Mammoth Speed Camp

MammothMountain.Com Shows the Amazing Views

Although my real ski season has officially ended I recently took a little trip to Mammoth, California to ski with the best kids from the western region and send our selves of a jump to get better in the air for the event called Super-G.  We qualified to this camp by doing well at the Junior Olympics.  Most of us were from different states such as Montana, Alaska, Utah (where I live), and California.

My friend and I (shane) flew into Mammoth not know what to expect.  We have never actually met most of the kids at the camp so we didn’t really know what to think of it.  But once we arrived our friend from Nationals was waiting for us in our three story condo that we had to surprisingly three people.  The first day we got there we mostly just go settled in and hung out in our room with the new racers that we met.

We woke up at around seven thirty and took our time to get over and on the lift by eight thirty.  Although the snow was very thin the quality of it was completely fine and made for great training!  For you that don’t know what I’m training for, I am training for ski racing which is when you ski down a steep, icy pitch, and try to get down the fastest while also skiing around gates.  The days were short only about three hours of skiing, the first day all we did was terrain courses which consisted of snow piles that you pump over and try to remain as balanced as possible, and a phantom jump which simulates approaching a jump but leaves out the actual jumping process.  They made the phantom jump to act as a sort of profession the the bigger jump that we were going to hit in the upcoming days of skiing.  The first day after skiing we got undressed and went into our coaches office to watch some simple video for the day.  This only took about fifteen minutes then we were back chilling in the condos waiting for the hike we had to take three hours later.

Three Hours Later

Our fitness coach for the camp gathered us together at three o’clock and took us on a hike in the mountains to see the beautiful views.  On the way up the mountain we threw footballs around and kicked soccer balls around to pass the time.  Once we reached the summit we did some drills on the ladder and the rock wall that we were next to.  After we worked out for a little bit we played a couple games of sharks and minos and began to start to actually know each other.  We then started our way back down to the hotel where we were most likely going to spend the rest of the night eating and screwing with each other.

Championship Weekend IIII

My chin after slalom run (original)

The next morning after the GS (previous post) was much like the last.  I woke up around six fifteen put on my long johns, sweats, sweatshirt and got all my gear so I could put it in the vans.  After that I went to the continental breakfast and ate eggs, bacon, and cereal and talked with kids from different regions.  I then jumped in the vans at seven and slept all the way up to the mountain which was about a half an hour away.  Once I got up there I put all my stuff on, clicked into my trainers and went up chair lift with my skis on my shoulder.

The Slalom was on the same hill as the GS but it was on the side where there was a sort of side hill that made the run much harder.  I was pissed off for greatness as ray lewis once said and I was determined to win the Slalom.  I had a lot of pressure on me for that run but I didn’t let it get to me.  I stayed calm but focused the entire day and I knew I was ready.  I took a quick slip down the run because inspection is not really needed for slalom.  I then went up to the top and cheered on my team mates until my run.  I was already stripped, warmed up and ready to go.  I got into the gate, bib number fourteen, and I heard all of my teammates screaming my name and I exploded out of the start.  I went into the first rhythm section of the course I completely nailed it, then came the combination nailed it!  Next rhythm section started and I felt a sharp pain on my chin but I ignored it and kept ripping my run.  I was having a perfect run and I knew that I was going to win it.  Here came the finish, the tempo was increasing and I couldn’t keep up with it.  I missed a gate hiked, and then straddled the next gate.  I was infuriated and didn’t know what to do.  I threw my pole with my glove attached and skied into the trees so I could be alone.  I broke my other pole that I had with me on a tree and put my head between my legs in complete despair.  My entire ski season was for that moment and I messed it up.

I skied out of the trees found my dad and talked to him and he said that I was a second ahead coming through the finish which pissed me off even more.  I skied away and got on the lift with a couple random people.  About half way up the lift the person next to me told me that my chin was bleeding, I looked down at my bib and realized that it was covered in blood.  I felt my chin and felt a big glob of blood on the end of it.  I went down the ski patrol shack and had to get seven stitches across my chin.  That was the end to my Championsh** weekend.

Championship II

Bode Miller going over a camel jump

Click… Click… went my trainer skis as I clicked into my bindings.  I use trainer skis so I don’t ski off all of my wax from my race skis.  I carry up a pair of skis up the chairlift to the top of my race run and give them to my coach so he can put a some final touches on them before my race run.  That is the race ritual which I have done since I can remember.  After that is done I plug in my headphones and get into the zone.  Inspection of the course was only about five minutes away at that point and I was sitting with my eyes closed trying to clear my mind.  Inspection is when everyone at the race slips down the run creates a tactical plan and memorizes all of the turns and terrain.  Inspection is one of the most important things in a Super-G race because you have little reaction time due to how fast you are going and you need to be ready for every little bump and roll.

