USA Pears is sponsoring US National Ski Team athlete Torin Koos during the 2007/2008 season.Torin, a native resident of Leavenworth, Washington, grew up in the heart of pear country. As a professional athlete, good nutrition is integral to his success and pears are a key part of his diet. Follow Torin around the world as he trains, competes, and helps to teach others about good nutrition as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Visit www.usapears.org and cheer on Torin throughout the season!
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Atop a mountain, in a country known by the native Maori as Aotearoa — land of the long white cloud — weather moves in and weather moves out. One day to the next can make all the difference.On Friday morning the U.S. team ran for 2 1/2 hours up the Matukituki Valley in t-shirts, then put in a distance and on-snow specific strength session in the half-light of the evening sky. The nighttime brought heavy winds and precipitation, a mishmash of snow too sticky to groom. Instead of slogging through snow so heavy only a coastal skier with a pair of hairy skis ready to roll could love, the Friday
Running beside Lake Wanaka, en route to Mt.Aspiring and the Matukituki Valley
The American contingent currently down in the Southern Hemisphere. From left: Andrew Newell, Chris Cook, Torin Koos, Leif Zimmerman, Kevin Hochtl. (photo by Chris Grover).
One day you’re skiing on a hard but thin cover of snow with the boys, putting in a couple of kilometers and some upper-body strength drills with the boys...
...then after nightfall the cold, clear weather gives way to a solid winter storm of 50cm of snowfall, a helping of rain, and a driving easterly wind.
Saturday
The next morning the New Zealand Burton Open and the ITU World Cup Winter Triathlon are cancelled do to the stormy conditions. The U.S. team needs to adapt as well. High intensity on-snow work was not in the cards. The sprint team traded in the interval and strength day for a 3 1/2 hour O.D. The rain came down hard. The wind cut through the clothes. But as Leif said afterwards, “This was the best bad workout day ever.” (photo by Justin Wadsworth).
From the valley floor, a dirt road switchbacks 14 kilometers over old mountainous sheep herding terrain to the cross-country ski resort. On days like this you just hope two sets of eyes are good enough to get you back home.
At the SnowFarm, the boiler’s back on. The place is back pumping out hot water for showers and the afternoon cup of flat white. And the trails are getting a much needed addition to its base. I just hope that by tomorrow Carl can get out there and turn the windblown piles of snow into corduroy.
What a difference a day can make. |
