Is your athlete drinking enough while on snow training? Research says likely not!

In 2021, Belgian researchers followed 12 athletes in U14 and U16 during an 8-day training camp, including time spent after the on-snow training sessions. The elevations ranged from 1600 meters at the residence to 2100 meters at the training slope, similar to sleeping in Lake Louise and skiing at Sunshine.

They focused on monitoring hydration markers, such as fluid intake and loss. Training consisted of GS and SL days, where they left a bottle at the top of the training slope, and a few days of free skiing where they carried their bottle with them. Water was openly provided throughout the training camp.

They concluded that half of the participants had insufficient fluid intake to replenish their losses. One participant even lost over a kilogram (2.2lb) in a single training session. Why are our athletes struggling with fluid intake, and what can we do to support them?

There are a few environmental factors at play here. Skiers often train in the cold and at high altitude. This altitude usually brings lower humidity, and Alberta in general tends to be a dry province. Factors like this can increase fluid loss by breathing, dull the thirst response, evaporate sweat faster, and increase the need to urinate. Your body is trying to reduce fluid to keep you warmer.

Time issues are another factor in fluid intake. Rushing past the bottle to catch the chair with their teammates, forgetting to fill the bottle before rushing out the door, pushing for another run of training instead of taking a break. Trips to the bathroom cut into precious training time, and athletes have been shown to avoid drinking water to reduce bathroom visits.

Staying hydrated is essential for health and performance, as dehydration compounded with cold can lead to impaired cognition, aerobic capacities, and muscle cramps. Recovery hydration is also vital for muscle repair and combating fatigue on the camp or race block. The fluid deficit can carry over, affecting recovery and impacting the next session.

A factor we can control a bit more is the equipment. Water bottles can freeze on the slope. To prevent this, invest in insulated ones, fill them with warm water before taking them outside, or wrap them in jackets to keep the water drinkable. In the study, athletes were free skiing with their water bottle; many World Cup athletes also carry hip belts with water during inspection.

Studies have also shown that coach encouragement to drink water has great success. Also, make sure athletes know where the closest bathroom is to the training slope. Impress upon your athletes the importance of fluid intake and stay hydrated out on the slopes.

Cite: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8336538/

Greetings everyone! My name is Gavin Johnson. I am from Team Panorama, and this is my first year with the Alberta Ski Team. We just got back from our first camp, where we spent four weeks in Saas Fee, Switzerland, and four days in Wittenberg, Germany, at the indoor facility. The camp was a huge success for myself and the team. We were able to build on our preexisting technical skills while pushing the pace and intensity as the camp went on. We faced an array of conditions, allowing us to work on different tactics and techniques. Personally, the indoor Slalom skiing in Wittenburg was the most beneficial. It provided an icy surface that forced me to make necessary technical improvements.

The success we experienced in this camp is largely due to the work we put in during the off-season. Nate Morris, our strength trainer, guided us through a carefully curated training program to ensure our bodies were ready for the demands of our sport. Unfortunately, due to building a new cabin in Invermere, I was not able to spend as much time as I would have liked at CSI with Nate and the team. However, I was able to follow the program through our Team Builder app at my gym in Invermere. Entering our first camp, the effects of my summer training were very evident. I have never felt so comfortable returning to the snow in all my years of ski racing. I was able to pick up where I left off in the spring of last season, which quickly allowed me to start building where I left off.

Since we have returned from Europe, we have begun our second block of strength training. We have three weeks before we begin our second camp in Hintertux, Austria. It will be vital for all of us to stay consistent with our dryland to ensure another successful camp. I try to enjoy every gym session with the motivation that it will have me ready for the next time I click into my bindings.

Aside from the time in the gym. I have been building our house in Invermere with my father and working with him as much as possible. We have been busy, and he is happy I am home to help him out. With it being my first year out of high school, it feels a bit strange not to be in a classroom. But it is nice to have a change of pace and have more time to focus on skiing. I am already re-watching my camp one videos, counting down the days until we ski again.

Thank you to our sponsors, the GMC Dealers of Alberta, InspiredGo, Silvertip Resort, Mountain Fire Foods, Genstar, Karbon and GearUp Mountain Sports. Your support helps make everything possible.

