Return to Snow

It's good to be back! Last week I got back on snow for the first time since injuring my knee in March. I am used to a return-to-snow program that begins with multiple drill sets before gradually progressing to more dynamic turns and eventually gates, and while I was careful to make sure I had my feet underneath me, I had no choice but to partake in the 97 inches that fell on the mountain during my time at Alyeska. This meant getting my balance back by dropping chutes and searching for powder stashes tucked away in the trees. I had a great time skiing with friends and family, and I can't wait to get back out on snow; maybe next time in a more controlled environment.

During my visit home Kieffer, my little brother, and I were asked to speak with the Alyeska Ski Club junior program. The athletes were gearing up for the annual year-end USSA race, The Coca-Cola Classic, so we shared a few tips about preparing for race day and dealing with success/failure. It's great to see the future of Alaska ski racing up close, and it was even better to watch them rip some slalom the next day during the races.

One of my favorite parts about growing up racing in AK was having so many great ski racers that I could lay claim to: Tommy Moe, Hilary Lindh, Megan Gerety, Mike Makar, Kjersti Bjorn-Roli, Andre and Suki Horton. I was pretty sure that since we came from the same place, I basically destined to be equally as accomplished (my first Junior Olympics proved to be an serious wakeup call). While Kieffer and I don't pretend to be in the same company as an Olympic or World Championship gold medalist, we wanted to make sure the kids knew that even though AK can sometimes seem like a far off and distant land, in the end it's just a matter of getting from point 'a' to point 'b', and that the fastest person can come from anywhere.

Here are some shots from our talk, it was a fun group of kids. Happy New Year!