Canada Camp, Day 3

Another gorgeously cold day at Mont Sainte Anne! We took advantage of fresh-groomed hard-track on the climb to Lac St Hilaire this morning during a 4x4 interval session. It was a lung-burning uphill but the firm tracks held easy kick. Despite the killer incline of Hilaire, perhaps the most painful part of the workout was the fast, cold downhill back to the start of each interval. 
  The afternoon held the sweetest ski we've seen yet - the temps warmed just slightly and the track was fantastic still.  The dropping sun cast an orange hue on snow-crusted trees, and illuminated the great puffs of steam cast off by our bodies.  Loops 22 and 21 were the choice of the afternoon: little traffic, skiable terrain, great views, and rollercoaster, belly-dropping downhills. This is why we love MSA!

Early a.m. on LSH: Casey

Mitch nears the top of the interval hill

Hannah H wins "Most Ridiculous Outfit in the Condo" for the second year in a row as she attempts to warm up after the cold morning session.

Afternoon at the Auberge: Andrea Fisher, Hannah S, Becca, Holly, Hannah

Skiing toward the setting sun on Loop 21

Frosty! Elena and Kristin

Holly works the no-pole in the last of the evening light.

Canada Camp, Day 2

A cold clear dawn and beautiful corduroy greeted us on our second day in Mont St Anne. We started the morning with a technique session and ended with a distance ski . In the afternoon we switched to skate skis, and though the hard track was a bit squirrely underfoot we put in some more technique, video, and distance, ending the session under peach sherbet skies (a hue in direct contrast to the cool temps!)
The men's team - who had been not only busy cooking but hair-cutting - whipped up a fabulous dinner of szechuan chicken, garlic-mandarin rice, and steamed broccoli.
   After video review there was just enough time for a movie before bed. :)

What a morning!

Yay for tracks!

no-pole drills

Casey's substitute for grip plugs

Sliding past the powerline

The boys team waits for dinner guests with a feast on the table

Canada Camp, Day 1

A fabulous first day at camp! We awoke to nearly a foot of fresh snow, albeit wet (the precip was a schizophrenic mix of snow and rain), which made for pretty good cruising on our first day of training. Most of the team skated in the morning and classic skiied in the afternoon; the snow was fast, though a bit rutted in spots. We fit in a good 4 hours of skiing for our first day, and after an incredible dinner cooked up by the parents of Hannah Smith and Isaac Hoenig we are fueled up and ready to hit the trails again tomorrow: Peter Hoenig, Cathy Schen, Aime Smith, and Tom Smith procured a spread of chili, rice, cornbread, spinach salad, and gingerbread cake. What a feast!
Tomorrow: the temps are supposed to cool off considerably night, so the tracks should be great for another two training sessions.
In other news: the French-Canadian-acccordian-folk-pop-rap music on the radio is incredibly fantastic (says Aubrey) and the boys are entertaining themselves with new haircuts.
Oh, and Isaac made up a great new joke. Please ask him to share it with you. :)

Erik  and Kalle showing off mad ski skills

Kristin cruisin' downhill

The boys' train takes Route 33

The fearless Map Woman at work planning an afternoon tour

Hannah, Sarah, Becca at a foggy intersection

Dimitri's Ice Cap

Phil's new 'hawk

Kalle's new mullet

Ian digs into chili

Smith sisters, Phil sit down to dinner

Dinner Table

Dinner Living Room

The Celebrated Chefs! Peter Hoenig and Cathy Schen, Tom and Aime Smith sit down with Coach Bud Fisher and wife Barbara Kourajian

What happens when we aren't skiing. Day 1.

Canada Camp, Day 0

We traveled to Quebec on dry roads today, making good time despite a slight pause at the border (did a freshman leave their passport at home?!!), and moved into our condos at the Chalets Montmorency around 5 pm. We then did a "quick" shopping trip at the local IGA for team dinner materials and breakfast and lunch for the next few days. It only the women 45 minutes to pack 500 dollars of food into two carts! The men spent an extra couple hundred for their own condo. Every year we get surprised at the IGA bonus gift (for every 75 bucks spend you get an item: two years ago it was juice, last year it was bags of lemons and limes which we had to incorporate with much ingenuity into all our meals, drinks, and desserts) and this year we got quarts of tomatoes!
Holly, Sarah, and Hannah Smith have been skiing awhile already and report good conditions. But there is a storm brewing outside right now, and we are preparing to ski on a good amount of new snow tomorrow!!

