Transition

We've been on a giant slalom jag for the first half of the week, but now we've made the switch to slalom. 

Dom

Nicole

Mike

Drills

And more drills

Setting a slalom course. Sparky, Anna and Canadian Rod.

OK Nordies, here's a quiz:  What's the correct route through this slalom course?

Winter

Fiegl

I think we were laughing because this may have been right after Li failed to execute a clean dismount from the chairlift...

There was video analysis at the end of each day, and often between runs.

There was a lot of video analysis...

Near the end of the week, Sparky and Anna even let ME coach for a few minutes. Naturally, my topic of choice was *hiking.

note:  *hiking, in slalom parlance, is when you crash and slide past or miss a gate, and have to hike back up the hill to continue your slalom run.

The girls

The girls and the boys

The girls and the boys and the coaches

The week was a big success. We got a lot of good work done. The alpiners will spend a few days in class this week before going back to our secret training grounds for another week of intense alpine preseason training.  And I'll be back with the nordic team again tomorrow.

Here's my favorite moment of training camp this week:  We'd been making fast laps all day to try to squeeze in as many slalom runs as possible before the end of camp. Dom, Liam and Mike caught the last ride on the lift before it's shut down for the day. As soon as the boys get off the chair at the top, the lift stops. And all goes quiet. It's snowing and it feels like real winter.

It's the last run, of the last hour, of the last day of training for the week, and we'll be on a plane home in a few hours. It's only Mike left at the top of the slalom course, and Anna and Sparky. One last chance to lay down a great slalom run.

Mike charges out of the starting gate, and there's nothing left to do but watch him go.