randonnée has been a part of ski culture in the alps as long as alpine skiing itself. So has spectator crouds so thick that they push you up the hill when you look like you’re sucking a big one. I got goose bumps when I watched this video, starting about minute three:

http://www.vimeo.com/753640

And then here is a really good one of junior worlds showing how they do the transitions. Can you rip your skins off that fast?!?

http://www.vimeo.com/746524

The season starter is at Grand Targhee Resort, just 90 minutes away on Jan 9th. National Championships is here at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on March 20th, and includes 8000′ of vertical climbing, with three downhill portions. And that’s all between 6,311 feet and 10,450 feet.

You have to be a cardio BEAST, and you WILL be a cardio BEAST.

And now your Nightly Stinson News

“I think we’re dying. Do you know the score on the Red Wings game?”

The sun goes down in the stadium, taking with it all the week's excitement.

This was a good week. All the races went off without a hitch, and the conditions were great. Having a hurt rib was pretty frustrating, especially not being able to inhale all the way (going anaerobic is extremely uncomfortable). But, on the other hand, it forced me to use good technique during the first week on snow and the first week training.

Between race interviews and picture taking, I went out while feeling fresh and rested and skied trying to keep my feet and arms extremely light. I’ve decided that a big goal for this year will be to ski 100% of the time with snappy tight limbs to prevent the usual crappy, lethargic, inefficient technique. For me it’s all about technique, technique, technique.

Moving on, the week is over. I think that outside of trying to perform in the races, the best thing about being in West Yellowstone this week is that you get to soak up the collective energy of everyone here and get some really good training in. My rib made it tough this year, but you can really ride that wave and get out to do quality double workouts every day of the week like no other time of the year.

This is something that I’d really like to see happen more than just once a year. At the most basic level, I would love to be able to live in this environment all the time. It’s not the races and the gear and whatever, it’s the fact that the environment screams “train,” and the topic is on everyone’s minds.

Talk about technique, talk about training, talk about spinning brodies in the middle of the street. Now I will absolutely say that there is a huge lack of fun events, evening excitement and entertainment, and a general dead vibe outside of getting up early, skiing, and going to bed early. SERIOUSLY, they call us nordic nerds for a reason.

It’s a festival, we have to remember to get out and make some NOISE! Areas that need some improvement:

- Music at night.
- Music in the day.
- Snow ball fights.
- Panty raids (Watch out for blasters).
- Hanging in the bar at night. Talk about technique, lactic acid, whatever you gotta do man.
- Actually *doing* the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving (No, you don’t have to win).
- *anything* that will keep the hotel lobbies or center of the convention empty at 8pm.

I can understand athletes need rest and hydrated blood. But there’s a ton of other people out here too! I know, I know, beating a dead horse. I’m going to try to do something for Bozeman, even if it’s just wearing more than tights, a flower necklace, and mardi gras beads.

The awards are now in 30 minutes. I got to pick up my pizza order so I don’t pass out and can handle another margarita.

Think about it, and get back to me.

2) Sitting on the couch with like, totally a million friends.

3) Making out in the bathroom.

5) Seeing the country’s best skiers woop up on the Canuks. U-S-A! U-S-A!

4) Ripping off your clothes and running naked past your roommate to get the shower first.

6) Remembering the adaptor for your computer speakers.

7) Getting money from your mom for RedBull and Hershey’s.

8 ) Getting beaten by your mom in the sprint.

9) Getting 7th two days later.

10) Saying “HEY’YA! ” to your 19 year old boyfriend as he walks in the middle of the street with his posse.

1) Brodies out of the parking spot.

2) Not stopping at stop signs.

3) Walking in the middle of the street.

4) Margs (and muffled giggles) in the coaches meeting.

5) Hot Canadian athletes.

6) Scoring at the “dance” on Saturday night.

7) Not getting stuck alone eating the Holiday Inn buffet on Thanksgiving.

Finding Internet. I mean COME ON!!!

9) Going “green” but getting high on Flouros.

10) Winning a SuperTour as a full-time blaster coach.

Oh yeah, I know every one of you knows what I’m talking about.

Nor-topia

So here we are, fueling our desire to be the best nor-tards we can be. We’ve got our wax, we’ve got our skis, we’ve got our training. But wait. Oh wait! We’ve got our hand sanitizer! If you had to pick two things that defined us for what we are, what would they be?

For me, it would be a hot set of ‘dex pants, and a can of hand sanitizer. Hmmmm…wait a second.

But wait, there’s a beer behind that can-O-’tizer. That’s not right? It must belong to the janitor!?!

Here we are, the biggest cohesive gathering of our competitive kind of the year, and what do we have to define ourselves? A bloody *tank* of hand sanitizer right next to the start lists. And don’t even think about stealing it, it belongs to the “Yellowstone Ski Festival”. Holy crap, they might have to buy another one!

Go Holly.

Stay tuned