Solden/Pitztal Training Camp

I hope the fall’s swings in temperatures aren’t causing too much havoc in your lives. I certainly can relate to the challenges this time of year can present.

I just returned from a two week camp in Solden and Pitztal, Austria where we ran into many such challenges. In our first seven days we skied only 3 and that was in ruts that were shockingly large. Still, we were able to get something out of the training, which was more than one might imagine.

We had better luck in our second week getting on the hill every day, although two of them were limited due to weather. Still, some of the training we had was as picturesque as it gets. On those days we took full advantage and we skied until our legs couldn’t do it anymore.

This time of year is always an interesting time since the World Cup opener in Solden is about the happen; you can feel the race tensions starting to rise. Everyone is scoping out their competition and trying to guess what the season will look like. This can be hard – knowing the bulk of our training is over and racing is just around the corner. Questions arise like; Did I do enough?; Am I ready?: and the big one, Will I be good enough in February?. These are all impossible questions to answer and if given too much energy they only detract from the present day of training. There is no way to know what this season holds for us, all we can do is train smart, train hard, and prepare as well as we know how. I have to trust myself now more than ever and keep in touch with my passion; the reason I race.

A turning point for me during this camp was when the medals were presented to the world. I was at a loss for words, they are simply spectacular. I believe Canada will shine in February and those medals will honour the athletes’ journeys to attain them. All the metals in those medals came from Teck mines and Canadian soil. They are Canadian through and through, and I hope to see most of them remain in this country to be cherished for generations.

I’m getting Goosebumps. This is why I race, this is why I love my job, this is why I keep throwing my body down a mountain.

Till next time,

Kelly

This is Don Lindsay, Teck's CEO, and I posing in front of my image in their remarkable top floor of their Vancouver offices.