Kristin (with an impressive receipt), Andrea Fisher, Becca, Elena, Jenna

Williams on Break

 

Liz Kantack (09), Dimitri Luthi (12), Keith Kantack (11), Evan Dethier (11), Dylan Dethier (14), and Elena Luthi (15) at dinner at Bob and Anne Kantack's house

Weekend of Skiing at Prospect (and shout out to Skida!)

The team logged several beautiful days of skiing at Prospect. Not enough snow to groom, just 4-5 inches, but it was enough to actually ski.

Thanks to Skida for our new white and purple, Williams team headbands!! They are already being sported on a regular basis.

Kristin leads ladies up Chickadee

Elena, Becca, Hannah S, Sarah, Jenna, Kristin

Mens team racing the downhill

Ben styling his new headband

You Can't Judge A Gift By Its Wrapping

Last night Bud and Barb invited the team over for the annual team Christmas Party and Yankee Gift Swap.  Dressed in their finest, the team crowded into the Fisher-Kourajian household and enjoyed lasagna dinner, a "friendly" exchange of gifts, lots of laughs as the gifts were opened, and rice pudding for dessert.
   The gifts remained unwrapped as everyone vied for the ones that looked most enticing.  Popular this year were Becca's gift, wrapped with a handmade lacy snowflake bow, and Ben's gargantuan cardboard box that had a smaller bag on the side which Erik deemed "felt like sand".
  Turns out it WAS sand.   Vanya ended up getting the gift, and as we all puzzled over the plastic bag of sand, which Ben happily told us he got from facilities, Vanya unwrapped the mystery as he opened the larger box to reveal:plastic sand toys!!!!!    Genious!  
  There were many other fabulous surprises and choice items of apparel, soft blankets, ridiculous toys, and candy.  Oh, and a 10 lb log of summer sausage. All in all, quite a haul of fun.

Ian scopes the table of gifts

Vanya, Hannah S, Kristin, Hannah H serve up salad

Will is unwilling to let Hannah steal his gift

Phil's gift (from Patrick) gets him all decked out

Vanya: The gift that "felt like sand".

Elena receives (from Holly) a shirt with Coach Fisher's pic

Patrick: "Does this shirt make me look fat? "(from Casey)

Erik, Superhero or Supervillian?

Dessert! Christina serves up rice pudding with raspberry sauce.

At last! We've got the White Stuff.

CrewSki Erg Championships

Our annual late-fall date with the crew team happened this afternoon: 23 x 3 person teams, each team a mix of crew and ski athletes, combined men and women, competing to see how far they could row in 48 minutes.  Each team member rows 4 x 4 minute intervals. The trick in the exchange zone is getting teammates to help row and strap down feet of their teammate so that the switch is as smooth as possible and there are no wasted pull-meters.  It was raining hard outside and everyone was glad to be simulating a water sport without having to get wet!  It was also a great way to get a set of really tough intervals in: when you have teammates leaning over your shoulder and screaming at you, with a monitor in your face that tells you the exact numbers, there is definitely no room for slacking!

Peter Wells (Men's crew coach) gives a demo on erg technique to Ian, Casey, Will and Ben

23 ergs, 70+ athletes, two large-screen tracking monitors: It's ON.

Sarah, Kristin, Becca

Vanya, Phil

As he pulls, Dimitri can see how many meters ahead or behind his boat is currently rowing in comparison to the other teams.

Issac

 

The trick to a smooth transition is to have one teammate keep pulling the erg while the next teammate gets on the erg, then the third teammate helps strap the feet into the holds.  It is a trick that requires a little finesse! 

(in video: Holly, Hannah, Jenna) 

 

                               The gym gets louder as the last teammate finishes

BFF&E

I had forgotten about this gem I took earlier in the fall...

A beautiful sight, totally unplanned too!