April 2007 End of Journey...What is next

 Well it is that time of year again. The snow is leaving, people are heading off for the beginning of summer time and the day stays light until 9pm. Today is the last day of Easter vacation in Norway, something the Norwegians take very seriously. The all the shops close on Thursday open briefly on Saturday and then are closed again until Tuesday. The holiday is far from religious here, but the holiday tradition is more like a religion then any thing else. The ‘weges head for the hills and spend the week skiing, after-ski and generally enjoying themselves. Wednesday I managed a 3 hour Nordic ski on, the day before everything kicks off. By Thursday night I was sick with a high fever and spent the two days in my bed, not exactly the culmination to my winter in Norway I had in mind.

The Nordic ski was pretty descent we covered about 45km and I saw even more off the area I have spent most of my winter at. This trip was particularly different then the rest of my Nordic expeditions. It was crowded. People of all skiing abilities were out and about on 100 km or so track, pretty neat is really seeing everybody out there.

Was skiing worth being sick the next three days, I doubt it, but I doubt I made myself sick from the skiing. I think the sickness had been coming on for a while it just hadn’t caught up to me yet.

There is much to tell since my entry and I apologize for keeping more up-to-date with everything. I left of with world cup races in Norway. As usually it is just hard competition in Norway. After the races we had a few weeks of training before the Danish and Norwegian school holidays hit Hafjell. I worked a week for Danish ski club teaching. The Danes speak pretty descent English so they were able to cope with the barrier. It was actually really great to work for a week, that and the slopes were so busy skiing for fun just wouldn’t have been much fun.

February came and went with the normal training regimen and I headed home for US Championships. I spent a few days in Whitefish training and then headed down to Steamboat Springs, CO. Nationals was less then shinning experience for me. Not to say I didn’t learn a lot, because I did. I just didn’t finish as well as I would have like, the clock and I were not getting along very well. The highlight at Nationals was touching base with the rest of the team and seeing all you young racers there. There must have been about 35 kids, maybe more.

After nationals I headed back to Norway to repack my stuff and prepare for World Cup Finals and World Championships in Germany and Switzerland. Germany was an interesting experience the whether was really warm and snow was very soft. The German site was super beautiful and green, there were only two stripes of snow. Left side was used for the public and the right side was used for racing. The actually racing was so great with such crap conditions, but the organizers did but on a descent race. The real bummer to Germany was one of the US racers cracked two of his vertebra on a crash landing of the jump. He was air lifted out to a nearby hospital. He is racing was over for the season, but he’ll be back next year. Since the vertebra only cracked and not broken, which is a huge difference. He doesn’t need to wear a brace and will be back to his good ole self sooner rather then later.

After five days in Germany we headed to Switzerland for World Championships. There was snow here, slightly cold weather, and perfect for some ski races. I was overall pleased with my racing. The field had almost doubled in size since the world cups in Norway and my finishes were better then in Norway. Check out the pictures below, Switzerland is a beautiful area!!

Worlds are over the rental vehicles have been returned back to Munich, Germany and pretty much forgot to buy my return ticket to Norway so I’ll have to hang out in Germany for a few days until I can find a cheap ticket. Fortunately I have some friends working as ski instructor for any army base in Garmish, Germany. I spent a 5 days and saw a huge difference in what spending a season ski training and ski teaching is. We’ll just say the social life while ski training isn’t very good, but the social life of a ski instructor is considerably more social.

And now I am back in Norway, finally healthy again. Everybody moved out of the cabin today. All the Danes left a few hours ago for Danish nationals in south central Norway. I have a bit more then a week left and I am trying to figure out what to do with my time. Sitting in the cabin alone doesn’t sound like a great time, so I think I am going to try and plan a budget trip somewhere. Though I have found word budget doesn’t really belong in Scandi countries, if you try really hard I think it can be done.

Well I think I wrote way too much, probably be my last entry until next winter. Thanks for all those who have read and kept up with me, it is awesome to have the support!!