Once I took a couple looks at the run and I felt comfortable with my memorization I went into the lodge to warm up and socialize before my run.  At this point I was super focused and when I am focused I am not the nicest person in the world but my friends know this so they don’t take it personally or at least I hope they don’t.  Not only was I warming up but I was icing my chins because they had some pretty bad chin bang.  Chin bang is when you take a jump too big and you land a little back seat and it bruises your chins and it is a skiers worst nightmare.  Luckily when I’m in a race run I can’t feel it because of how much my adrenaline is pumping but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when I’m skiing around before my race run.

Forty Five Minutes Later…

Number twenty was in the gate so I started stripping down and getting in the right mind set to rip my run to shreds.  I got warmed up did a couple squats and legs swings, grabbed my skis, buckled my boots and skied down the start house.  The start house was tiny little shack made out of ply wood and I did not like it to much.  I got into to start house ran through the course one more time in my head before I heard the words, “Racer Ready? Ten seconds… Five… Four…. Three… I pulled out of the start as hard as I could and started ripping down the hill.  After the first fifteen gates or so came the big jump I prepped for air time got small and held aerodynamics throughout the air.  I hit the ground and kept skiing my heart out until the next jump.  The next jump consisted of two jumps and it shot me late and low so I had to struggle to make the next gate.  That was the one big mistake and it cost me way to much time.  I finished the run in thirteenth overall and third for my age group.  It was not what I wanted and I was disappointed but I sucked it up and got stoked for my best event, GS!

To Be Continued...

Championship Weekend I

Start house of a ski race

The weekend has finally come, the weekend that I have been working my butt off the entire season for. It is Championship weekend and I was confidently stoked because of how good the ski season had been going in the technical area (GS and Slalom).  It was about five thirty in the morning when I woke up to hop in the van and take a ten hour long road trip to Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon where the race was being held.  It was a long haul but the drive didn’t seem any worse than all of my other ski trips which were only about five or six hour road trips.  It did help that I slept half the way and that it was Championships!  This Championship was different than all of my other ones that I have attended in earlier years.  Instead of just my region  at the race the entire west coast was there including Alaska.  This meant more competition and also with more competition comes more stress, and pressure.

The team was staying at a hotel in Bend called “The Red Lion”.  It was a semi nice hotel with a terrible location and no where to eat but the restaurant that was smack dab in the middle of the parking lot.  In other words we ate at the same restaurant every single night we were there.  It was two to a room and I was so lucky to room with my close friend Shane that I have been skiing with my entire life basically and also our other ski friends two doors down.  Once we got there we took a dip in the pool and went straight to dinner.  It was a pretty mellow night, after our meeting we just went straight to bed to get prepared for the next day.

Next Day…

It was around six fifteen when I got up and threw on my long johns, sweats, and sweatshirt so I could load the van with my ski equipment and head over the the breakfast place.  I left the room a couple minutes later and Shane also did a couple minutes after me.  I sat eating breakfast and talking to new faces for about a half an hour until we had to jump in the vans and head off to the first day of racing.  The first event we were skiing in is a Super-G which is the fastest of all the events and in my mind one of the hardest due to the mental aspect you have to also bring to the table.  The drive was half an hour and I was asleep the majority of that half an hour with my headphones in my head on full blast.  I’m not really sure how I do it but I some how can fall asleep with rock blasting in my ears.

To Be Continued…

Unexpected Bro Trip III (continued 2)

Where I should have been (original)

Due to complications the day before we had two races that day.  Super-g is only a one run which makes it harder than all of the other tech events such as GS and Slalom that have two runs each.  I was relived to find that out because that meant that I had another crack at the course.  This time I am going to destroy it and win the run by a second and get back what I deserve, which was what I was telling myself riding up the lift to lap around and cheer on the girls on my team.

One Hour Later….

I sat at the start for a good hour before the boys were getting in the gate.  I was still bib number fourteen and was completely ready for the run.  I had my coaches crank down my dins (what determines how tight your binding is on your boot)  and I was stoked to get out of the gate.  Number one was in the gate and I started getting warmed up and peeled off all of my clothed downy to my trusty speed suit.  I brought my ski over to the pit to get clicked in and cheered on a couple of my older team mates coming out of the gate.  I was finally back in the gate ready to tear the course up!

