I don't know if I need any words here - this picture says it all...
Ali, Ruslan, Lynn and our 18 athletes took advantage of the sun and mild temperatures today and trained hard right to the last lifts at 3:45pm (with a break for a two-course lunch in the restaurant to keep them going).
Training today was on Giant Slalom skis but all three groups spent a lot of time skiing short turns on the long boards, not just because the snow was slightly soft making the pistes choppy, but to help achieve the level of physical effort required of a racer. There is no cruising in a race course, so we worked on getting balanced on the skis to effectively pressurise and work the skis into short radius turns. No easy feat but a perfect way to get to know the new skis that a lot of our athletes are trying out this week, I think there were some sore legs this evening!
But that is racing...not just technical skiing and tactical choices but physical effort, good equipment and a positive focused attitude. During these first two days of free-skiing we wanted to train all aspects of the athletes performance including battling through yesterday's challenging environment. It certainly paid off when the athletes had lots more feeling in the inspiring conditions today!
This afternoon we reviewed video from today, had a big BSA game of football and trained some light agility. After an easy recovery fitness session, hot showers and a big buffet dinner at the Diva I am sure the athletes are ready for tomorrow - Giant Slalom gates on the 3500m T-bar... Let's go!
Watch this space for more camp updates and photos soon....