December 29th, 2006

Well, I am on the west of cost of Norway for new years with Kjersti and her boyfriend Sindre. There is usually waist deep snow, but not this year so instead we went for a hike/climb. really more like a climb. the small mountain we climbed is called Lillefjellet (little mountain). check pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/home

December 18th, 2006

Travel travel travel…..tonight will be my third night I’ve spent at my ‘home’ in Norway.  I’ve been traveling around since I arrived, December 2^nd. Really all I want to do is the load of laundry.  Last week we spent training at Kvitfjell.  We (being the four members of the Danish National team, there coach and myself) stayed in a cabin.  Each morning we eat a very quiet breakfast and head to the hill where we’d have the course set by the latest 9.30.  Run gates for a couple hours, break for lunch and either “freeski” (coached free skiing) or run more gates until about 3.30( by now it is starting to get dark…again).  We’d break at the cabin for about 45 minutes after which we’d head out for Nordic skiing or sprints, back to the cabin for dinner and to bed.  On Friday we did some free skiing in the morning around noon Troels and I headed back to Hafjell for a quick couple hours of repacking for the race at Gålå.  The rest of the crew managed to find there own rides from Kvitfjell to Gålå while the coach, get this, Nordic skied to Gålå which about 30km through the mountains on what he found to be only semi-groomed track.  Once Troels and I arrived at Gålå we prepared our skis and we went out for a few more freeski runs to get accustomed to the race hill.  This weekend was the first Norwegian cup of the year.

Saturday’s race went ok for myself I finished 11^th and skied two clean runs nailing the jump both times.  Sunday was a tele-cross Norwegian style, which basically means four guys, no poles and a skating start.  I made it to the second round where I broke the cardinal rule of cross racing when I allowed another guy to pass me mid-course; the worst part was I already passed this guy three turns back.  No big deal I guess the next heat I would have been in was with Eirik and Kjetil (which was super fast, fun race to watch).  Troels, Magnus (Danish coach) and me went for a 1hour skate after the race.  Magnus thinks this is a great idea to do after a race weekend because the Norwegians are not, in his mind it counts as two training days built into one and no we don’t get the next day (Monday) off.

 So know it is Monday we traveled back to Kvitfjell for more training, oh yeah Hafjell (home) doesn’t have any snow to speak of.  We’ll be training at Kvitfjell tomorrow and Wednesday we’ll head to a new hill.  Right now it is only Magnus, Troels and me traveling which makes planning a bit easier and more one on one time with coach. 

Well I should sign off… I need to get my skis prepared for training tomorrow and hopefully be asleep before 10 (22.00)

Eric

December 8th, 2006

currenty i am skiing atHemsedal with about 300 danish.  Unfortunately, my danish is worse the my norwegian and my norwegian is awful!!  maybe i'll pick some of it up....it is pretty cool yesterday the only skiers were telemark skiers. for a flat country denmark produces a ton of tele skiers, i hear over 10% of there population skis.  the countries highest point is 135 meters,,, not much!

we were supposed to gate train today, but it snowed all day yesterday and the better part of the night about 32cm, just over 1 foot.  for so we were forced to powder ski, tough life i know.

i'll be here until sunday then we drive 3 hours back home. on monday we will travel to Kvitfejll for the week of training and then race in a Norwegian cup saturday and sunday at Galo. Saturday is sprint classic and sunday is tele-cross.

i hope everybody is finally skiing back home and that the snow counties to fall.  hopefully i'll see some of you in norway!!

December 3rd, 2006  

I am spending the winter in Norway at a ski area called Hafjell (www.hafjell.no).  The snow isn’t here yet, but I hear that it supposed to be coming.