The start gate worker started the famous phrase, Racer Ready? Ten Seconds…  Five.. Four.. Three I pull out with determination in my eyes and dropped back into my tuck once again.  I passed the first gate, the second, the third.  Bam!  I am on my ass sliding down the flats at the top.  My ski popped off again same foot and everything, I was fuming from the ears and I started hitting my poles on the ground in frustration.  I was so close to the start house that I decided to hike back to the start house.  I yelled at my coach because they did not get my bindings right again, then I stormed off to be alone and clear my head.  My ski season means everything to me and I can’t afford to be popping out of my skis for no apparent reason.

That concluded my disappointing race day and I was left to watch the people that I was planning to beat stand on the top of the podium.  I made my way down all of the cat tracks and runs and ended up at the upper lodge where we were having the awards.  I went inside to get out of my equipment and sat around talking to the other kids on my team about their race day.  The thing about ski racing is that it only takes one mistake to ruin an entire run and we (ski racers) spend so much tie perfecting the sport that it is so devastating to fall in a race scene.  A couple minutes later I had to stand around and watch people get medals.

During the awards my friend Shane surprised me with some great news.  He asked me out of no where if I wanted to go to California with him for the weekend.  How could I not deny such a request!  This lightened my mood and I was from then on stoked to get some sun on my pale white ski racer skin.

To Be Continued…..

Unexpected Bro Trip III (continued)

What I looked like right after my ski popped off

The lodge was nothing extraordinary, it had a lower level with food and a seating area and the same thing on the upper level.  We (my ski team) started putting on our ski stuff on and grabbed some breakfast burritos for the lift.  I was one of the last people to get on the hill because I take my time getting ready.  Who am I kidding, I am just overall slow at starting my day.  Once the process of getting ready was over I grabbed my pack and started my way up the lift.

15 Minutes Later…

After the ride up the chairlift and a ten minute cat track (a flat road used to get around a ski mountain) I had finally made it to the next chair lift which was what took me to the top of the race hill.  When I was sitting on the padded seat of the chairlift I was thinking to myself if I was still capable of winning a speed race.  I was at that time the younger generation of the U16’s I was fourteen while most everyone else was fifteen.  A majority of them had four inches and most likely twenty to thirty pounds on me.  After that thought passed through my head it dropped my confidence a little bit which is a grave mistake in ski racing.  I was then nearing the top of the lift with hesitation on my mental.

Left, right, left, right, delay, left right, jump, this was me memorizing the course.  Ski racers do this so they know exactly what is coming at them and to be ready for anything the hill throws at them.  It also helps me keep my head clear and focused because if I am not thinking about the course then I am usually getting side tracked or goofing off with my friends.  So it helps me mentally and physically in the sport.  The boy were running first today and i was bib fourteen so I had to lap around quick to get warmed up and strip down to my speed suit (the women usually run first in ski racing but this wasn’t the case today).

What a tuck looks like

Racer Ready? Ten seconds…. Five, Four, Three out I go from the start gate.  I drop straight into my tuck to gain some speed before the first pitch (a tuck is when you get low to the ground and put your elbows in-between your knees to stay aerodynamic.  A couple seconds later I was making turns down the pitch.  Left, right, Outside ski pressure! I told myself every turn.  Here comes the money gate (money gate is the most important gate in the course).  I started rolling my ski up onto edge and put all of my body weight on my outside ski.  A couple tenths later I hit a giant hole and my ski popped off.  I was going around fifty miles an hour and I was holding on for dear life so I wouldn’t go into the safety netting that lines the side of the runs.  It is supposed to keep you safe but sometimes I wonder if hitting a tree would hurt less than hitting the safety netting.  Thankfully I stayed on my feet and safely came to stop with anger in my veins.  I let out a f-bomb that all of the spectators could hear.  Once I cooled down a little a went down to my coach to tell him how much BS it is that my ski is popping off under those circumstances.

To Be Continued...

Unexpected Bro Trip III

Super-G Jump

It was around 11:30 in the afternoon when I packed up all of my ski stuff to load it on the van with a destination of Bogus Basin.  It was my first Super-G race of the year and I was stoked to actually get some real speed and get my adrenaline pumpin'.  The drive was about five or six hours through flat, boring, cattle filled plains.  Our team took a grey hound bus there and it smelled like a porta-potty the entire way there.  All of the older kids on the bus were saying how badly put together the race was and how there is always course holds.  Despite some empty doubts I was still so excited to get on my skis in a town other than my own (Park City, Utah).

