feeling pretty beat up
The skiing world in Europe is far different from anywhere else in the world, especially North America. Here, skiing and mountain life are a part of the culture. Skiing is a social activity.
There are two types of ski areas in Europe. Those that are most known to foreigners are the larger destination resorts like St. Anton in Austria, St. Moritz in Switzerland or Chamonix in France to name a few. My teammate, Paul Epstein, has taken up residence in one of these larger resort towns (Soelden, Austria) with his girlfriend for the winter, and I have spent my time off there. Spending time here in Soelden has allowed me to see a different side of the sport.
Many of these resorts are set up so that the bottom of the ski area has one or two trails leading down to the village, with a gondola or two that brings the skiers up to the top. There the ski areas open up and have anywhere from 20 to 40 ski lifts. These lifts service all types of terrain and go off in every direction. Some lifts go down into other valleys and other towns, particularly in Italy.
There are no lodges to speak of. Skiers get their equipment on in their hotel or at the car, then walk through town to the lifts. While on the slopes, there are small huts all over where skiers can enjoy great traditional food. It is not uncommon to see skiers taking a break at 11 in the morning and having a cup of coffee or a beer. Then at 4 pm when the lifts close, everyone skiing up above migrates - seemingly like one large mass - down the one or two trails leading to the town. The social aspect of skiing here continues well into the night. It is not at all uncommon to have dinner at 10 pm and see people walking through town still in all of their ski gear. This is completely different than anything I have ever experienced.
The large resorts are only half of the skiing in Europe. The other part is what I have become much more familiar with because of racing. Every town seems to have some form of skiing. This ranges from a T-bar or rope tow serving a small trail to two or three trails serviced by a brand new, high-speed lift. These places are more focused to younger skiers and families. Each town has its own ski club where kids seem to be skiing at all times of the day. These ski clubs are the ones that put on all of our races over here. Along with the towns, the ski clubs take great pride in hosting races. Many residents open their homes to racing teams for affordable places to stay. Because the clubs are proud to be able to hold races, they put forth their best effort to make sure the course is in good shape and fair for everyone.
So far on my trip, I have done five races at three different places and all have been in small towns like this. It is common for the races to be held on the lowest part of the mountain with the finish usually right in town. Having the race finish in the town adds to the atmosphere. Often there are spectators from the town at the finish and young racers watching, especially when national teams are at the race. There are by far more spectators at races here than anywhere else I have been to compete.
My last two races were in southeastern Austria in a small town called St. Lambrecht. Although the races were held in Austria, they were put on by the Hungarian Ski Federation. My goal for these races was to use them as training for the races that I had coming up. I wanted to fine tune my skiing in a race situation and try and get two wins.
The first day, we had a slalom followed by a giant slalom the second day. In the first race, I had a solid first run and was right in the hunt for the win. The guys at the top were all very close. I was 0.06 seconds behind the leader and 0.02 seconds ahead of third place. I felt very confident for the second run and knew that I could win.
Knowing that the first run was so close and the second run would be the same, I charged hard out of the gate and skied really well on the top flat portion. As the course broke over onto a steep pitch before the finish, I felt myself back off for 10 gates or so. Realizing this, I was upset with myself. I knew that could have cost me the race and charged hard the last ten gates. Coming through the finish, I saw that I was in first place overall and was happy. All I could do was wait for the first run leader to come. When the leader after the first run came down in third, the victory was mine and that felt really good.
It turned out that I tied for the win with the athlete who was right behind me in third after the first run and we were only a tenth of a second ahead of third place. I knew that the few gates I had let up on was where I lost the outright win, but was still pleased to be on top of the podium. I was upset with myself for letting up, but I was still very pleased with my finish. I was already looking forward to the giant slalom the next day.
I was very confident going into the second day’s race because my skiing in giant slalom has been strong all year. I tend to have difficulty racing on trails that I am not familiar with. My first run was mistake free and fast, but I over skied the course. The trail was much easier than it appeared, and I felt that I could have taken more risks. After the first run, I was in second place 0.09 seconds behind my teammate. We were able to put some distance between us and everyone else. Things were looking good for a strong showing from both of us.
The more I train and race with people, the more competitive I get with them. Flat out, I do not like having them beat me. Nine hundredths of a second was nothing and I knew I would make that time up in the second run. The second run course had some bigger turns in it and I knew if I were to make up time that was where I could do it. I came into the section with the bigger turns carrying a lot of speed and made a little adjustment to prepare. Somehow I got caught on my edge at the end of one turn and couldn’t get off the ski. I was headed right out of the course and couldn’t fight it. At the last second, I realized that I was headed straight for a plastic pole that was about 2” in diameter supporting a rope separating the course from the rest of the trail. All I could do was brace for impact.
The next thing I remember was sliding on my side with the wind knocked out of me and half of the plastic pole sliding beside me. When I finally stopped I was about 100 feet off the course and in pain. The pole caught me right between my chest and abdomen on my ribs. It took at least five minutes for me to get my breath back and any movement hurt.
Worried about having broken my ribs, I went to the hospital on my way back to Soelden. After seeing the doctor and getting X-rays, I found that I had only bruised them very badly. That was a big relief. Unfortunately, the crash has cut my Europe racing trip short. I have a lot of important races in March and need to use this time wisely to get better and ease back into training and racing; therefore, I decided to head home tomorrow. It is very frustrating being out, but I know that I need to focus on the important races and be at 100%.
