The OPA Cup in France

I joined up with additional American skiers and coaches after the Swiss Cup races and made our way over to the Savoie Grand Revard region in southeastern part of France.
Here is part of our racing squad after training. Many of us hail from different club teams from around the country but we are combining forces to represent the USA as one team while abroad.
Caitlin Compton and Becca Rorabaugh at the racing venue in La Feclaz, France.
Wrecka, Ronski, Noah "the Hoff" Hoffman, and Mikey Sinnott out crust cuisin' after the races were over. Mt Blanc is in the distance.
Those of us who are the same age have grown up racing together, whether its on the same Junior National teams, J1 Scandinavian Cup trips, and previous World Junior Championship teams, etc... Whether it was getting to know each other better or just reconnecting after spending the early part of the season in different team vans and hotels representing the US together provides a good opportunity share ideas, learn from each other, and have fun together which helps strengthen and unify our ski nation. A huge thanks to the US Ski Team and NCCSEF for making this trip happen.
Kudos to whomever can name the 5 American skiers in red suits in this snapshot from the mass start distance race.

Friday night featured a 2x3x1k classic team sprint event under the stars and lights of down town La Feclaz. I paired up with Sadie Bjornsen and we raced to a 6th place finish. The pair of Caitlin Compton and Nicole DeYoung were just getting started when they posted an 8th place finish in the team sprint. These two lead the American women's team in the distance race by both finishing in the top 10th and 11th respectively and scoring sub-62 points. The mass distance skate race reminded me of pack racing in collegiate cycling races because the pack stayed together for most of the race and there was plenty of drafting, rubbing elbows, crashing, maneuvering around piles of tangled racers and/or carnage of equipment for almost everyone involved. Pure fun in my book. I didn't feel like I was in my absolute top form but it was a confidence boost getting to rub elbows with some top ranked skiers in the pack and afterwards realize what "could be" if I could race just a little bit faster. There is potential to score incredibly good points here. I finished 22nd and it was still my best points races of the season. Points are important in team selections and helpful in gaining favorable start positions. Peter Kling finishing things up near the end of his skate race in downtown La Feclaz.

For those of you who dont know much about the European or "OPA" Cup racing-- they are similar to our "Supertour" races although it is known to be more stacked with elite full-time racers. Each European nation takes a limited number of athletes so there aren't a large number of racers, but those present are fierce and fit and the time gaps are typically small. The field includes many skiers who are familiar to the World Cup scene but are still gaining experience before stepping up to race on the World Cup circuit full-time. Several of the top skiers in our races last weekend have medaled in international championship events and a few were just racing at the Olympics.

Compton was one of the Olympians who came over right after the games.
In addition to racing, I enjoyed getting to check out the old churches, statues, cemeteries, and historic castles (!) in the region. I was amazed by how old the buildings looked, but yet so many of them were cozy and livable inside. Sometimes it was difficult to tell the difference.
Here's the school house of St. Francois, which is the tiny town were we stayed for the week. We thought the school was no longer in use but after taking this photo and checking out the building a teacher came out and asked if she could help us. It was a good thing that Pete can speak French.
Our accomadations in France were great. The hotel staff was very friendly and we had all the fresh bread, wine, and stinky cheese that we could eat.
Here's the wine and cheese cellar in the basement of our hotel. I'm into trying the ethnic food in each place we go. I try to do this prior to the race weekend or long van rides just incase there is any sort of disagreement with my stomach....
Don't worry Wrecka, I wont tell! "Fart" is the French word for wax (see the sign).

We spent a day driving across Italy en route to our next racing venue. I was in search of the best castles, the guys were picking out sports cars, and we all stopped at a restaurant to eat some incredible pizza. Now we are in Rogla, Slovenia preparing for the OPA Cup finals. More to come soon!

Best of luck to those of you racing at AWG, Junior Nationals, NCAA Championships, or the World Cup this weekend!
Katie

More Snippets from Swizerland

I am a fan of using skiing to provide opportunities, especially when it involves checking out new places, networking, and expanding my understanding of how the world operates. Last week was memorable in all of these ways so I am going to share more photos and experiences.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

Swizerland

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!

February in C-eh?-N-eh?-D-eh?

