The past three days have been a blast! (Do people still use that word...?)
After my first training day on the X Games ski cross track, all I wanted to do was ski it again and again! The feeling is kind of like riding on a rollercoaster that you're terrified of, but as soon as it's over you want to do it again straight away! Only one small problem, my legs couldn't really permit that! After three full length runs of training on day two, my legs were done for the day and ready for a spin and ice bath. Skiing such a demanding course at 3,000m, muscular fatigue really gets to you, so recovery is extremely important.
This video is from Day 2 of training at X Games. Marielle Thompson of Canada and I take on the course with a little more confidence! Check out Mar's recovery off the last jump. Close one!
Yesterday was qualifications. The fresh 4 inches of snow from the night before as well as a drop in air temperature meant that the course was running much slower than on the training days. I would say a good 10-15 seconds slower over the entire course, which is a major difference in speed. Features that we were easily doubling yesterday were now a 'press-press' because we didn't have enough speed to clear the landing. The gap jump and butter box were a worry, because if you didn't clear the distance, the consequences would have been huge. On my first run I popped as hard as I could off the gap jump, and just cleared it. Close call!
For the qualification run, the track was running a little faster, but still nothing like yesterday. I skied a clean run, no major mistakes, but feel I probably could have pushed it a little harder and taken a few more risks. I finished in 9th spot, so I'm through to the finals for Sunday. It will be interesting skiing the course with another 5 girls besides me. On World Cup we only ski 4 at a time, so 6 might feel crowded but it will definitely make it interesting!
(Numbered up for qualifications)
Men's and Women's ski cross finals will be shown 2pm (US Mountain Time) on ESPN. However, you can stream it live at 12pm on...
Good luck to Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin, who is competing in the Men's border cross finals today at 2pm. I'll be watching!
(Rivals in the start gate, but always friends off the hill!)
(The Norwegians always know how to have fun)