Getting here was a travel battle from hell.  I’ll start from the beginning; my first flight was for the most part canceled out of Missoula.  The flight was already a hour late, because Seattle can’t deal with snow which made me miss my BA flight to London.  Instead, I stayed the night in Missoula had a nice dinner with Alice and went to bed early.  Early Thursday morning I arrived at the airport only to find out the guy behind the counter had no idea where to find my name in the computer, it seems somebody could make a lot of money by designing a new computer system for the airlines.  Like the day before my flight was late to Missoula and I would again miss my connection flight from Seattle, so instead I flew Minneapolis.  The idea was fly to Minneapolis onto Newark to London to Oslo, not all that bad I would arrive 4pm in Norway just in time for my ride(Kjersti) to get off of work and pick me up.  At least the idea sounded nice; instead we sat on the runway for a hour this made my connection to Newark impossible.  A few hours later I come to find they had cancelled that flight, so in the minds of the airport people there was no problem, the would have me wait for the next flight to Newark.  Ok, so if I wait for the next Newark flight, which had also been cancelled, I was suggested to take really the third Newark flight.  If I had done this I would have missed my connecting flight to London-Heathrow and I wouldn’t be able to fly out of Newark until at the very least the day.  By know it is 3pm, still Minneapolis.  After speaking to a lot of really bad help and few really great people at British Airways a plan emerged.  I will fly from Minneapolis to Detroit jump on BA flight to Heathrow and be in Oslo by the same time 4pm.  Once again it sounds like a great plan.  Once again I was less then correct.  I arrive in Detroit, only after waiting on the runway for another hour I find the BA flight to Heathrow has been canceled, but there is a flight to London-Gatwick.  This was still ok, I would have two hours to get to Heathrow from Gatwick and still be in Oslo around 4pm.  Back through security a quick run down the terminal and one of the last people to board the plane, London here I come.  A short six hours later and another hour wait on the runway I arrive in Gatwick.  Basically I have an hour to get from Gatwick to Heathrow which is done by speedy bus ride, I manage to fast track myself through the ticket line.  Since I had an e-ticket and my flight itinerary had changed three times I had to go outside of security to get a boarding pass.  I was escorted through security at Heathrow ran and ran to the terminal.  I do finally make it to Oslo at 4pm, right on time.  I made it through passport control, which by this point I figured there a high chance I would be the “randomly selected” for questions and denied since I still have permit in process(long story).  Nope, straight to baggage claim and after 45minutes of waiting guess whose bags are not there.  Yep, all I had were two stinky shirts and my ski boots good thing Hafjell has all the snow.

Once, I left the baggage area things started to look up for me.  The cold that I’d been battling since Detroit is now gone, my ride was there with cake.  Kjersti picked me up and we drove to her family’s cabin which almost a top of Hafjell.  I met her boyfriend, Sindre the three of us had some beers and went to bed too late.  The next day was an easy Saturday; I slept most of the day away until about 3pm.  I was woken up by the other two for grocery shopping, everything is closed on Sundays.  I received one of my two missing pieces of luggage Saturday night. Fresh clothes can be simply blissful.  I am still missing my bag of skis, hopefully today or Monday I’ll receive them.  On Monday I’ll probably head to Oslo until Wednesday where I’ll meet Troels in Trysil for a Danish telemark festival.  Trysil is not in Denmark even though it is a Danish event.

November 18th, 2006

 Well papers or no papers I leave for Norway on my birthday November 29th.  I'll arrive in Oslo November, 30^th, on snow training should start December 3rd or 4th.  I'll be spending the rest of my days in Whitefish training and enjoying the down time.  My first competition will be in Denmark in a national telemark festival.  Stay Tuned.

November 6th, 2006

 Well I still haven’t made it to Norway, but I my current plan is to leave on the 23rd, I think that is Thanksgiving which should make for an interesting traveling day.   I want everybody to checkout a new video posted on US Telemark web pages, http://www.ustsa.org/video06.html, it is a well done video that gives a great idea what the Classic race is all about.   Back to canvassing for the Democrats, everybody needs to VOTE TUESDAY!!!!!

October 19th, 2006 

My first entry for the 2007 winter season, I will be Europe based US telemark racer.  My goal this season is to compete in all World Cup races and finish in the top 15 at World Championships. 

As soon as my residence papers come in from Norway I will jump the next plane over the ocean.  I'll be living if Hafjell, Norway with three other World Cup tele-racers, we will train, travel, and race together.

 I will update this blog through out the season.  Please browse the rest of the site.  If you any questions, comments, or suggestion please email me at: eric.lamb@gmail.com