I look forward to what the season holds!
– Gavin

WHERE: Mount Norquay Main Lodge (Upstairs), Banff

WHEN: Friday, November 21, 2025

TIME: 6:00 pm to 9:00pm

REGISTRATION INCLUDES: Cocktail Hour, Appetizers, Entertainment, Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame Awards Presentation, Silent Auction, Wine Raffle, Balloon Draw

SUPPORT THE 2025-2026 ALBERTA SKI TEAM

Appetizers provided by Mountain Fire Foods and Mount Norquay.

Hello everyone! I’m Katie Smith and this will be my second season on the Alberta Ski Team. I grew up racing with Calgary Alpine through U16 and then moved to Lake Louise for FIS. I’m really excited to begin another season with the Alberta Ski Team!

Prior to our first pre-season camp I spent my summer working in Canmore for both the Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) as well as at the Canmore Brewing Company. It was my third summer on the trail crew with CAMBA working in Canmore maintaining bike trails. The outdoor work of digging trails complemented my summer training while giving back to the community. I spent my summer doing lots of biking and hiking with a few notable hikes allowing me to be able to ski all 12 months of the year. Other summer highlights included finishing second in the Canmore Enduro and a family trip to Nova Scotia where I was able to see puffins for the first time!

At the start of summer I was still dealing with some low back pain which meant that I had to adapt and modify many of my strength workouts. With the help of our strength trainer Nate at CSI I left for Saas Fee feeling healthy and strong for our camp.

As I am writing, we are at the airport in Munich, Germany. We have just finished a four week camp in Saas Fee, Switzerland and Wittenburg, Germany. We spent the first 3 weeks in Saas Fee staying at hotel Jagerhof with Stefan and Everlyn. The first seven days of the camp were spent doing lots of tech freeskiing and going back to basics before hopping into courses. It was really nice to pick up my skiing where I left it off at our spring camp at Sunshine. We spent lots of time doing drills in and out of the course with high volume days, the most being 25 runs! During a rest day, we went mountain scootering in Saas Grund, which was one of the team’s favorite activities! After the rest day, we were fortunate to finish the camp with a solid ten-day block. Training for ten consecutive days was very challenging, but we managed our energy well and stayed productive right through to the end. We were really fortunate with the weather while in Saas Fee, only losing one day due to poor weather. It was sad to say goodbye to Saas Fee and leave the hospitality of Stefan and Everlyn. They were incredibly welcoming and treated us like family. It was really nice to have home cooked meals every day and get to experience Swiss specialties like raclette and fondue.

Our journey from Saas Fee to Wittenberg began with a 5 hour bus ride to Zurich, where we reconnected with Phil and Kyle who had picked up vans to drive the team and all our gear for another 9 hours to the indoor training facility in Wittenburg, Germany. It was my first time skiing at the Wittenberg indoor facility but I had previously skied at a similar indoor facility last year in Belgium, so I knew what to expect from training indoors. We were all fairly excited to have a chairlift in Wittenburg to give the feet a break after all the t-bars in Saas Fee.

One of my main goals for the indoor session was to stay positive mentally. Our coaches are adamant that your mental focus can be your biggest weakness or strongest skill. I definitely noticed that during sessions where I didn’t have a positive mind set I became less confident in my skiing, this quickly became frustrating and caused my skiing to get worse. This is especially important when training indoors on ice as you must be confident on ice. This downward cycle ruined one session for me because I wasn’t able to recover mentally. In later sessions, though, when I felt confident and was skiing well, the opposite happened, my skiing kept improving as the session went on. Recognizing this cycle was one of my biggest takeaways, and it will be a main focus for me this year and in my upcoming camps in Sweden.

Right now, I’m looking forward to getting home and to begin another block in the gym before our next camp. Until then, for the next month or so, you can find me working on the bike trails in Canmore or at Canmore Brewing Co, or in the gym!

I hope everyone is as excited for ski season as our team is! Thank you to our sponsors, the GMC Dealers of Alberta, InspiredGo, Silvertip Resort, Mountain Fire Foods, Genstar, Karbon and GearUp Mountain Sports for helping to make our seasons possible!

