on to Panorama!

Well unfortunately I have no new photos to put up. Upon writing this I have realized that I have not been taking any photos of late! When you've been to the same places a few times the motivation to take photos dwindles!

At the Nor Ams in Colorado I had a mixed bag of results. I was 10th the first day of the Slalom I dnf'd second run the 2nd day after skiing the entire first run with my pole guard broken off. In the GS I was 14th and 15th consecutively. I felt good about my GS finishes because I definitely had some wobbles and mistakes during those finishes. Especially the second day...I stopped on the bottom flats! So I left Colorado with a mixed bag of emotions. Actually fairly happy with my results but also knowing that I could have done better.

After Colorado I got to go home for a week (wow! that never happens at this time of year!) I spent my first day lolling around..sort of.. then got straight to work training with the Sun Peaks Alpine Club and one of my favourite coaches ever John Crichton..who has just returned to the club after a 6 year stint with the Canadian Mens Tech Team...need I say more? I felt I skied really well and as always when skiing with positive coaches I feel really confident coming out of the week! Though somehow I did manage to get frostbite on all my toes at -2!!!

Yesterday my mom and I drove out to Panorama. Possible the worst drive ever! It started out with a 27cm dump of fresh, HEAVY snow at our place. We ended up digging for two hours to get our car out of the ditch before we could even leave! After that was accomplished we set out hoping to arrive in Panorama around 9 30pm....we ended up arriving at 2AM!!! The rogers pass was incredibly treacherous! It is best described by the sign which flashed "slick slippery sections, compact snow, limited visibility, blowing snow". We ended up going 50km/hr most of the way in a HUGE line of semi's. We even passed a snowplow newly in the ditch! At one point we were stopped for an hour waiting because a semi truck had jack knifed into the ditch and was blocking most of the road. Anyway wow was I happy to finally arrive in Panorama.

Today I trained three runs just to get my legs back after the drive. I watched my friends race SG. Congratulations to Madi McLeish and Kelly McBroom 1st and 3rd today! Always great to see Canadians on top!

I am hoping to forerun the slalom portion of the super combined tomorrow and start racing on Wednesday!

Ciao for now!

Welcome to the heartbreak hotel

After a good camp in Nakiska I headed down with the Canadian Team to Denver to start off the race season! After a night in Denver we drove to Loveland. As it is the US Thanksgiving weekend...they served Thanksgiving at the ski hill for lunch. Not my favourite thing before a world cup time trials! Our time trials were 4 runs...our best two runs combined time. I had a good first run followed by two not great runs. My fourth was again better. The result was heartbreaking...I missed qualifying for my first World Cup by .06 of a second. I am not sure I have been as heartbroken as yesterday afternoon since I dnf'd at Nor-Am finals (costing me a world cup spot for this year). It feels as if I cannot catch a break. No matter how badly I want it...no matter how confident I am feeling going into things...it doesnt seem to work out. I keep thinking..sometimes good things do happen...just not this time...again.

So I am regrouping for the Colorado Nor-Am series which starts the day after the Aspen World Cup. Wish me luck!

Now this looks like fun!

Fall training

Today I commenced fall training in Nakiska. I have been here for a few days already and the BC mens team had some car issues so are arriving tonight vs yesterday (as was planned) so today I skied with the Women's Alberta team. I did 4 warm up runs and 7 in the course...a pretty good first day volume wise! Tomorrow I will be joining the mens BC team for the rest of the week. On the 15th I will be meeting up with the rest of the National Tech Women when they return from Levi and will be training with them till the 23rd.

So far I'm having a great time here in Canmore...but hoping it will snow soon!

In parting here is a shot taken in Chile!

So after an amazing time at home my season will begin a little early this year. I am heading out a few days early to Canmore to hang out with some good friends of mine before commencing training in Nakiska on the 9th. I will be training in Nakiska until the 23rd so hopefully we have good weather and good conditions to make the most of the two weeks available!

Cheerio

ERT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2OMNyC_N5A

this is the link to my newest ski video. Skiing from Chile 2010! Enjoy!

Fall

Hi everyone...I have been a bad bad blogger!! Sorry about that! I am home now after a amazing three week camp in Chile. I have been to Chile 5 times now...I already have all the photos I need of Chile! I am really stoked on how I am skiing after this camp. Amazing how a little positive energy can go such a long way! It was alot of fun skiing with the BC team men and women. They have so much energy and enthusiasm for the sport! Ah pre-political skiing...love it!

After Chile I came home and completed physical testing and my ACT test(an entrance exam for US Universities). Feels good to have both of those out of the way! I feel really good about my results in both!

So now I am home. Enjoying fall to the max and spending A LOT of time in the gym. I have been helping out my local club at dryland which has been entertaining and again motivational. Amazing how many kids start in this sport....I feel so privileged to have made it this far! Not many do! My mom always like to compare my success to hockey "If you were a hockey player you'd be on the Olympic winning team or a star NHL player!!....you just chose a sport that is way harder to succeed at". This is true. On the Canadian Olympic Hockey team there were 23 athletes. In Alpine skiing 7 women went and 12 men. Our whole sport was represented by less people than one hockey team. Putting my career into perspective has really left me proud of my accomplishments and also so ready to take on the world. Seeing my teammate Marie-Michele Gagnon have success at the opening race in Soelden shows that our Canadian team is incredibly strong. We have so many good young athletes who will be starting either their first or second year on World Cup. I cannot wait to see how this season plays out.

As my prep season comes to an end and the race season looms large in front on me I feel relaxed, motivated, strong and I know I have done everything this summer that I could to give me the greatest chance at success this winter. What a great place to be in.

Cheers

Elli