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The plus side of 15

Icy conditions shock skiers

The FIS Alpine World Championships in Garmisch have just been flying by. We are now into the second week of the Championships with the speed disciplines finished. The first races of the event were the men's and women's super G and then we got into the downhill training runs in preparation for the downhill race and the super combined.

Before the super G race we had free-skiing on the race hill. The day before our coaches had been on the hill to check things out and we had heard that conditions were a bit icy, so we prepared ourselves for some different conditions. I had my technician add a little more bite to my edges and off to the start of the super G course we went.

When we do free-skiing on the race hill everything is very controlled. We leave the start, someone is there to tell us when to go so there is enough space between you and the person in front of you. And all the coaches are on the hill and can't move until the 45 minutes of free-skiing on the race hill is up.

I left the gate for my first run and right away I could feel it was icy, but still it had a lot of grip. It felt pretty good. Oh, and it was bumpy... but still, not too crazy that you couldn't attack it.

The first run I usually use to feel out the hill and the snow conditions and then on the second or third run I can bring up the speed and get a better feel for the hill under race speeds. I finished the first run and I said to myself, 'well, that's definitely more than a little icy!' One section of the hill surface looked like a mirror, it was so icy. But, again, it gripped and if the skis were up on edge it was no problem.

I left the free-skiing feeling pretty confident about the race for the next day. I left the hill and didn't really give the conditions another thought.

The reason why the icy conditions were such a shock to us is because we haven't had any conditions as icy or as bumpy this entire season. We have had very cold conditions which makes for snow that is very aggressive and chalky and VERY easy to turn on. We have had warm conditions, and races where man-made snow was all there was as Europe experiences a warm, dry winter.

Ice and bumps like Garmisch can be more intimidating but it is actually a better feeling under the boot. When the snow is too cold and very aggressive it's like skiing over styrofoam, it makes a funny sound and you don't get much feedback from the ski. On ice, you just stand on it and the ski bites and comes around -that is, if you have sharp enough edges!

So, the week had begun. The super G race went well, but not as great as I had hoped. I had some very fast sections, with a 4th and 7th split through the tough parts of the course but I had lost too much time on the top part and at the finish line I found myself in 15th. However, that 15th got me enough World Cup points to move me up the start list and back in to the top 15 in super G. This is great because it means at the next World Cup super G race I will start between number eight and number 15.

The downhill training runs started the following day, with two runs in the afternoon after the men's super G race. Like the Olympics, both the men and women arrive in the same finish area so we can't run at the same time.

The downhill track here in Garmisch reminded me of the Olympic course in Whistler. The conditions were again still very icy and bumpy. Temperatures were pretty mild and by the time you got about half way down the course your legs REALLY hurt! The track at Garmisch is a minutes and 50 seconds long and it is very technically so you are constantly working and resisting, absorbing the terrain. Just like the track in Whistler. It was a very demanding track, which is just what I like!

The men raced their downhill the day before we did and so I took the day to rest and get ready for my event and went in to town to take in the men's downhill on the big screen. Well, was it worth watching. Erik Guay, from Bib 10, took the lead by 0.76 seconds. He had an absolutely brilliant run. The only other racer to come close to his time was Didier Cuche, and it was nail biting watching Didier come down ever so close to taking away the lead from Erik.

In the end, Canada held on to the World Championship Downhill title that day and once again, and Didier Cuche finished second to a Canuck in two consecutive World Championships. He was a good sport about it though.

I was really motivated by Erik's win, and also very nervous for my race the following day because I knew that I too had a chance to step on to the podium. I was feeling comfortable on the track and was getting faster and faster. I really embraced those nerves and the excitement from Erik's win.

Unfortunately I didn't find myself on top of the podium, but I sure raced hard for it. I had a bit of a tough draw in getting Bib 25 and the conditions of the track were no longer icy and bumpy for my run. It was a bit soft and spring-like as the temperature went up. I had another 15th place finish in the Downhill and again gained some valuable World Cup points heading into the final races of the season over the next weeks.

So, with speed races completed we move into the week of the technical races. The World Championships will finish with the men's and women's slalom races on the weekend. We have a full squad going in to the slalom races and I know we will see great results from the weekend. My brother Michael will be out there defending his bronze medal finish from 2009 and the young racers will be going hard for some personal best results.