We finally arrived at the hotel after a couple naps, headaches, and a terrible stench in my nose the entire way.  The hotel was very spread out and big and I could already tell that it was going to be a pain in the butt to get to my room.  I picked up both of my pairs of skis and my backpacks and starting walking up to my room.  It was on the second story and as far away from the stairs I come up then any other room in the hall.  The upside was that the beds were so damn comfortable that I never really wanted to get out of them.  I was rooming with my buddies Shane, and Charlie who I have known for basically my whole life.  Once we got settled in we had to go buff out our skis for the next day and put on all the necessary wax to get our skis as fast as possible.

Next Day

Beep... Beep... Beep.. went our alarm at around 6:30 in the morning and we all groaned in unison.  I stayed in bed for another five minutes while Charlie and Shane went back to the waxing room to scrape their skis that they didn't finish the night before.  I finally got up and took a quick shower to get woken up and started throwing on my ski clothes so I could make breakfast in time.  I had fifteen minutes to get all of skis, poles, and backpacks in the van and get something in my stomach.  I ran out with two skis on my shoulder and a backpack hanging from my arm.  I threw everything into the van and sprinted to breakfast.  Got there with just enough time to sit down for a couple of minutes and eat a couple bites before I had to make my way back to the van.  I got to the van with two minutes to spare and shortness of breath.  Now I had to sit through an hour long, windy road up to the ski resort. I put in my headphone and closed my eyes...

About an Hour and a Half later

I opened my eyes and looked out the window to see what was supposed to be a ski resort.  There was barely any snow to cover the trails.  This took away all of my excitement for the race and I was all of a sudden in not so good of a mood.  Coming from a dry season in Park City right back to another resort with a snow shortage.  After emptying the vans I headed up to the lodge and put on my ski clothes and decided to make the best with what I have...

To Be Continued....

Jackson Hole III

I was laying on the ground next to a couple of my other ski racer friends listening to some music to pump me up before my start.  Everyone around me was singing along and having a great time.  Number forty was in the start gate and I was getting stoked to send it!!  I stripped down to my speed suit from all of my warm up clothes that I had on.  I boot skied down to the start to cheer on some of my team mates before my run.  Scottie was in the gate “Go Scooch!!” all of us yelled as he pulled out of the start.  This went on for around ten more racers until I had to go click in for my run.

Thump Thump went my boots as my coach Cam knocked the snow off of the bottoms of them.  Cam said to me, “Alright Ben when you pull out of the start gate you want to put your foot in the groove and ride it out.  The track is getting a little sketchy and the ruts are deep.  All you got to do is ski athletically and do what you do.  Have fun Ben Good luck.”  I told him thanks and slid down to the beginning of the start gate.  There was around five racers in front of me so I was going through the course in my head trying to remember where I need to nail the course.

Before I knew I was in the start gate with the gate keep saying, “Racer Ready? Go!”  I pulled as hard as I could out of the gate towards the first gate.  The visibility was terrible and I could barely see seven gates in front of me.  Not only that but the ruts in the course were so deep I was basically jumping to each turn.  I was around half way down the course and I got flung from a rut to one side and ended up skiing backwards for five feet or so and managed to make the gate and turn my skis back around.  The best part about this run for me was not the quality of my skiing but how much fun I was having going down the course.  It was on of the most thrilling courses that I have ever skied so thrilling I was laughing through part of it and if you know me you know that is not usual for a ski race.

Jackson Hole II

Jackson Hole Tram

Click.. Click… go my skis as I push towards to first lift to get up near the race course.  Everyone is treating this race as a sort of training race so to speak so all of the racers are having a lot of fun in the lift line.  My friend had his speaker in his backpack playing some pump up music all of the people were hootin’ and hollerin’.  The lift ride was around five minutes long which led us to another lift which was about the same.  Like I said in the earlier post right as I got off of the chairlift I saw the run that we were racing on that I know so well.  Seeing the start gate and all of the officials and coaches gave me the jitters but not the scared jitters more of the excited jitters.  Everyone took one or two inspections and then they were left with a couple hours of free time while the hill was prepped.  I bet you can guess what I am going to go do, yah that right go ski the fresh foot of powder that fell the night before for us.

