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.
I arrived in Vancouver on a partially cloudy day and the plane ride is was pretty spectacular. Coming into Vancouver reminded my of Oslo, Norway - with the city right on the water and islands everywhere - but the mountains rising right out of the ocean made it feel like Alaska. My first challenge of the trip came right away. That was getting myself from Vancouver up to Whistler with all of my stuff. Because car rental companies do not like renting vehicles to people under the age of 25, all I was able to rent was a Toyota Yaris. For anyone unfamiliar with that, it is as small as they come. Luckily the back seats folded down and the passenger seat reclined enough to allow all of my stuff to fit in. It was rather comical fitting my 215 centimeter downhill skis into the car.
The drive to Whistler brought me right through the center of Vancouver and I could not help but notice that it is a beautiful city. It was very clean and modern. There seemed to be growth all around, surely a result of being host to the 2010 Olympics. After passing through the city, the road up to the mountain winds its way along a fjord that seemed mystical. It was a two-lane road that had construction along it the whole way (60 miles). They seemed to be widening it for the increased traffic expected. The construction made for a long trip there, but at least the scenery was nice. As I made my way along the coast, the weather change from overcast skies to rain and eventually heavy snow when I arrived at Whistler.
I came to find out that during the two weeks leading up to these races Whistler had perfect weather. This was not the case for our races. The day I arrived, the day before our first downhill training run, it had snowed about a foot. It continued to snow into the night and the following day. It would have made for a great day of powder skiing, but we had to slip the course numerous times and wait around to try and get a training run in. To make a long story short, our first three days consisted of getting on the lift at 7, slipping the course, waiting for breaks in the fog and getting only one training run in during that time. It was not until 2 pm on the third day that we got our training run started.
I cannot begin to describe how tiring doing nothing and waiting around can be. The days were very long and we were constantly starting and stopping. The problem was not the three feet of snow that fell during that time. It was the fog and low clouds that hung around the base of the mountain. The top would be clear and then near the bottom there was a wall of fog that was just impossible to ski through safely.
The downhill was on a new trail that had never been raced on before. The organizers were determined to get the races off because of the World Cup races there next week. Prior to hosting a World Cup, it is required to hold an FIS race on the trail as a test. We were the guinea pigs. It was really neat running a downhill on a trail for the first time ever, but it had its price. It seemed every day they tried to race or do a training run, it would clear up for a few minutes and they would send a couple racers then the fog would move back in and there would be a long hold for it to clear up. Not only was the starting and stopping tiring, but also it made for unfair race conditions. Those who went when it was clear had a distinct advantage.
The first day, the men’s training run was cancelled at 3 pm and the second day at 3 pm also they cancelled the second training after running the first eight racers. Finally at 2 pm on the third day, I got my first shot when there was a break in the weather and the sun emerged. The course was not as fast as others I have done, mostly due to the new snow, but it was a fun trail. There were a lot of twists and turns in the trail with big rolls and banked turns. It was also a long course at just under two minutes. I used my only training run to get a feel for the trail and the speeds by taking it easy.
I do not want to say there was a break in the weather the following day, but the race officials felt that it was okay to race and so we did. After numerous holds early on, they got our race off. The best skiers from Canada and the US were there, including guys who had been on the podium in the World Cup this year. I felt like I had a strong run going. I was taking chances and charging as hard as I could. I escaped trouble part way down when I got sucked low in a compression and felt like I was sitting on the heel pieces of my bindings. I was not so lucky the second time when in the fog I got sucked low again. This time I felt that if I fought it I was in a position where it would be easy to damage my knee and my only option was to go down. I slid slowly into the fences for a soft landing. Knowing that everywhere on the trail has fencing three rows deep makes the idea of going down a bit easier, but at 70 miles per hour it is still an unpleasant thought. I walked away unscathed.
I think that the crash in the downhill definitely had an affect on my skiing in the Super G. My run felt clean, but tentative. At that level it left me on the outside looking in. I fell short on my goals of a strong Super G finish, but I was still in good position for a solid showing in the super combined. A third place run in the slalom portion moved me from 21st after the Super G all the way up to 6th overall in the Super Combined. That finish was nice and helped ease the disappointment of the other two races.
From the people that I have spoken to, the dreary weather that I experienced at Whistler seemed to be the norm rather than an exception. I guess that is just what you get with a ski resort only miles from the ocean. Aside from the weather, the mountain itself was impressive. It was so large and expansive. It seemed to go on and on with boundless terrain. I am glad that I got to get a few powder runs in with some of the other racers and explored the area. Because of its near 6,000 vertical feet there is usually somewhere on the mountain that has decent weather. Unfortunately for the racers, it was not where we were competing.
I was lucky to have my parents join me on this trip and enjoyed spending time with them. As with every trip I go on, I am trying to carry on the positives from this trip. On the less successful trips, this is clearly more difficult, but I have found some. It was clearly a lesson in patience. I think that having the experience of races starting and stopping over and over will help down the road. It was also great to see a new place and experience it. Hopefully I will be there in 2010.
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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