Erik Bjornsen in Feutersoey with a block of Rene's homemade cheese (see my last post for more). Feutersoey is near an expensive and touristy area in Swizerland. Even if I had the funds, going to a foreign place to staying in a fancy hotel and use the lift service doesn't appeal to me as much as traveling in a lower budget fashion if it is more likely to include getting to meet the locals and learn about their way of life. It was neat to see the pride Rene had in his milk, cheese, and sausage products and see how much he cared for his animals. He knew the name and history for each one. 
Sam Naney making friends with one of the cows after the race. Is that a ...Swiss kiss? 
Another major highlight from the past week-- which will be something I will never forget-- was getting a complimentary helicopter ride from Reto, the owner of Heli-Linth! Our Swiss Cup coach, Scott, and Reto became friends while climbing in Alaska many years ago. Reto was crucial in helping Scott find housing, rent an affordable van, and figure out the logistical details of the trip. In the heli ride we sped through the Linth Valley, toured over the mountain tops and veered through a sinuous canyon in a way that should've been out of the movie Avatar. The Linth Valley is the most dramatic in Swizerland and there are places where the vertical relief is 10,000 ft.
The pilots at Heli-linth are very experienced and Reto said that on a good work day they will make that same trip (minus the sight seeing part) about 200 times. From what I can recall, about 80% of their work is contracted-- either developing a hydroelectric dam to store energy (which there's a great capacity for due to 2 lakes in the nearby mountains that are at varying altitudes), eco-friendly logging, building skyscrapers in Zurich, or transporting sling loads of cheese or honey from remote mountain passes. The other 20% of their business is for avalanche and mountain rescue missions. They keep busy and work hard to say the least.
Avalanches and rock slides are common in this area and now there is a tunnels system that helps avalanches to pass over the cars and roads safely. Apparently back in the 80’s an avalanche wiped out and killed the entire British World Junior Biathlon team when they were driving toward the venue. There have not been any international competitions in the region since then-- although I couldn't find any written evidence of this tragedy to verify the details of this story.
Here's Sam and Sadie standing next to our bomb shelter that was below our landlord's house in Urnerboden. My understanding is that there was a period during the Cold War every home was required to have one of these fall out shelters, along with a 2 year supply of food that would protect and feed people after a nuclear attack. Swizerland still has the world highest ratio of shelter space to population size.
I know I haven't done much reporting on the ski training and racing aspect of my travels lately-- but that does not mean it has been any less interesting than normal! Here's Sam at one of the many road crossings along the distance skate race. The Euro version of a "Chinook" wind and rain came through and transformed the snow from firm crust to slush very quickly. The volunteers did a lot of work to lay down snow and make the course skiable but we still raced over crossings that I would have dismounted for in any non-racing scenario.Right now I am in La Feclaz, France and preparing for the OPA Cup this weekend. I'm signing off for now but there are plenty more stories to share soon.
From one of the luckiest kids out there,
Katie
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