Aydon, Trey, Cassidy and I (ski racer friends) walked up to the tram which always has powder full fun all the way down no matter what.  Although we were all stoked we had to stop at the notorious waffle shack at the top of the tram.  After a quick pit stop we were off shredding down, face shot after face shot and cliff after cliff having the time of our lives.  One thing that I really like about the tram is that after you finish one amazing run it leads down the cat track to another assortment of terrain to choose from.  At the end of a tram lap you have skied at least four or five runs all together and you have that sweet burn deep inside of your legs.  That is what I feel skiing should be like, whatever you want right in front of you and endless fun to experience.

Once the exhilaration and excitement left our bodies we realized that we had to go race!  Jumped on the two four seater chairlifts and got in the mental zone for our runs that have yet to come.  Although this race did not have a lot on the line I still like to practice getting in the right state of mind before a race run.  It was only half an hour away and the energy in the start gate was unreal…

To Be Continued….

Turning Point III

Super-G Fall

The big run was only an hour away.  I was taking laps on Eagle inspecting my course for the next run.  The course seemed like a great set but there was one slight problem.  First of all I had the jitters and second, the weather was getting very hot and was melting the snow making it very soft and this could cause some big ruts.  This started to get into my head and I kept thinking more and more about what would happen if I were to fall.  I decided to take my mind away from my run by taking some runs on my own just free skiing; this seemed to do the trick because my mind was cleared and my confidence was back.

Only minutes before the run I am taking off my warm up pants and jacket getting ready to jump into the start gate.  I am in the pit getting the snow clicked off the bottom of my boots so my ski doesn’t eject while I am going down the hill.  All that I am thinking to myself is,”I am going to win, I am going to win.”  I was more nervous than all of my other runs which worried me but I shook it off and skied down to the start.  Ten more racers ahead of me getting ready for their chance at the win and I looked at them all deciding their fate.  Three racers ahead of me didn't finish it worried me and my coach also gave me the heads up that the snow was really soft and easy to loose edging on.  All of my observations were getting into my head and taking my mind off of what I actually was supposed to do.

I got into the gate my mind was wandering, I was thinking all of the wrong thoughts at the absolute wrong time.  “Racer Ready?” said the gate keeper, “3… 2… 1… GO!”  I pushed out of the gate as hard as I could trying to build up as much speed as possible for the first gate.  I was around 5 or 6 gates in and the snow under my ski gave and I leaned in; my butt was on the ground and I was sliding out of the course to wrap up my first loss for that race.  I was very disappointed and was hitting my poles on the ground on the side of the run.  Well you can’t win em all can ya.

The Turning Point II

Ski Racing Championships #2

Aksel Lund Svindal (favorite ski racer)

Advice: If you are a new viewer of my blog I would recommend reading the post before this because this post is adding onto my previous post of last years ski racing championships that I attended.

The next morning it was a little hard to get out of bed due to all of the lactic acid building up in my legs from yesterdays shocking run.  Although I was sore I was still ready to rip it up and get another win under my belt.  Once again,  I did the same routine which is eating breakfast, stretching (a little bit more because of the soreness),  and last but certainly not least getting into my mental zone.

Twenty to twenty five minutes later

I began the what seems to be trek up to the lift from our team room.  I also put in my music once more to stay in that "mental zone".  Today was much warmer than yesterday which worried me.  When the weather gets too warm it melts the snow making it slushy and hard to grab an edge while going down the race course.  Despite the slushy snow I had to stay positive and believe that I was going to win.  I decided to take a couple runs on the upper mountain to keep my mind off of the dissolving snow (this was a very bad idea and will show later).

One hour later

Click Click... Click Click... "Ok you're ready Ben get in there!" said my ski coach Darryl.  I just kept telling myself that I was going to win and that I had to keep my head in the game.  At that exact moment I didn't feel that I was mentally ready.  This also worried me along with the melting snow that I could observe from the start.  I had to stop thinking about that and tried to keep my mind off of ski racing for the moment.  It seemed to be working and I got into the gate with a clear mind.  Racer Ready? 3... 2... 1... Go!!  Pulled with all of my might out of the starting gate pulling towards the first gate.  The snow still felt surprisingly firm to what I was observing from the start.  I could actually feel my edges grabbing in the snow and didn't feel any ruts in the line I was taking (a rut is basically a hole that forms from the earlier skiers).  The set of the gates was fairly easy that run and I got the luck of the draw pertaining to the snow and ruts.  I passed the finish with once again a winning run!  This time the gap between me and the second place finisher was about a second and three tenths.  I was completely and utterly astonished by this finish and to be honest didn't think I could achieve that but since this was GS I still had one more run to go....

To Be Continued