Bounding in a Blinding Snowstorm

Well all we had to do to make it snow more was put in a hard level 4 session of bounding intervals. By midway through the session it was blizzard conditions. For some reason the flash only worked on a couple of the pics, one of these days I will learn to use this camera better.
We are off to Gatineu Park in Ottawa tomorrow. It sounds like it is about as good as Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid but there are tracks already set so hopefully a little better. Maybe Van Ho next weekend, either place is about 1:45 to 2hour drive so same time commitment either way.

Back to some dryland

The pictures are from our little van mishap in Quebec. This is how you can have an accident without even driving anywhere. One van slid backwards down a slight incline as the snow warmed and got greasy under the wheels.
Well todays weather was not kind to the snow. Temps near 40F and quite windy some snow early on and then mix of rain and snow. So today was a run and stretching session with some abs after. Given that the skiing hasn't been the greatest here anyway I think for most on the team this was good because it keeps us on campus. The extra travel time to Higley or the Snowbowl while not excessive(about 20-25min one way) certainly eats up a good portion of the afternoon.

Still on Snow

Well yesterday we skied on the thinnest of margins but today was a bit more wintery. We have been skiing the old Snowbowl trails which are probably the highest point in Colton, I think its around 800 feet but sometimes even that makes a difference. We groomed Higley today after the moderate snowstorm last night that left about 4-5 inches of new snow through the North Country. We decided to let Higley set up overnight so that it might be better off into next week. I definently think that either Lake Placid or Gatineau are going to be in the plans this weekend at least for Saturday if not both Saturday and Sunday. A little bit of a haul but almost always worth the trip. A rain snow mix is in the forecast for tomorrow but the extended forecast looks favorable at least temperature wise, we just need a good sized snowstorm to hit us.

A look back at Thanksgiving camp...

Looking back on our training camp in Quebec I think that we truly lucked out with the amount of snow available at both the Foret and Mont Sainte Anne. Although it was unfortunate that we were not able to get out to West Yellowstone, I think we benefited much more from getting in the solid hours of training that we did. We began the week by putting in a few single session days and worked our way into doubles with some much needed food and nap breaks in between. The team looked great on our interval days (Wednesday and Friday) where we did some longer classic at level 3 and shorter skate at level 4. It was really a good feeling to put the skis back on, get some balance back, and remember why we all love this sport so much. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving Day…lots of snow. So much that we had trouble seeing the covered street lights on our drive back from Mont Sainte Anne. Not only was the snow great but we put together a pretty decent Thanksgiving meal…and had enough leftovers to provide for a few following meals. There were also other skiers from UVM, Middlebury, Bates, UMPI, and Colby which was fun to see some friends and obviously stake out the competition. Although we did not compete in the Saturday time trial amongst most of those teams listed including some high school ski schools and some Canadians, I think I can speak on behalf of the team by saying the effort we put in for the week was really great. As most people passed out on the van ride home, it was evident that the trip left us exhausted…but mostly satisfied. As for Canton, NY…current is mostly slushy...lots of rain yesterday although it changed over to snow last night but still too wet to accumulate much. Oh well. Like Ethan said, we are hoping that Gatineau Parc in Ottawa has something to offer us for this weekend. Otherwise we are looking to Christmas break (so soon!) to get back on the white stuff.

looking for snow

Well I just spent about 2-2.5 hours driving around the North Country checking on snow. I wasn't expecting much and I didn't get much. There is a slight bit of icy slush on the ground in Canton that will probably be gone by morning. Higley our home training site in South Colton still had a solid layer of slushy ice that could probably even be skied on but it wouldn't be worthwhile training. If the rain changes over soon and it gets cooler, we may be able to ski there this week but I am not counting on it. I went all the way out to Star Lake but that was even worse, oh well we need lake effect snow for that and these past storms were not really lake storms. This week will be difficult given that we rollerskiing is going to be ugly on roads that have been salted and sanded. Running should still be fine of course and we have a bounding workout planned for Friday. Gatineu Park in Ottawa was being groomed prior to the weekend but they are getting rain there as well. Even so I would be that we could get in some skiing there this weekend especially if we get some snowfall after the rain. We will see. Back at it again tomorrow morning.

some pictures finally

The skiing continues to get better, a couple of inches of new snow yesterday. Conditions are just a couple notches shy of excellent. Tomorrow we will give Mt. Saint Anne a try for a change of scenery. I am feeling really good about the training we have been putting in this week. It is going to be a big let down when we return to less snowy climes at the end of the week but at least we should be able to feel good about what we got done. Maybe the weather will pull through and we could at least ski in Ottawa or Star Lake.
We may participate in the Colby/UVM annual Foret Time trial on Saturday but we are scheduled to head back to campus that day so that will be up to the athletes. I would would really rather have the time trial on Friday but its not my show so we will stick with the level 4 intervals for those that choose not to time trial before we head back Saturday.
So I have a few pictures from the last couple of days when we stayed up at Foret and skied twice after lunch and a nap. Matty is the king of napping.

