Hallo from Swizerland! I met up with the Methow Olympic Development Team and a few other American skiers and I have been having the time of my life seeing new sights, learning about Swiss culture, and using skiing as my mission in mind.
Marshall Greene, Erik Bjornsen, Sam Naney, Sadie Bjornsen, Katie Ronsse, and Noah Hoffman outside our home base in Urnerboden. Scott Johnson has been our coach who has organized the logistics and made this trip happen. Urnerboden is a tiny town of 27 permenant residents that is at the end of the road toward Klausen Pass, which is a mountain pass only open in the summer time. The valley has groomed trails we can walk to from our doorstep and a gondola you can take up the mountain for extreme sledding adventures.
Sadie getting in some balance practice after the gondola dropped us off.
On our way down with the sleds. I gained a new appreciation of Olympic sledding events because steering down a steep and slippery slope is not easy.
American cowboys: Marshall and Sam.
Katie Ronsse on top of the world in a "Kwigillingok Ski Team" shirt.
Here is Rene, a very generous Swiss man who is letting us sample the difference between 2 and 3 year old cheese. Rene let us use a vacant part of his barn to wax our skis before the races when we were in Feutersoey for the Swiss Cup races. The Swiss people have been tremendously friendly. Rene also gave us a tour of his barn full of cattle, cheese factory and sent us home with home made Swiss cheese and sausage.
Sadie (left), a Swiss skier, and I (right) racing in the final heat of the "Atomic Swiss Cup" classic sprint last weekend. Notice a pair of skis directly on top of Sadie's skis. It seems to be accepted in the European racing circuit to ski over other competitors skis and shove others out of the way in order to gain a tactical advantage. Sadie and I will be team sprint partners this weekend in France and we are ready to fight back!
Marshall Greene, Erik Bjornsen, Sam Naney, Sadie Bjornsen, Katie Ronsse, and Noah Hoffman outside our home base in Urnerboden. Scott Johnson has been our coach who has organized the logistics and made this trip happen. Urnerboden is a tiny town of 27 permenant residents that is at the end of the road toward Klausen Pass, which is a mountain pass only open in the summer time. The valley has groomed trails we can walk to from our doorstep and a gondola you can take up the mountain for extreme sledding adventures. 
Sadie getting in some balance practice after the gondola dropped us off. 
On our way down with the sleds. I gained a new appreciation of Olympic sledding events because steering down a steep and slippery slope is not easy.
American cowboys: Marshall and Sam.
Katie Ronsse on top of the world in a "Kwigillingok Ski Team" shirt.
Here is Rene, a very generous Swiss man who is letting us sample the difference between 2 and 3 year old cheese. Rene let us use a vacant part of his barn to wax our skis before the races when we were in Feutersoey for the Swiss Cup races. The Swiss people have been tremendously friendly. Rene also gave us a tour of his barn full of cattle, cheese factory and sent us home with home made Swiss cheese and sausage.
Sadie (left), a Swiss skier, and I (right) racing in the final heat of the "Atomic Swiss Cup" classic sprint last weekend. Notice a pair of skis directly on top of Sadie's skis. It seems to be accepted in the European racing circuit to ski over other competitors skis and shove others out of the way in order to gain a tactical advantage. Sadie and I will be team sprint partners this weekend in France and we are ready to fight back!
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