A quick recap on the last week. Sugarloaf ended with two slalom dnf’s (my first slalom races of the year which were actually quite fun despite not finding the finish line!) and a disappointing GS race in tough conditions. We then packed up our rental suburban, realized everything didn’t fit, bought some ropes and tied four ski bags to the roof, then flew to Denver and made the journey up to Aspen for four days of racing spring series.
Racing in the spring is always my favorite. The sun is out, you’re reunited with so many good friends, and the vibes are very high! I also think the racing becomes a bit more of a mental game because everyone is struggling against fatigue (both mental and physical) and changing snow conditions. In Aspen, we actually had some awesome snow in the morning and a bit softer in the afternoon, but overall much better than Sugarloaf. I was very excited to walk away with four wins, two in SG and two in GS. The field was definitely a bit younger because it was just a spring series but it was super fun none the less. It was also great to chat with a lot of the younger girls, especially after the super g race, which was quite fast and a bit intimidating. I have always loved talking to other racers during training, and before and after races to hear how they are thinking about the course, conditions, and their skiing. (I talked about this more in my learning from others blog.) But I’ve realized that for whatever reason this happens a lot less between female athletes than it does between male athletes. After recognizing this, I’ve tried to make a conscious effort when I’m around younger female athletes to ask them about their run, how the skiing felt, what they want to change for next run etc. It was really great to do this in Aspen and the warmer weather definitely facilitated the post race finish chats.
After a couple great days in Aspen, Stef, her dad Steve, Louis (Stef’s boyfriend) and I drove down to New Mexico for the World Pro Ski Tour race at Toas Ski Valley. The Pro Tour (for those who aren’t familiar with it) is a dual style head to head paneled gs and paneled slalom race. This is there third and final race series this season and there is lots of prize money! Today was the qualification round and happily Stef and I both made it into the 16 person bracket (on different sides so we won’t have to race each other until we (hopefully) get to the final!).
This is the last weekend of racing this season and I am ready to give it my all in tomorrow’s dual slalom and Sunday’s dual GS. Here is the live stream if anyone wants to watch! It starts at 9 am MST. -Live Stream thru finals on FloLive.tv
Way to Go Tricia in TAOS!! You and Stef ROCK!!! Great skiing. Great entertainment!!