Some photos from the road!

The Puzzle. The whole team was working on it for over a week...it was a 2000 piece behemoth! Thank you Brad for the great buy!
My prize for 3rd!
Photo taken in Bolsterlang
The start gate in Bolsterlang Germany

Hello!

A little update about how its been going!

After spending one night hanging out at our hotel in Kirchberg after coming home from Reiteralm myself, my coach Tim and our ski tech Speedy head over to rural southern Germany for two FIS slalom races in a little place called Bolsterlang. It was a very cute little town on a hillside and had great breakfasts!! The first day was beautiful and sunny (ok a little too warm at +7). I skied really well in warm-up but got too cautious in the race and ended up 3rd. The good news from that was that I received a clay pottery plate as a prize instead of a medal! I love it! My first piece of pottery! The second day it was just as warm but incredibly windy and snow/raining. I did not finish the first run. I got in the backseat and missed a gate. But because of how terrible the weather was I didn't feel so bad about leaving and heading back for Kirchberg and a dry environment!

In Kirchberg I reunited with my teammates who went to Maribor. We had one nice relaxing day off then yesterday and today we had GS races in Maria Alm. It was a pretty easy hill but very difficult racing for that exact reason. Within a few tenths of a second there were 30 competitors! Yesterday was a great re-introduction to GS after over a month out of GS gates! I was a little nervous about how the good ol' back would hold up...but it did just fine! When all was said and done I ended up 15th. As a celebration of one of our last days in Kirchberg we went out for pizza as a team for dinner. It was incredible! Nobody does pizza like the Euro's! To give an example my pizza had articoke heart, mozzarella, olives, ham, salami, and egg ( I think I am missing a few ingredients but you get my drift!). It was great to eat something other than pork for dinner (it would seem there was some serious over production of pigs this year in Austria...every dinner except for maybe one has been pork!!!)

Today, a very not so wonderful day, I ended up 37th! I skied aggressively but, not cleanly, a very important factor on flat courses! It was frustrating to follow a positive day was a not so positive one. But that is sometimes how it goes! No changing the facts now!

Tomorrow we are training some slalom before heading to Melchsee Frutt, Switzerland (pronounced Mel-chi Fruit!! ) ahem anyway...these are going to be my first Europa cup races! Plus they are night races. This should be a really good few days!

Notes about the team!

The plus side: the kitzbuhel downhill is this week!

The sad side: Gen Simard has announced her retirement after having difficulties with her knee this year. It was incredible to spend time with her this year. She will definitely be missed! Here's wishing her the best retirement ever with healthy knees!

Ciao for now!

El