Colorado Fundamentals Camp 11/17-11/18

Despite having to deal with some issues, this has been a very productive camp! It is amazing to see some of the younger athletes that have not been in gates starting to rip turns, and becoming more comfortable. Some of our older athletes are also skiing great, picking up right where they left off, and taking their skiing to the next level.

On Monday we had a Slalom training lane at Loveland. We started the morning with some drill courses. These courses were challenging with lots of offset. We then set a 40 gate course, and I was very impressed with the progress everyone made. All of our drill work is starting to pay off!

It is a blue bird day today, and warmer than it has been for most of the camp. Everyone is free skiing on GS skis, and loving the great snow conditions. We have done a lot of Slalom skiing, so it is good to get back on the long boards.

Tomorrow we will be back on GS skis, and watching the U.S. Team, and other National teams race SG at Copper.  We are headed to the historic Mint, steak house for dinner tonight. 

Here are some picture from our lane training on Monday!

Saturday 11/15, 6th Day on Snow!

Everyone finally got a chance to ski some tall gates, and work on skiing fundamentals. We started with a brush apex drill course, that was later converted into an apex drill, with tall gates. After the top drill course lower on the lane we skied a combination course, that was later changed into a rhythm section. Giving everyone a race like simulation. The end of the rhythm section was set with little off set to give everyone a chance to work on creating speed on the flats. At the very end we also had a pole jumper drill. It was amazing to see the progress all of our athletes made from their first runs to their last.

Another great aspect of training in Colorado is that it gives young athletes a chance to see top level athletes National teams from around the world. Everywhere you look there are amazing ski racers working hard to improve. Just having the opportunity to watch some good skiing is beneficial for all of out athletes.

Tomorrow we will be back on Slalom skis, getting ready for our second training lane day on Monday. We have been getting hammered with snow, so we should have some great powder turns tomorrow!

Make sure to check out some of the great pictures from the trip at http://okemomtnschool.phanfare.com/2014/.

Friday 11/14, 5th Day on Snow!

After a great rest day everyone was excited to get back on snow. Today we skied on Slalom skis in preparation of our training lane tomorrow. We worked on lots of drills, and made good use of our video feedback capabilities. Using the iPad to watch video right at the resort. Tomorrow we will be skiing on our own training lane. We plan to focus on shorter sections of gates, and other drill courses to help everyone get back into the swing of slapping plastic.

Here is a throwback picture of three of our athletes riding up the lift with Hannah Kearney on Wednesday at Arapahoe Basin. Hannah is a mogul skier from Hanover NH, that won gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and a bronze in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

11/12 4th Day on Snow!

Today we woke-up to fresh snow! We decided to take advantage of the great powder conditions, and go to Arapahoe Basin on our slalom skis for some directed free skiing. A-Basin not only has some great terrain open, but also did not require us to travel on I-70 which was closed in either direction of us during the storm. Skiing in powder bumps, and variable unpredictable terrain was great for everyone's balance, and development of a feel for the snow. We even got to see the US Mogul Team training in the morning.  By the time we got back from the mountain we had over a foot of fresh snow! Everyone is looking forward to a day off after some hard charging runs in the powder today!

2nd and 3rd Days on Snow!

Monday 2nd Day on Snow!

We were out on our Slalom Skis again. The day started with warm-up runs. Then we watched some videos of skills quest drills. We completed phase 2 of skills quest which includes pole jumpers, straight run to slide with edge set, free skiing with pole usage, and outside ski turns.  Every athlete got a chance to watch video of themselves doing the drills. Video is a powerful teaching tool, and everyone did a great job improving the skills we worked on. As the day went on the snow really started to pile up. By the time we were on the road to head back to the condo the I-70 Eisenhower tunnel had been closed.  A little less than 3 hours later we were back at the condo. Needless to say the end of the day was very dragged out, and everyone was happy to be back safe at our base camp in Silverthorne!

Tuesday 3nd Day on Snow!

Today we switch gears, and got on our GS skis. Everyone worked hard to feel comfortable on their longer boards. As a result we did lots of drills focusing on a good athletic racer stance, and the fundamentals of good skiing. Drills without pole were done to help with balance. We also did a lot of continued work on the outside ski drill. By 2:45pm we were loaded up, and on our way up the Loveland pass to check out the Continental Divide. The views were breath taking, and so was the wind! Tomorrow we are back on GS skis, and we are going to check out the skiing at Arapahoe Basin!

First Day on Snow!!!

We had a great first day on snow! Everyone got their loveland passes, and we got to it. The crowds seemed to thin out as the day went on, and the few trails that were open had great snow on them.

Today's focus was getting our skiing feel back on Slalom skis.  The day started out with some free run, and then we got into some drill work later in the day. Tomorrow we will be back on Slalom skis for some more drill work!