After the World Cup races in Canmore, I made my way over to Silver Star to get in a mid-winter training camp, and cheered on my teammates and friends at the Olympic venue before heading over to Europe. I will see how many photos I can upload right now since my time on the internet is limited. Women's sprint heat in Canmore.
Silver Star always seems to impress me-- I can always depend on plenty of snow and perfect tracks set each day from the doorstep. I got in a high quality training camp where the focus was on volume and L4 intervals. A huge thanks to Carol King for letting me stay in her tasteful "Arnica Antique House" for the week. Andi Fancy, one of New Zealand's top nordic skiers, doing some tele turns down the mountain after we climbed to the summit. I couldn't have asked for a better training buddy, and tour guide, and friend to spend time with during the week. Justin Libby outside our hostel in Vancouver. Marit Bjorgen, Justina Kowalczyk, and Petra Majdic (R-L) racing to gold, silver, and bronze medals in the womens A-final of the classic sprint. I got to join the "Kikkan Crazy" fan club while at the US Olympics. It was pretty awesome to watch my teammate race to 8th place in the classic sprint. Way to go Kikkan!
Here I am in front of the the Canadian rockies on the Canmore trails. In Canmore I couldn't stop looking at the mountains and think, "I wonder if Swizerland is going to be this incredible". Well, I have made the travel overseas and I must say that from what I have seen, Swizerland is all that it is cracked up to be. More to come!

CAN(we ask for)MORE?

I've spent the past week in the nordic skiing paradise of Canmore, Alberta preparing for the pre-Olympic World Cup races. This is just my second World Cup experience, both as an athlete and a spectator, and I'm fired up to be here. The sunshine, warmth, and perfect tracks make it easy to enjoy the preparation process. In times like these I forget about all the days I spent rollerskiing on busy roads in the rain and sacrifices I've made for training and think, "there's nothing else I would rather be doing with my time right now". Here are a few Italian skiers making a climb up "the wall" which is steeper than it looks. We are staying in the same hotel as the Italians and are having fun picking out all the famous superstars skiers, many whom I've only seen in Olympic or World Cup videos. Canmore is the home of the 1988 Olympic games. They have completely reconstructed their trails since that Olympics and have created some of the largest, most sustained climbs I have ever seen. Katie Ronsse taking a breather. Its easy to train too hard during recovery workouts when surrounded by the World Cup buzz. Luckily I have discovered a few tricks-- either stop for photo ops when on the challenging trails or get lost on one of the more mellow trails in the woods.Holly Brooks ascending one of our favorite finds called the "Rundle" trail, which is just below Mt. Rundle. Im not sure if I like the trail more because of the serpentine turns through the towering trees or because of the Rumpelstiltskin type name.

Im sure it wont be all fairy-tale style fun and games once the racing begins tomorrow. There will be lots of suffering to fight for places throughout the spectrum of the result list. Also, the top World Cup nordic skiers redefine being fit and tough. It should be fun to watch and also a great opportunity to test my skills against the best in the world. More to come!

Upcoming Schedule-- Thank You Sponsors!

I have set up my upcoming travel schedule which is aimed at soaking up opportunities and getting in as much high level racing as possible. I hope gain experience traveling and racing abroad and improve my points in a season before World Championships. Here is my proposed schedule:

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Anchorage, AK (USA): training block (Jan 20-29)
Canmore, AB, (CAN): World Cup sprint race (Jan 30th-Feb 8th)
Silver Star, BC, (CAN): training block (Feb 9th-14th)
Vancouver, BC and Whistler, BC (CAN): cheer at the Olympics (Feb 15-20)
Zieglebrucke (Swizerland): Swiss Cups (Feb 21-March 3)
La Fleclaz (France): OPA Cups (March 3-8)
Rogla (Slovenia): OPA Cup Finals (March 9-14)
Garmish (Germany): FIS races (March 15-18)
Fort Kent, Maine (USA): Supertour Finals (March 19-31)
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These two months traveling around the world and finding hotels and condos in fancy resort areas will not be cheap. I usually try to be as frugal and thrifty as possible-- sometimes to the bewilderment of others. My savings will go quickly, but this is what I have been saving for and I think my money will be well spent. This nordic racing dream would not become my reality without the generous support of my sponsors. In particular, I want to thank Joy Backstrom and Katie Pirano of the Physical Therapy Place, LLC and Doug Pauly and staff of the Northern Fruit Co for their financial support. Additionally, I want to thank the people have opened up their homes, fed me, offered their Airline miles, and have helped me cover costs of living on the road. Thank you-- you know who you are! I will look forward to representing my sponsors, my hometown, and my country to the best of my ability as I embark on the adventure ahead.