-Katie

Brady Leman presents the Stampede Warm Up Party in support of the Alberta Alpine Ski Association.
July 2, 2025.
Wild Rose Brewery.
Tickets: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=38958

Hello Ski family!

Deavyn here, checking in with my final athlete journal of the 2025–2026 season and my last one as a member of the Alberta Ski Team.

It’s a bittersweet moment, but I’m incredibly excited to announce that next year I’ll be joining the Plymouth State University Ski Team! I’m beyond thrilled to compete at the NCAA level and to begin a new chapter both academically and athletically. I’ll be studying business while continuing to chase my ski racing goals, a dream I’ve been working toward for years.

As this chapter comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on how much this season has meant to me. Like any season, it had its ups and downs, but it was filled with unforgettable memories, major growth, and so much fun with teammates.

Here’s a little recap of some of my favourite highlights from this season. We kicked things off with an amazing pre-season training camp in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where we focused heavily on fundamentals and technique. Saas-Fee is always a blast not just for skiing, but for all the off-snow activities too. We spent the afternoons hiking, sightseeing, and playing endless games of beach volleyball and spikeball. After Saas-Fee, we headed south to Chile for our second pre-season camp, which was another big highlight. The training was really exceptional as we trained on lots of different terrain, surfaces and disciplines. On one of our off days, we went exploring and discovered some incredible waterfalls. It was such an awesome way to experience more of the local culture and scenery.

After returning home, we got back to work at our home hills, Nakiska and Panorama, dialing things in before the race season began. Our first NorAm was at Panorama, which was the perfect start as they always host amazing races and we’re super familiar with the hill, so it felt like the ideal way to start the race season.

Following Christmas, we had an incredible opportunity to train downhill and super-G on the Kimberley speed track. We were working with the BC and Ontario Ski Teams, and managed to get in 6–8 downhill runs per day. That’s some of the best speed training you can get in Canada. It was one of the biggest highlights of my season, and I made major progress in speed. Plus, it was a ton of fun learning and pushing myself alongside some great athletes.

Soon after, we headed to the Lake Louise and Norquay NorAms, which were extra special since they’re right in our backyard. Being able to compete at home is always exciting.

One of the most fun events of the year was definitely the Bozo Cup. It’s always a team favorite with the head-to-head racing in costumes just brings out a whole different energy and spirit. So much laughter, competition, and passion. 

Our final race series took place in Sun Peaks, and it was full of emotion. Some of our teammates and peers were racing for the last time, which made it a truly meaningful and celebratory way to wrap up the ski season. The weather was beautiful, the surface was great, and it was the perfect way to end the season. 

After Sun Peaks, I was lucky enough to take a trip to Europe, without ski gear this time! It was such a cool experience to explore Europe just for fun and see places we don’t normally visit when we’re there for training. I visited France, Italy, Greece, and Monaco, soaking up the sun, food, and culture. It was a refreshing change of pace after a long ski season. 

Now that the ski season is officially over, it’s time to switch gears. Like many athletes, I’m diving into summer training with gym sessions, biking, hiking, swimming, and getting ready for the next ski season. I’ll also be working at Brewster Golf Course this summer, and I’m especially excited to get back on my road bike and do some Gran Fondos with my mom!

This season, and the years leading up to it, have shaped me in so many ways as an athlete, a teammate, and a person. I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way, my coaches, teammates, family, and the ski community that’s felt like home.

This could not have been possible without the help from our sponsors of the Alberta Ski Team; GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. See you later ski family! 

— Deavyn

Hi everyone!

I cannot believe the season is already over, and this is my final athlete journal! As some of you may know, this will be my last season ski racing, and this fall I am going to University at U of C for engineering. While I am excited for this new challenge and part of my life, the school and learning how to coach, I am very sad to see this part of my life end. This season was so much fun! From the cool places we traveled to, including Saas Fee and Chile, to my awesome teammates, and everything else, I am so so grateful I got this opportunity. I have also been enjoying the end of the season as I transition from spring racing in Sun Peaks to mountain biking in Moab!