Apr 07, 2008 - A long stretch
I have just finished up quite a long stretch of racing. I have been on the road for the last month, putting over 2,000 miles on my car. I have been to Ontario, Lake Placid, Sugarloaf, and Vermont for races during this time. The end of the trip included 10 races in an 11-day period. I cannot begin to explain how tired I was by the last day... Mar 13, 2008 - March Madness
Spring is here and my racing is in full swing. The spring races are some of the best opportunities all season for racers in my position. From here on out, I will be racing against national team athletes trying to score points that will help my world ranking. Yesterday wrapped up a five-day block where I had five NorAm Cup races. The races began in Collingwood, Ontario. For anyone unfamiliar with Canada and Ontario in particular, Collingwood is in the middle of nowhere. It is about two hours northwest of Toronto on the shores of Lake Huron. It was an eight-hour drive there from Lake Placid where I was training last week... Mar 03, 2008 - Rollercoaster ride
Ski racing can be one of the more frustrating sports around. It boggles my mind how quickly things can change. Emotionally, it can be a rollercoaster ride from great highs to disappointing lows in a mere matter of days - then back to those wonderful highs. Avoiding any lows would be ideal, but throughout the season there are bound to be some. Each athlete’s hope is to make the highs last longer and shorten the low points as much as possible... Feb 14, 2008 - A long trip
My recent trip to Whistler Blackcomb sure seemed like the longest eight-day trip that I have ever been on. When I decided to go there to compete in the Canadian National and Junior National Championships, I envisioned good races being held under decent conditions. I could not have been more off in my assumption. I would guess that I saw the sun for a total of three hours the whole time I was there. I must say, though, when the sun was out it was a breathtaking place - perhaps one of the more beautiful places in the world I have been to. Feb 07, 2008 - A different perspective
While at home recovering from the crash that cut my Europe trip short, I had the chance to see a couple ski races as a spectator. In the week that I was home, I caught a Windham Ashland Jewett Central School Ski Team race and a J-V and J-IV (13 years and younger). It was great to see these races because I had come up through the same races. I started my racing in the weekend program at Windham and continued through high school. In 7th grade, I began skiing for the high school team, as well. Jan 28, 2008 - Feeling pretty beat up
The skiing world in Europe is far different from anywhere else in the world, especially North America. Here, skiing and mountain life are a part of the culture. Skiing is a social activity... Jan 19, 2008 - Another world
A lot has happened since my last entry. To begin with, I spent three days at Sugarloaf waiting to race downhill. The always-reliable January thaw was far from merciful during our races there. In the three days, I only skied three runs - all of which were during the first morning... Jan 08, 2008 - A good start to the new year
I just finished the first half of an eight day racing block. The first four days were NorAm Cup slalom and giant slalom races. They were held at Sunday River right after New Year’s... Dec 26, 2007 - Home for the holidays
After a whirlwind trip across North America that included 13 races in Colorado, Canada, and Maine and spanned just about a month, I can say without a doubt that it is good to be home. As exciting as it is to travel great distances and see beautiful places while skiing, sometimes there is nothing better than relaxing at home and sleeping in your own bed... Dec 14, 2007 - A great day
Ski racing can be a funny sport sometimes. In a matter of days, things can totally turn around. I was kind of disappointed that I had not skied better than I did during the downhill races at Lake Louise. I knew that I just had to put that performance behind me and move on to the next race. That could be the most important lesson that I have learned in this sport. There is almost always another race right around the corner. At this level, when you have 60 races in one season, there are plenty of opportunities to succeed. Dec 10, 2007 - North of the Border
I arrived in Calgary, Canada, to some bone chilling weather. I came up here after racing in Colorado to compete in NorAm Cup speed races. There were two downhill races, two super G races and a super combined (one run of super G and a run of slalom). My first races were two downhills held at Lake Louise, Alberta. Before we arrived, Lake Louise had played host to both men’s and women’s World Cup speed races Dec 02, 2007 - The season is underway
I just finished up my first North American Cup races (NorAms) to kick off the competition season here in North America. The races proved to be quite competitive, as there were many World Cup teams gearing up for the upcoming races at Beaver Creek. Nov 23, 2007 - A little down time
I am finally home and getting some much needed rest. The journey home was a long one, totaling over 6,000 miles and 28 hours of traveling. I got home a few days ago and am just getting over the jet lag. I am now able to stay awake past 9 pm and can sleep past 6 am. Nov 07, 2007 - Surrounded by the Best
AUSTRIA -- Paul Epstein, my teammate for the year, and I made our way back to Soelden for the weekend to watch the World Cup races. We were excited to get out of Hintertux after a difficult week of training because of the snow and weather conditions. I was particularly excited about watching the Men’s race, but the women’s race provided quite a bit of excitement with Julia Mancuso’s spectacular second run moving her into second place overall.
Oct 30, 2007 - About Chris Frank
Chris Frank grew up here in Windham, the son of the resort’s general manager at the time, Dan Frank. At the age of 7, Chris joined the junior race program at Windham and was a part of it until graduating high school... Oct 30, 2007 - Thrown Into Winter
Thrown into winter - October 23, 2007 - It has been 10 days since I stepped off the plane in Munich, Germany. After getting my bags in the airport, I hopped into a van for a 3-1/2 hour drive south that brought me to Soelden, Austria...
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