I can answer that one!
6:45
An early morning wake-up after a cool, breezy night…a welcome respite from a summer of oppressive humidity at all hours of the day and night.
7:00
Breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and coffee, with rustling athletes prepping their own preferred options. Yogurt is scooped, milk is poured, bacon is fried. In the background, a large TV in the training camp house’s living room plays several motivational edits of skiers and ultrarunners.
8:00
Skiers unload at the base of the Gore Mountain access road. With dry air, no clouds in sight, and the sun beaming down, warmup for a timetrial day commences. The athletes have a plan, and set off to prepare while the coaches use cones to set start and finish lines, and arrange our strategy for timing, filming, and supporting the skiers.
Steadily, skiers make their way to the start. First up is a classic timetrial of 3 kilometers, to be followed by a skate timetrial of the same distance and course. It’s a mock version of the U16/Eastern HS qualifier race, which will take place this winter. Two timetrials means everyone gets an effort in both techniques. Time between means a focus on fueling and recovery/cooldown/warmup/mental acumen. The 3 kilometer distance doesn’t cut out any skier based on age…U20 and U16 athletes alike can complete this together and benefit.
9:00
Timetrial #1 begins! Double poling and striding their way to the base of the alpine mountain, everyone looks great. Whether being caught, doing the catching, or skiing solo, everyone pushes their hardest.
At the top, skiers collapse onto the pavement in the main base parking lot…but a few deep breaths and Sour Patch Kids later they are up and milling about. Sara records times and double-checks math, and then everyone loads up to head back to the start area.
9:30
At the base area, everyone switches to skate gear. The tricky balance of cooling-down from one race, and then warming-up for the next begins. People are in good spirits, and the sun is still shining. It’s getting a little bit hot out!
10:00
Timetrial #2 begins! This time skate skiing is the way to the top, and with different running order skiers can have new racers to chase and hold off.
The effort definitely takes its toll, but at the summit those that have finished run alongside and cheer for those approaching the finish line.
10:30
The timetrials complete, it’s time to decide who does what next. One group skis back up a different road, directly to the house. Another group sticks around to go back up the course one more time, this time back in classic technique and at L3 for a technique- and pace-focused effort.
Skiing looks great…controlled, efficient, and smooth!
Everyone involved got to create the end of the workout they needed, whether that be a direct ski home for recovery, an extended ski home with some out-and-back for more L1 on-time, or the bonus interval done back up the course.
By this point it’s getting quite hot out, but the humidity has held off. Everyone chats about races and timetrials past, technique factors in the race (who used V2 where? Who had the highest tempo at the end?), and visions of the winter ahead.
The atmosphere is positive, and everyone is feeling good about the effort regardless of finishing place or time. Results aren’t known, or even asked for!
12:00
Everyone returns to a clean kitchen…is this for real? People picked up their mess after breakfast? I guess so!
On the big TV screen, skiers hang out and watch the video from the timetrials, complimenting the technqiue of their teammates with maybe just a little bit of trash-talking and a few jibes. The mood is positive and everyone is feeling good about their efforts.
Next, some choose to take a nap, while others take shuttles into the bustling downtown of North Creek, NY. There’s really just one street, but an array of sandwich shops and cafes provide some options for a nice lunch and coffee.
3:30
A quick internet search tells us that a great swimming hole is only a few miles away. With a quick drive down to a scenic, dusty dirt road not unlike Dugway Rd in Richmond/Huntington, we are off and running. Discussions of scenic barns and llama farms keep things light, until we come upon the sound of splashing and yelling as the left side of the road drops away below us. It’s 80 degrees, sunny, and beautiful, and we’ve reached a deep pool with jumping spots of all sorts.
4:00
Swimming, cliff jumping, and hanging out in water create the best possible recovery option from timetrials and running! Everyone takes a jump, and some show off their best flips and tricks:
7:00
Tacos for dinner, followed by s’mores and hanging out around the big firepit! Can’t beat it!
This was just a one-day sample of an awesome Mountain Camp…for more Mountain Camp photos, click the link below!
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