These last few weeks have absolutely flown! After the Eastern Cups at Farmington, We spent a couple of weeks recovering and training. We managed to get over to Trapps for a great interval session with the GMVS crew and I even went home for a couple of days. After returning to campus, we took off to Stowe for a 3-day mini camp. It had just rained all over the place so we weren’t sure how things were going to look on the trails at Trapps, but we lucked out with 2 days of perfect skiing and training! We did some good intensity and volume and had a great time. It was great timing because the next weekend we were right back at Trapps for Eastern Cup #3 and the UVM Carnival.
This particular weekend is always great because the folks at Trapps always do a wonderful job with the trails and all of the little details that you have to think about to pull off a great race. It is also fun because it is the UVM Carnival, which means that all of the Eastern colleges bring their top skiers, so the field is always really deep. We arrived Friday to train and preview the course and got down to business on Saturday with a 5k classic race. I was a little disappointed with my race, but knew that I had to let it go in order to race better Sunday, which I did! I felt much better about my 10k state race and though I wasn’t psyched with my number, I was pleased with how I skied the course and paced myself. During my first lap, I was passed by a girl from Dartmouth who was on her second, and she was getting a split saying that she was leading the race by three seconds. I tried to keep her in my sights for as long as I could and tried to mimic her technique; it was a pretty cool experience! The courses at Trapps being as brutal as they are, we all returned home absolutely exhausted!
Charging out the gate in the 10k free
Jane hammerin'
Jenna cruising out of the stadium
Little sis Anne ripping in her first-ever 10k!
All smiles at the end of the 5k classic
This past week was especially fantastic because we were able to finally ski our home trails! Kingdom trails, a short 5 minute walk away have been fantastic all week. Bulletproof hardpack with a little granular and some freshies on top have made for some incredible skiing. We ran on the trails a lot this fall and they were great to run on so I’d always imagined that they’d be way more fun to ski, and they are! I’m still learning my way around, but I think that I’ve got the gist!
These trails are awesome!
On Friday afternoon the PGs and Pete headed up to Orford, Quebec for some out-of-region points races up there. The course was really fun and featured some fun rolling climbs and fast descents. On the morning of the race it was snowing, which always makes for interesting waxing, but Pete provided a perfect pair of skis for the race. My grip and glide were fantastic and I had a great time out on the race course. As usual, my trip wouldn’t have been complete without a few Canadian adventures. Before the race I had to use the restroom and when I went into the building, promptly entered the men’s room, and didn’t realize my mistake until I was out. It was weird because I know enough French to determine what bathroom to go into, and understand the man/woman visual that they always put outside the room. Ha ha ha I guess! We finished off the trip with a yummy crepes, and an uneventful border crossing. When the guard asked us if we were bringing anything back to the states and we politely said no, he said, “just a few duffles full of dope, right?!”… I didn’t know you could joke about that!
We returned to campus Saturday afternoon and after relaxing all evening, I had a full day planned for Sunday. Due to poor snow conditions 3 weeks ago, the 2nd day of the UNH Carnival had been postponed, so they were holding it up on the mountain. A few Burkies were invited to participate and one of them was my roommate! Though it was bitterly cold, I hiked a ways up on the course and watched them zoom by. It was really neat to watch some of my friends in action, they are so strong and talented! After a hearty brunch and some card games, I headed out for a fantastic ski on the Kingdom Trails network. It had just been groomed and the sun was out and it was beautiful!
Alpine ski mania
The course from the finish pen up. It was a giant slalom race, and took most racers 1 minute and a few seconds
A burke boy forerunning
A few of my teammates and Kate leave for some European racing today, some Norwegians are arriving a little later, and this weekend we’re at Craftsbury for the final Eastern Cups. After that is break, but I’m planning on staying up here for most of it to take part in a training camp. The days are packed!
Thanks to Mr. Hill for the race photos!
Think SNOW!
Emilie
