A few weeks ago we wrote down a collection of memories and tales from Mountain Camps past during our journey home from that adventure. While Mini Mountain Camp hasn’t existed for as many years, it is certainly growing its own legacy! This camp would not exist without Mountain Camp before it, as we created this opportunity to bring some of the fun and team time to the younger athletes in MNC.
Many months ago, this trip was booked for Ludlow, VT. We had no way of knowing the area would be hit by massive rain and flooding damage, so of course this changed plans a little bit. I took a drive down to Ludlow on Wednesday of last week (a few days before camp) to survey the scene and identify what workouts may need to be changed or altered. We also wrote some volunteer time into the training plan in order to help out the community that we were spending time in.
Everything came together nicely, and a little rain on the first day didn’t ruin any of the action. We did a bit of agility at the Prosper Valley School, and then skied route 12 all the way up to Barnard from Woodstock, passing the iconic White Cupboard Inn on our ski to include a bit of ski history into our workout.
Even though it was raining, it was mandatory that some ice cream be included during/after each of our sessions. Back in town, we got out the coolers for some lunch and cones, and the crew got to hang out and do a little Q & A with MNC skier and US Ski Team member Ava Thurston. Feels pretty cool to say that, right?? Ava joined for the ski and lunch/talk before heading off to the International Junior Camp in Norway…look for her in the upcoming Blink Festival rollerski races!
Our house was right in the center of downtown Ludlow, but in a stroke of luck for us (and the homeowners) the road was the start of an uphill climb and structure basically sat about 4′ above the water level from the recent flood, which left buildings and businesses off their foundations literally out the front window.
That afternoon the rain subsided, and we went for a run on a nearby dirt road which provided a true tour of the flooding damage…the road was more like half a road in some spots, with entire lanes washed out. This picture only shows a small bit of culvert damage. A minor scratch compared to some of the devastation:
We awoke on Saturday to bright skies and sun, and drove about half an hour to Bromley for a bounding workout on the mountain. Okemo Mountain was hit very hard by the storm, and the access roads were closed and busy with construction getting them repaired. On the way over to Bromley we passed several familiar NENSA faces headed in the opposite direction, headed north toward home after the wonderful (by the sounds of it) celebration of John Ogden’s life that took place the night before in Landgrove. The ski community really is a small and tight-knit one.
Commencing our bounding workout to the top!
Atop the open summit of Bromley
Our afternoon workout was a rollerski, but we also had a very unique strength session beforehand. On our way back to the house, we stopped at the town green where a tent for disaster relief was set up. I walked over and asked the staff if they had some volunteer work suitable for “7 strong and athletic middle schoolers and two coaches” and they were happy to put us to work! We changed into some boots and work clothes at the house, and then set off for our assigned destination: the Timber Inn Motel down the road.
This hotel was right next to the river, and the mold and algae on the walls told the tale…the water line was about 6′, almost all the way to the ceiling of the first floor. Every room was gutted, with appliances and furniture being hosed-down outside by the owners and neighbors.
A large hedgerow had actually done a great job of providing a dam to keep large logs, inorganic material, and a vast amount of detritus from crashing into the motel. The only problem was that this was now all jammed-up in the field and hedgerow, so we set about sorting, clearing, and raking it all out.
The physical labor was a great warmup for our afternoon workout, a rollerski on Buttermilk Falls road that ended with a little climb up to Jackson Gore, a lower lift area at Okemo. It was apparent that after the previous day’s tough uphill rollerski climb, this group was feeling more solid on their skis and moving smoother and faster than even 24 hours prior!
A swim in the river and more ice cream was a nice experience afterward, and back at the house we managed to double-up our team games…the night prior we’d brought out the upside-down goggles, which I’d seen in an F1 promotional clip a few weeks ago and immediately thought “we need those for MNC training camps”. Everything is inverted, so any motion is immediately more difficult (and funny to onlookers).
We also used a big cardboard box to play a bit of a blind guessing game based off yet another F1 promotional clip (can you sense a theme here?) called “What’s in the box” in which everyone watches as a team member or coach guesses the object/material/food based on feel along. From jello to butter to dishwasher pods, it was a pretty good time. We had Coach Kristen stumped with a plate of peanut butter, and I was totally unable to guess a bowl of parmesan cheese.
Our final day brought a triathlon: skiing, hiking, and pizza. We started at the Killington access road and amidst sun and blue skies rollerskied to the gondola. This was a serious climb, and the culmination of some good rollerski efforts over the previous days. While we may not have done the longest ski sessions ever, the simple consistency of rollerskiing 3x days in a row definitely showed dramatic increases in skill and confidence for this group!
Ryley, Mia, and Astrid near the top
Mo!
A hike to the top of the slope, and even a free ride down in the gondola, meant the only activity left was pizza. Then it was onto Route 100 for the journey back to VT.
It was a really great time at Mini Mountain Camp this year, and certainly some unique circumstances. This is a fun group of skiers who worked hard, had amazing focus and drive, and will definitely go places!
You can check out many more photos from camp at this album.
