Alpine December Update
Making the Most of the Moment
If you haven’t noticed, we are in a “low tide” scenario across the West. Camps and early-season races are being delayed or pivoting because Mother Nature hasn’t been on our side. The most important message? Be patient; things will change!
In the meantime, we are taking full advantage of the terrain that is open. For every group, a major focus for this training block is simple but crucial: getting solid mileage on the skis and revisiting the fundamentals of good skiing. Luckily for us, we have enough terrain to work these objectives.
Focusing on improvement from the ground up pays massive dividends when we ramp up training and racing. This block is crucial because by January, athletes will be traveling, racing, and in full training swing. While we will revisit the fundamentals all season, we rarely get the opportunity to focus with this same duration or intensity. Yes, skiing slowly and doing drills is never the most exciting, but I promise: it will pay off in the long run!
Alpine Director
FIS
Although things around the west are a bit behind, those who took advantage of our 2 fall camps (Stelvio and Colorado) are off to a great start. The cooperative effort of our U16/FIS camp at 4 different mountains in Colorado provided great training in both freeskiing fundamentals and gates. The coaching staff is feeling really good about what was accomplished. Our first race series begins on the 15th in Big Sky Montana. We plan on an additional 2 days of gate training at the race venue before race day.
U16
Team U16 had a great start to the season with our November Camp happening in Colorado. Through many pivots and reiterations of the original plan, the athletes who took advantage of the entire camp were able to get 13 days on snow with good surfaces as well as training alongside various universities and peers across the country. It is always a good reminder to take advantage of all of the opportunities we offer in our program, as we never know what Mother Nature might bring to LCC. With the opening at Snowbird this past weekend, we are staying focused on fundamentals and taking advantage of the opportunity for deliberate practice of the basics. Our focus has been on outside ski balance, progressive pressure (and edging) of our skis, as well as upper body position. Looking ahead, we will have our first races of the season (weather permitting) starting 12/20 at Snow King for the Sean Nurse memorial races.
U14
Despite the slow start with the weather this season, the U14’s are off to a great start! These athletes understand that the work they do now with drills and freeskiing- will pay dividends when we get into race preparation in January. Heading into Christmas Camp, our goal is to build strong technical skills before getting into gates- so that we can then focus on line and tactics. We are excited to see this group continue to progress!
Our Skier of the Month goes to Samantha L! Sam’s dedication to dryland this fall, put her in position to break the U14 20m sprinting record in the Skills Quest Physical Fitness test. As a new member of our team this year, her hard work and dedication will put her in position to have a breakthrough year in our qualifying series. Keep up the hard work Sam!
⛷️ U12 Kick-Off
The Snowbird U12 group officially got things going this week! Coaches and athletes alike were incredibly excited to be back on snow.
Over the last week, athletes have been diligent in working on getting back to fast skiing. The fundamentals of Stance & Balance, Edging, and Pressure have been the core focus for the group. We are now roughly one week away from JFAST Xmas Camp (Dec 20 – Jan 2), which is a massive and important training block!
- Reminder: Xmas Camp is included in all athletes’ tuition.
- Please check TeamSnap for camp details and make sure you are setting your availability for every day of training.
Coaches are really looking forward to a productive and skill-building camp!
Jfast Athlete Highlight
JFAST has had a busy week working hard on fundamentals. A huge shout-out goes to Klaus B!
Klaus’s attendance has been outstanding, and his focus has been unparalleled. Fine-tuning his technique now is exactly the work that produces great results down the road. Look for big things from Klaus in the future!
CLICK HERE to view the full holiday camp schedule