It has been hard to hold back on a blog post since being inspired by Eli's and Jordan's first couple of alumni updates, but hopefully I will make up for it with some riveting content for you all to read while you are en route to the Colby Carnival or enjoying what I'm sure is an unbeatable lunch at the Becker residence.
For those that don't know, I am currently living in Andorra, a tiny mountainous country between Spain and France. While most of this post will be focusing on non-Andorran adventures, below I have included a map and a photo to give you all an image of where I am.
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| There's Andorra! The red dot is probably 10 times the size of the country itself. |
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| This is the view from where I go skiing after work. |
I was lucky enough to have my family come visit me for Christmas and New Year's and we spent a lot of time skiing, struggling to drive on Andorran roads (thanks Dad), and eating various types of chocolate. When my family returned to the US, I took off for Germany and Italy to watch the last four stages of the Tour de Ski and strap on my cross country skis for the first time this year.
Destination #1: Oberstdorf, Germany (classic sprints and 10/15k skate)
I have very few pictures of Oberstdorf, as a combination of rain, more rain, a thunderstorm and hurricane force winds somewhat dampened the experience (literally and figuratively). However, this did not stop me from cramming in a much skiing as possible on a 10k pancake-flat loop. Unlike Quebec, you are not allowed to ski recreationally on the World Cup course while athletes are warming up, so the skiing was limited to this one trail. Another interesting thing about Oberstdorf was that I could not find a lodge to put my things in, so I stashed my backpack in some guy's woodpile while I skied. Finally, and perhaps most unfortunately, the sprints were cancelled due to large trees falling all over the trail. Think about the worst weather we've had at Middlebury, multiply it by 10, and that's what it was like.
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| A summary of Germany: gray, bad klister jobs and general chaos. |
So needless to say, I was not too disappointed to have to leave Germany and head south to the Dolomites, which turned out to be the complete opposite (thank God). If I had to sum up Val di Fiemme in three words, they would be GO THERE IMMEDIATELY. The food is amazing, the skiing rivaled Norway (though I am biased because I was so desperate to ski), and the venue is top-notch. Furthermore, Alpe Cermis is a truly absurd, electrifying race to watch. It is quite humbling a) to actually stand on that slope, because cameras cannot capture how steep it is, and b) to watch some of the world's best athletes coaches skate the uphills and then double pole the flats because their legs don't work anymore. If you ever have the chance to go watch the final stages of the Tour, I would 100% recommend it. Also, please tell me if you do because I will join you.
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| Bliss |
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| I went on this four hour ski with no water and no food (oops), but I did buy some chocolate at this little chalet. |
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| I'm usually morally opposed to selfies, but considering Eli's abundant use of them I thought I'd include a few. This is me pointing down to Alpe Cermis in the background. |
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| Pretty darn exciting to see an American leading a distance classic race! |
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| Weng ripping near the end. |
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| !!!!!!! SO PROUD !!!!!!!!! |
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| I had to do it. |
That's all for now and ROCK THE COW this weekend!
I'm looking forward to seeing you all in Norway, where I can't wait to ski double the k's, catch double the rays and eat my weight in wafflers.
Love,
Benson
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