Ramsau to Chamonix

 I was hoping to do a mid-trip update after our races in Eisenerz, Austria, but unfortunately the internet wasn't really cooperating at our hotel in Chamonix, so I decided to wait until I could upload pictures (that's what everyone wants to see anyways, right?).

So, basically after Slovenia everything just went uphill! We spent 4 perfect days in Ramsau, which I have to say is one of my favorite places on earth. I did a mini-training camp there but also managed to fit in some exploring downtown, sauna-time, delicious meals at the Hotel Kobaldhof, and plenty of R and R.

Annie and I came to Ramsau for our pre U23's camp back in 2013,
so we were beyond happy to be back again.

Reese Hanneman from APU got artsy with this shot...
all 6 major clubs were represented at OPA Cups this year

A perfect day for an afternoon jog

Days like this remind me why I love being a skier

We even spent one afternoon shoveling
out the hockey rink, and then trying our
skills. The verdict- not my sport!

Annie Hart showing off her Minnesota roots

From Ramsau we drove two hours east to Eisenerz, Austria to do a FIS race there. Eisenerz is an iron mining town, but also has a full cross-country, biathlon, and ski jumping venue. Compared to Ramsau it had a much more authentic feel- hardly anyone spoke English and the narrow streets of the town held normal shops instead of postcard and souvenir stores. The surrounding area was still beautiful and rugged, and we had a great time exploring the old buildings and medieval church on our afternoons off.

The race was relatively low-key, but a good opportunity to score FIS points and get more European racing experience. Unfortunately, it was also a really tricky wax day, and 10 minutes before the start I discovered that my race skis were closer to skate skis than classic. Oops. I spent the first lap slipping and tripping my way around the loop before I pulled myself together and got into power double pole mode. I didn't have a great result, taking 11th place, but as appears to be the theme for the whole trip, I learned a ton about making the best of tough conditions and being flexible.

Women's podium in Eisenerz- Annie P, Chelsea,
and Annie H. came up big for the US!

Exploring with Annie the photographer

Stratton T2 love- Annie and Erika

I loved this shot of the town- taken on a wandering walk pre-skiing

The day after the race we had an awesome skate ski at the venue
on a bluebird day. The highlight was watching a para-glider land
right next to the trails- he was about 60 years old, wearing touring
skis (while in the air), and had the biggest grin on his face

Two days after the Austrian race we packed up our bags and sent it across Europe, nearly an 11 hour drive across Austria, Italy, and Switzerland that ended right at the base of Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France. Chamonix was set to host OPA Finals over the weekend of March 13-15, and although the snow cover was thin, the surrounding landscape made it by far my favorite stop of the trip. I mean- croissants, fondue, crepes, shopping, mountains- what's not to love?

In Chamonix we raced a 2.5k classic prologue, a 10k skate, and a 10k classic pursuit based on the results from the previous days. My best result was in the prologue where I finished 25th, and it was also the race where I felt the best. I didn't have great pop for the two 10k's, but I did fight all the way to the line to finish 29th overall in the mini-tour. I feel so lucky to have been able to race at OPA Cups, I feel like the lessons I learned about classic technique, technical skiing, and pacing have already made me a better skier. Of course, I hope to one day be in the mix with the top OPA skiers, but for know I'm working on learning everything I can.

For a lot of reasons, I feel like the experiences that US skiers gain racing OPA Cups (as well as U23's and World Juniors) are pretty invaluable to our development as skiers. I'm more motivated than ever to make big jumps in summer training because I know exactly where I can make improvements. A ton of organization goes into these trips, and all the club skiers at OPA were really lucky to have Bryan Fish at the helm of trip taking care of all the little details. He works so hard to make these trips a success, so thank you to him for taking care of us! We also had great wax techs in Colin Rodgers, Mike Matteson, Tim Baucom, and Pat O'Brien. They did an awesome job with our skis at OPA Finals, we had great skis for all three races, which made a huge difference.

Aside from skiing, we spent our days in Chamonix exploring the downtown walking street, riding the tram up to Aguille du Midi (where you can see the top of Mont Blanc), and trying to watch NCAA's, biathlon World Champs, and the final World Cups of the season. It was definitely a busy week to be a skier!

APU twin-sies Rosie and Chelsea showing off their hops

Downtown Cham with the girls (Annie P. photo)

The tram up to l'Aguille du Midi may
be even steeper than the Dachstein tram. 

But the views at the top were breath-taking

Rally crew for riding the tram- Reese, Packer, #Annie(s), and Ben

Mont Blanc is the highest point in central Europe at 15,781 ft. 

We were stupid-happy at the top! It may have been the altitude,
but I just couldn't stop smiling

Anne is just so happy right here

If you're brave, you can ski down from this point, but it takes
3 hours to descend. Serious vertical

The top of the tram with Chamonix in the valley below

Just wow

After a slightly crazy 3 days of travel that included a 5 hour drive to Munich, a plane to Salt Lake, and then another 5 hours to Sun Valley, I'm back with my GRP teammates at our place in SV, and couldn't be happier. We'll be racing SuperTour finals here starting this Saturday, and after our 4th race my season is officially over! The skiing up at Galena Lodge is awesome and I can't wait to have my family here this week to watch me race. Thanks for reading, au revoir!