The Life...It's not all Wengen and Kitzbuhel.

Wow, 5 days since the last blog. I am addicted.
First, I want to thank PSIA-NW and specifically Kirsten Huotte for the opportunity to speak to your group. It is a passionate and knowledgeable group. Thanks for the hospitality and great venues. Also thanks to Gonzaga University, Mt. Hood Community College and Seattle Pacific University for allowing PSIA-NW to host at your campuses and in such well-equipped facilities.
But really, what am I writing about today? It is Friday, I feel like I need to get something up before the weekend. What to write? I got an email from Ted Ligety the other day briefly outlining the schedule for the Men's World Cup Tech group and then a more detailed one from WC Tech Coach, Peter Korfiatis. It got me thinking. We got to go to all of these beautiful places when I was with the team and all of my neighbors at home are always amazed by the "glamour" of the job. Mammoth, New Zealand, Portillo, La Parva, Vail/Beaver Creek, Wengen, Kitzbuhel, Schladming, St. Anton, Alta Badia...you get the idea. All the big resorts, all the time. Well, I will give you a brief look into the other side.

The WC Tech group was in Europe from October 15th. Saas-Fee for training, then drive to Soelden, race on the 25th, pack up and drive to Haus, Austria (about 3 hours). Train 2 days there, pack up again and drive to Patsch (about 10 minutes outside Innsbruck). Some conditioning work, some recovery work, press conferences and some socializing for 3 days. Most people don't know but Innsbruck is a great city with a lot to do. And excellent Thai food! 2 restaurants, owned by the same people. Thai-Li and Thai-Li Ba. Thai-Li is a tiny restaurant in the Alt Stadt and Ba is a large open glass room in the Galleria. About 2 blocks outside the Alt Stadt. Anyway, great food and good relaxation.
Then pack up again and hit the road to NE Germany. Wittenburg indoor ski dome (they will host a Europa Cup SL in November). This is about a 9 hour drive through flat, grey and often foggy Germany, fun. Train 3 days of SL there, which can be trying...very flat and somewhat boring after a while. Then hop a plane up to Taernaby, Sweden and train for 4 days in the dark, northern Sweden wilderness. Then drive to Levi and the heart of Lapland. The self-described "North Pole." No fun task as the roads are all snow covered and ice rutted, it is always dark, reindeer and moose all around and almost constantly dark this time of year. It can be a stressful, long drive. Then arrive in Levi, free ski on the race hill and let it rip on the "Levi Black" piste.
Pack up and fly home. Which means a flight out of Kittala, to Helsinki, Munich, Atlanta (Delta hub) and finally to Seattle for Peter. Pete will finally see his bride of 5 months after a month on the road in Europe;totally spent and jet lagged upon getting home. He will enjoy this time like none other but not for long. Soon it will be off to Colorado for a little tune up and Beaver Creek World Cup and back to Europe!

Sounds fun, doesn't it? And I can tell you from long experience, this is all done out of love of the sport, a sense of loyalty to the athletes and a strong patriotic feeling. There is not much money in it for a US Ski Team coach. The American ski coach in Europe can be a celebrity,if the boys perform. But an exhausted one.