Methow Valley Supertour

The Supertour circuit continued last weekend in the beautiful Methow Valley of Washington. The weekend featured a 1.3k sprint and distance classic race. The final sprint result couldn't have been better as far as Wenatchee's Northern Fruit Co. is concerned. Laura Valaas (right) and Katie Ronsse (left) are the Northern Fruit Co.'s sponsored athletes who finished 1-2 respectively in the sprint A-final (Ed Stockard photo).

In addition to financial support, the Northern Fruit Co. has generously been fueling the APUNSC elite team by shipping us boxes of highest quality of apples as we have been traveling to different race venues across the US and Canada. Valaas and Ronsse in West Yellowstone, MT with a few fresh, crisp high octane "Pink Lady" apples.

Caitlin Compton (CXC), Rhonda Jewett (Alberta World Cup Academy), Laura Valaas (APUNSC), and Katie Ronsse (APUNSC) round the first turn in the women's A-final of the Winthrop Supertour race (Magic bus photo).

Drew Goldsack (Canadian National Team) and Torin Koos (US Ski team) cruising under a banner of flags in the mens sprint final (Ed Stockard photo).

In the classic distance race we raced through the woods up and down an Alpine hill since there wasn't quite enough snow in Winthrop to make a classic track, even with all the shoveling work of the volunteers. It was a great test of making the best with what you have and making things work in conditions that are very tricky. I was humbled by the skiers who made this look easy.

Overall, it was a great weekend of racing and I'm looking forward to exploring more of the trail system in my next trip to Winthrop!

Home for US National Championships

I made it home in time for the holidays and US National Championships after concluding our 5 week early season race circuit in Canmore, AB. After my first sprint heat of the championships Peter Valaas asked me, "Katie, were you smiling during your race?" I told him I certainly wasn't trying to smile, but I probably did have a huge grin plastered to my face because I was having so much fun.

Here are a few of the reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed racing on my home turf:

1. The home town crowds were AWESOME. There were hundreds of helpful volunteers and hundreds of people who came out to cheer. It was exciting to have family, new friends, old friends, former coaches, and other nordic skiing enthusiasts scream "GO Katie!" as I raced past. It sent chills up my spine and pumped energy through my veins. Lindsay Williams (US Ski Team), Katie Ronsse (APU Nordic Ski Center) and Holly Brooks (APU Nordic Ski Center) finish one of the classic sprint heats (Magic Bus Photo).

2. Getting to relax at home with close family and friends, eat home cooked meals, and sleep in my own bed was sure wonderful. I also had as much wild Alaskan salmon as my heart desired, thanks to a Libby Brothers Co. fish sponsorship. Here's Jus out for a cruise from the cabin. The highlight of my break before nationals was getting to hang out at the Libby cabin.

3. Home courses at sea level. Katie Ronsse, Laura Valaas, and Caitlin Compton-- sea level born skiers in the skate semifinal (a Laura Gardner photo).

4. Massages from Michael Henrich, my very helpful massage therapist. Michael usually works out of the West AK Club but came out to Kincaid to offer Kikkan and I massages in between our prologue and heats. Ronsse in the classic prologue race (an Anchorage Daily News photo).

5. Getting to do my easy workouts with family and friends. Skiing with famly/friends doesn't feel like "training" and it's something I would choose to do with my free time anyway.The Ronsse family on the Lekisch loop, January 2010.

I also got to ski with the up and coming fast female girls of Alaska. Ronsse and Valaas as mentors at the Fast and Female event organized by local superhero, Kikkan Randall(A Magic Bus photo). Several of the top elite racers volunteered their day to inspire and empower the young skiers of Alaska. It was supposed to be the young skiers inspiring the elite racers...but I felt pretty inspired myself to see 300 Alaskan girls stoked to ski around on a blustery day.

Another great thing about this years National Championship was that even though there were cold days, it was never too cold to race!
The skate sprint day was cold and clear but beautiful and race-able. (Rebecca Dussault #5 and Katie Ronsse #15, Anchorage Daily News photo).

Overall the championships went off smoothly and I had two top-10 performances (with a 6th place in the classic sprint and a 7th place in the skate sprint). That definitely wont put me on the Olympic team, but I did earn the opportunity to represent the US as part of the Nations group in the World Cup in Canmore, AB! More to come on my upcoming schedule...