Final Day on Snow (Day 9)!

We had a great final day on snow. A surprise few inches of snow was waiting for us at the mountain this morning. This dusting was sitting on top of a great hard packed corduroy surface. Everyone has made huge gains in their technical free skiing during this camp. Now it is just a matter of making the changes stick and become a permanent fixture in all of our athletes skiing!

Women's Team after the Completion of Z-Girls!

Day 8 on Snow

Today we switched up the schedule, letting the athletes get some extra sleep and having study hall in the morning. We then left for the mountain at 11:30, and got some great skiing in until 3:30 when the sun moved behind the mountains and the light became very flat. The snow was back to its former glory. A very solid hard surface, yet still edge-able. It is amazing how well everyone is skiing when compared to the first day of camp. That being said all of the athletes have specific focuses that we will continue to work on when we hit the slopes of Okemo. All in all this has been a great fundamentals camp. Once the athletes are sound in their fundamental skiing we will be ready to start adding more speed, gates, and tactics to our training!

Day 7 on Snow

Today was another beautiful sunny day in Colorado on the slopes of Loveland Ski Resort. Snow conditions have changed; we now have soft packed powder conditions, thanks to the resent snow fall. This type of snow is great for helping athlete’s developed a feel for consistent pressure throughout the turn. Too much pressure all at once will cause athletes to lose control of their skis’ in the soft snow. These types of condition will be experience throughout the year anytime we receive fresh snow fall.

On another note, I came across a great article posted by VARA  http://changingthegameproject.com/more-important-than-talent/. What should be taken away from this article is the age old saying, “you get out of it, what you put in.” Nothing great in life comes easy and if you want to make it to a high level of competition, no matter what your sport you need to be willing to get outside of your comfort zone. Everyone has different reasons why they ski race, and fun should be at the heart of it. However it is never too early to look at the big picture and think about where you want to go with this sport! In the end getting comfortable being uncomfortable will help ambitious athlete reach a new levels.  

Day 6 on Snow (Powder)!

Today we left the hotel early in anticipation of snowy roads and more crowded slopes, leaving the Hotel at 7:45. We pulled into the parking lot just after 8, with plenty of time to get booted up and on the lift for an 8:30 opening. With 9 inches of fresh snow in the last 48 hours everyone was excited to get on the lift and get in some fresh turns. Today’s on snow session was all about undirected free skiing and enjoying the snow. Tomorrow we will return to a structured on snow drill progression focused on each athletes technical skiing.

Day Off

What a great day off! Everyone is feeling rejuvenated and it is snowing! Our U18 athletes took advantage of the day off by visited CU Boulder for a campus tour. The rest of Team OMS spent some time shopping at the outlets and seeing a movie. Tomorrow everyone will be on slalom skis in anticipation of a crowded day at the mountain. Until tomorrow here are a couple action shots of the Riley boys!

Day 5 on Snow

Everyone has put in a great day on snow. All of the Athletes are making great strides and are well on their way to improving their technical skiing. 

The temperature has dropped throughout the day, and a storm has begun to blow in. We are expecting to get some snow over the next couple days. We have tomorrow off and then we will be back on snow Sunday. If everything works out we will be skiing some fresh powder on Sunday! Until then a much needed day of rest. 

Day 4 on Snow

Today we had a great on snow training session; it was another mild blue bird day. Many of the athletes are beginning to lose some steam, and needed some extra rest time.  We still have one more day on snow until our Saturday rest day. So, we decided to ski until noon then check out some of the sites and visited the Continental Divide for some breath taking views.

Then we headed back to the Hotel to do a cool down, and get some tuning done before study hall. After dinner tonight the OMS girls team will take part in Z – Girls, a great program aimed at helping girl with goal setting, positive self-talk, body image, communication, support networks, building confidence, and nutrition. This is a great opportunity and the girls should get some get skill that will help their mindset on the hill, and their over all life skills. All and all another great day in sunny Colorado!