Foret Montmorency

Well this looks like the place to be for Nordic skiers this week. The snow is good, pretty close to the best we saw all last winter most places in New England and the team is doing well. The drive up from Stoneham is probably going to get old by the end of the week but for now it pays off with some great skiing. Today the trails were busy with some ski clubs from Quebec. These clubs were huge spanning the range from around 10 or 11 years old all the way up to 60plus master blasters. One group had about 80 total and another probably near the same. Made for some congested trails at some points but thats congestion by nordic ski standards.

Most of them were nice but I couldn't help feeling like we were poaching their secret skiing trails.

We have a pretty big week planned, should be interesting to see how everyone is doing by the end.
Sorry about the lack of pictures, I keep forgeting the camera in the excitement of getting on snow, I will try to take some tomorrow.

Long Week

Well, it seems like my (and I have to assume everyone's) dreams of riding buffalos and hunting wolves and doing some skiing in West are a wash. As of this morning, we have changed trajectories north instead of west and are traveling to northern Quebec to bone up on our French and hopefully buy some poutine and Nordiques shirts.
The snow looks good, and almost every other college team is planning to be there skiing, so the week should be very productive. We have lost a few and gained a few, but all in all a good trip should be had.
Besides the indecisions and the cursing out of Montana, this week has seen a solid week back from a rest week...for everyone else. Two solid morning lifts left people dozing in 8:30s I'm sure, and last nights track workout under the lights, in the rain, in the cold, looked brutal but beneficial. A couple nice long easy rolls with some specific strentgh on the inbetweens, and some skate intervals tomorrow perhaps if the weather holds out...or a solid game of indoor soccer before we depart early Saturday morning.
I, unfortunately was left on the sidelines this week (just takin a little extra rest week) due to popcorn (and the fact that freak health issues always happen to me). It seems that a tiny piece of kernel got lost in my tonsil...decided to hangout and give me crazy fevers and coughs for a full 5 days. I finally figured out what it was last night, got on some antibiotics, and had the doc in town fish that guy out. Hopefully, skiing is in my future (although I'm getting a little light headed typing this so I might have to take it easy and focus on the gravy french fries the first few days in Canada.)
Happy there's snow somewhere, happy there's only one day of school left, happy we are training well, and unhappy that I will never, ever, eat popcorn again.
I'm sure pics of the white stuff will come from the road.
Cheers.

Marissa Marleau '09 in France

I've got two great stories for you. The first being the strike and riots that have occurred at our school this past week. Sarkozi passed a law stating that as of next year there will be a privatization of all public colleges. The FAC (the college that we attend here) is public and free of charge to all students so as you can imagine they are upset at the idea that they might have to pay a tuition to continue school. All the French students refuse to come to class until Sarkozi changes the law. They have piled chairs in front of all the entrances so no one can enter for class and last week a small riot broke out in the center square of school. The SLU kids of course still have class but to get in to the building we now have to call the dean directly for her to let us in what is normally a fire escape exit, off the side of the school. In the mean time all the facilities on campus have also shut down, meaning the fitness center! Just to use the equipment you have to pay 25 Eros and now it's not even open! hahahaha, So I'm giving up, I've resorted to doing squats, lunges, and sit-ups in my room. I thought about putting various pieces of furniture on my back as weight for the squats, but I'm not that desperate yet.

The second bit of news probably takes the cake. Today I went for a run and got lost in the east Jesus of France... and somehow I managed to accidentally join a semi marathon race that was going on. After running for a half an hour I had no idea where I was so I decided I would follow a group of runners that I saw up a head. Normally you never see ANYONE in France run so I assumed it was a race of some sort. No one reprimanded me for running with them so I went with it. I jammed out to my pod, cruised along, and started passing people. Spectators were lined up along the side of the road cheering and half way through there was a feed station... I figured what the hell, I'm running in a race I haven't entered, I might as well take the feed too. I did about 35 min of intense running and then I crossed the line. I had no idea how big the race was until I saw the finish. It was great that I found out where the race ended but then I was like "Oh god, what if they actually check to see if I registered... then I would have to try and explain myself out of the mess in French. But nobody checked me or seemed to notice that I was out of place so I ended up finishing a race I never entered. After I crossed the line they had oranges and water set up for the finishers so I took part in that and then just before I left somebody gave me a bag of sweet gear just for participating. They didn't ask me questions and I didn't ask them questions; I just took the stuff and started running back the way I came. On the way down the mt. I asked one of the officials for directions back to my house. When I got back I opened the bag to see what I got and luckily there was a t-shirt in there to tell me exactly what I had just participated in: Semi-marathon, Bois Guillaume. I laughed all the way back down the mt. and I am still laughing now... weird things like this only happen to me.

Number 9 road

Some level 4 intervals on number nine road today. We had not been here yet this fall so it was good change of scenery. A couple of barking dogs to cheer you on is alway fun as well.
I am going to try posting some video once I get the clips pulled off the camera but in the meantime check out the photo of Isaac carving on his longboard after the workout.