Are You Living It?

Well, another ski season behind me and a good one at that! I was fortunate enough to chase competitions and storms throughout Utah, Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Patagonia / Chile, California and Austria! Not bad for a winter huh? It was an exciting season full of highs and lows, twists and turns, disappointments and accomplishments! There were warm sunny days and twice as many miserably cold ones. Days of great helicopter rides and others spent waiting for weather to clear so we could fly. I had lots of days filled with solitude and reflection and others with big groups of my best friends. I was able to see some of the most beautiful mountain ranges I have ever seen, memories that will forever be with me. It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies, all the more reason to get out there and do more of the things you’re passionate about!!! I love big mountain skiing, that’s what I do, that’s who I am!!!

I woke up hungry this morning. Not just for food - but hungry for more opportunities to work on my new approach toward racing. As mentioned I had a big break this weekend - and now know all I have to do is continue to work in that zone to realize my full potential.

This week’s rest week was perfectly timed. I’ve sat on the bike maybe 3 hours since Sunday and my body is feeling rejuvenated. Good thing - this weekend boasts both a TT in Black Diamond and a 66 mile race out in Elma.

So what did I do in my spare time you ask?

(**After the interview, please read our letter to Laird, as well as our disclaimer on the photo)

After being weathered out for two days in Alaska, I finally killed the snake.

A short heli ride followed by two hours of arduous climbing, we
topped out on the Python, the biggest peak in the valley. With lumps
in my throat, I dropped into the line, possibly ripping my best turns of
2008. My sluff was chasing me down as I skied 2500 feet in ten
turns.  My first true AK line!!! 

Have you ever had so much fun that you didn’t want to stop for anything…and I do mean anything?

Do you ever feel like you’re on the edge of discovering something? That you feel like something is just on the tip of your tongue; the match that will light the fire; the plateau you’ve been hoping to overcome and move beyond?

This story is an aside to an Active Release Techniques (ART) meeting and training I attended this weekend in Colorado Springs at Champion Health. As a member of CouchSurfing.com  I searched the Colorado Springs area for someone to stay with. I came across the profile of a fellow Couch Surfer, Ryan Kohler, that shared similar interests and I would enjoy meeting, then sent a request to crash on his floor for a couple nights. He was going to be home this weekend and invited me to stay. The meeting was on Saturday, but the only flight that would get me from Medford Oregon to Colorado Springs in time was Friday morning. So I had to figure out what I could do to while away a Friday afternoon. I remembered that the Olympic Training Center was located in Colorado Springs and that there may be a place to get my Lactate Threshold tested. I contacted Ryan to see if he knew of any possibilities. “It just so happens”, he replied, “that I work for Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) as a coach, and we have a testing lab.” Wow!  What luck.

I’m not certain that this post should serve as any sort of instructional manual, and if you happen to find yourself in a strikingly similar situation, then you have traveled far indeed my friend.

Picture yourself in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Imagine a small room with mirrors and wood floors. In it are the narrator, a beautiful Latina slasa instructor, two very tall people, and five Chinese scientists. How they got there is irrelevent.  What we do know is that they are about to begin a journey in Salsa dancing, in a dance studio known as, “the Twilight Zone.”

I don’t know if I have enough material for this post, honestly, but it’s best to capitalize on those rare mornings of good humor before the mosquitos start breeding and the sun makes it impossible to sleep in the truck past 6 am. As I prepped my morning yerba in Moab, I overheard the little girl who was camping next door as she left the restroom ‘facilities’ stating to the world in a sing-song voice, ”I’m-no longer-occupied!” I empathized, reaching back to the mornings after my first cup of coffee when I too feel possessed. Then there was the exchange between she and her little brother, Jake: