NYSEF Winter Term: Fundamentals Camp: Side Excursion Report

A wise man and a skiing aficionado once said, "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

And it's true. So true! Our 2-week Winter Term Prep Camp here in Colorado has been truly fantastic. Spectacular weather, a terrific group of motivated athletes, and a collective 1,245 years of coaching expertise between our staff have paved the way for some impressive gains by all of our athletes.

But in ski racing, as in life, sometimes it's just as important to forget about the goals and the angles and the splits and just think about the journey. So in between the gate bashing and the no-pole drills and one-ski turns, we took a few side trips.

Off to the big show!

Excursion number one? Off to the races. The whole gang hopped in the van to soak it all in at the Birds of Prey World Cup Super-G in Beaver Creek. It's one thing to visualize good turns and feel outside ski pressure, but it's another thing to hear the crowd roar in the bleachers as Kjetl Jansrud goes airborne or watch Hannes Reichelt clinch his first win after undergoing major back surgery.

Plus, we were there to support two of our own! Lake Placid native Andrew 'Warhorse' was out doing battle to prove that his second Olympic medal was no fluke, and Keene Valley's Tommy Biesemeyer was back on the circuit after suffering a major knee blowout in Lake Louise last season. Here's a visual feast from our day at the racetrack, cheering on our homegrown heroes to some awesome finishes:

First, we took over a shuttle bus.

Then, we indulged in Vail/Beaver Creek swag!

Warhorse, comin' at ya!

Blockbuster. Cliffhanger?

The Beezy comeback... powered by Cheez-Its and hard work!

Did we make it on TV? You bettcha!

Ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. Or the quads start burning. Whichever comes first.

Jansrud's reaction to losing his first race of the year. (He finished 2nd.)

Champs!

See! It's about the journey.

Dig our new hats?

Being a major ski celebrity is tough work.

Towards the end of camp, it was decided that the whole crew needed a bit of fresh air. Not that training on Copperoplois each morning and freeskiing around the mountain all afternoon doesn't count as "fresh air"... but regardless. Something new and different. Northwood coach and academic guru Marcy Fagan rallied the team and we made tracks for Mayflower Gulch, a spectacular mountain massif just minutes from Copper Village. Good for the body, good for the soul.

Creep tension. Did you know snow has both solid and liquid properties?

Upward!

A neat look at the five gendarmes of Mayflower Gulch

Remnants from an old mining camp made for a good jungle gym

Winter Termer Quin Taylor, soaking it up!

Guten Abend!

The team. Looking good!

Mad ups.

Tschüß!

The last excursion wasn't so much a major undertaking as it was ducking the rope before training to watch a few runs of the Men's Nor-Am slalom races taking place at Copper Mountain. Some of the European big-dogs were there to hone their soft-snow skills before the World Championships in Beaver Creek this February. It's rare for so many top-tier racers to hop into a Nor-Am event, but they're clearly on top of their game as many of the Europeans pulled out top performances in last weekend's slalom World Cup in Åre, Sweden.

There's nothing like watching the planet's finest slalom racers getting after it to help you prepare for your own training session. Positive mental imagery-- so awesome!