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Lake Louise Wrap up

A true challenge to the start of the season

 

I am at the airport waiting for my flight to Europe, and I am happy to have everything packed up and ready to go for the season. Last week was a long one, a week that felt like a month. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun and the sights were amazing, as was the track at Lake Louise, but performance-wise it really wasn't anywhere near what I wanted. Finding the speed in my skiing was proving to be a challenge.

So, what can I learn from a tough week in the start gate? In downhill and super G there can be so many factors that play into your outcome. There is a lot that I am in control of, like my skiing, my line choice, my tactics, my inspection and my head. But then you have your equipment, mainly your boots and skis. Wind and the weather can also play a factor, as well as snow conditions.

This past week in Lake Louise the snow conditions and the weather could not have been better. We had cold temperatures early in the week but not the usual minus-30 - so if you ask me, it was warm! The sun was shining every day but one and the light on the track was perfect. The snow conditions were also great. They had injected parts of the hill so it iced up but it still had good grip to it. When you're flying down to the hill at 100 kilometres per hour a little grip is nice.

Coming in to the week I felt confident. My training in the previous weeks in Nakiska had been great and I was going fast. My first training run in Lake Louise was pretty respectable and I was happy with my tactics. I knew I had over-skied some sections but I was clean on my skis and I felt comfortable on the hill. After the second training run I was scratching my head a bit, wondering why I was so slow.

But, with my coaches and my technician we took a plan into the following day. I looked at video and saw some areas where I could improve and took that into day three. But, once again, there I was, well off the pace of the leaders.

Next up was race day. I thought to myself, okay, let the training runs go, now it's time to race. But the races did NOT go well. So, once again, more scratching of the head. I had a plan going into every day, I knew the areas that I needed to improve on and I know that once I get in that gate the excitement of racing takes over.

However, I think there are a few other factors to take into consideration as well as things that I can take from last week moving forward.

At the end of August I crashed in New Zealand and came away with a bone bruise in my right knee - my right knee also being the knee with very little meniscus in it. I couldn't ski for the month of September and wasn't doing much fitness training other than physio and rehab exercises. By the end of the month of September my knee was feeling good and I was soon back on snow.

For the month of October I was training in Zermatt and Pitztal and was getting my balance back on my skis, and my trust and confidence back in my knee. I don't think I realized just how much of an impact a minor injury can have on your preparation period. Missed time on skis and missed time in the gym can mean some missed time working on the details.

In the weeks leading in to Lake Louise my knee was feeling great and I had my confidence back, but I missed some crucial time on my skis - and more importantly, on my downhill and super G skis. It is key to work in new skis, and that means spending a lot of time on the snow. It takes run after run, lots of waxing by my technician and lots of looking and analyzing times to see which skis are fast, and in what conditions and temperatures. My boots also play a key role in my setup and my position on my skis.  And, last but not least, you need to dial in where your bindings are mounted on your skis - slightly forward, right in the center or maybe behind center.

When I was on snow in October I wasn't in a place where I could test or run my skis in. I was still getting a fair bit of pain in my knee. Had I been healthy I would have really been able to use that time to get all of my equipment dialed in.

So, what lies ahead? This coming weekend is two more World Cup events in St. Moritz, Switzerland. I will have a few days of training going in and will use that time to look at where I can strengthen my skiing and will keep working away at things like my equipment. The season is young and I feel confident that the speed will come - I just need to be patient and stay strong.