A little bit about my ski racing career:

My first time skiing was in White Water, when my parents put me in the ski daycare but I knew I belonged out skiing, not sitting inside! My Uncle made a deal with me that if I did well in daycare in the morning, he would teach me to ski in the afternoon. That day I fell in love with skiing, and it became the biggest part of my life for the next 14 years!

I joined Lake Louise Ski Clubs when I was 5. Stephanie (Stepha) was my first ever ski coach, and as most bonds in ski racing, it was a lifelong one. She went on to nanny me, as well as help out with TransRockies, and she became family. Lake Louise in general became a family. Growing up training on Juniper Jungle, and eventually Men’s, with mountain and park skiing in the afternoon created adventures and challenges. All of the coaches and teammates I have had throughout the years have had enormous impacts on not only shaping my ski racing career but the person I was becoming through ski racing. For my last year of U8, my parents and I decided I would join the U10+ group to see how it would go. I loved the challenge, and for anyone who didn’t know me at that age, I was so deep in my love for skiing. The rest of the years flew by as Istarted to work harder and train more. While working as hard as I could off and on the hill, I also made sure to find some time for the adventures, for the powder laps in Westbowl, for learning to 360 the larges, and for touring days with my family. 

Just like everyone else, I had to deal with a Covid year. This year, first year U16, was very tough for me. The endless training with no races to challenge or benchmark me, and endless difficulties like enormous lift lines and no lodges definitely took its toll on me. At one point, I had crashed about 16 times in 14 days! While it was an extremely difficult period for me, I am so grateful that it pushed me to learn those lessons when I did; how to listen to my body, and the importance of taking rest when I need it, as well as taking time to do the other parts of skiing that I love. Second year U16 I qualified for Nationals, which although I got Covid while in Quebec, qualifying for that was a huge highlight for me. I did my first two years of FIS with Lake Louise Ski Club, then I got the opportunity of being on the Alberta Ski Team for this season!

This season had its ups and downs, just like any season. I struggled at some of the races, especially the NorAms and the races at the start of the season. However, I had some good slalom races near the end of the year, and a really good GS race in Bromont where I scored a 66 which was a highlight for me. Although I didn’t have as much success points-wise as I was hoping for, I felt I learned a lot of important lessons, like what was important to me, and what kind of person I want to be. This season I was also working through some fears (everyone should go read Keira’s journal, she did an amazing job talking about this). And although I have not had any big ski crashes like Keira, these past years I have still started to feel more fear for ski racing (and mountain biking), especially in conditions like ice (or mud in mountain biking). But learning to work through those fears was another very important lesson I have begun to learn. 

I want to thank everyone who has been a part of my ski racing career. From every teammate who created memories with me, and helped me through the hard times, every parent that helped me out even though I’m not their kid, every coach on and off the hill, everyone who gave me a place to stay, and a massive thanks to my parents, who supported me through more than they ever thought was possible, but who made it all possible.  Another huge thanks to all of the AST sponsors; GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports.

Hi everyone! Keira here again with my third and final athlete journal – both for this season and of my ski career. It is hard to believe that the ski season is over! I thought I would use this journal as a way to reflect on the year but also try to lend some advice for others. This ski season has been my best year of FIS yet. I had met all my goals, and even exceeded them! Coming into this season, I was aiming to score in the 40s for both GS and SL, and crazily enough, I managed to do that in the first SL race at Norquay. Further down the road, at Pano series and Sun Peaks, I was able to score a 36 and a 38 in SL which I couldn’t believe! My next goal this season was to score Noram points in at least one discipline. Unfortunately at all the Norams hosted out West, I was just outside of scoring points, however, in our last trip out East for Noram finals I was able to score points in both GS and SL! They were hosted at Burke Mountain, and having spent two years of my life there, I believe that it gave me the extra confidence and push I needed to really succeed in reaching my goals. Additionally, I had never set any goals for my super g as it had been two seasons since I last skied it due to injury, however, I ended up walking away from this season with two big scores and a win! It was something I never expected after only a few days of training, but I am so glad that I was able to accomplish that, and have it happen at my home hill.

While this season has been my best yet, it has also been my toughest season mentally ever. The injuries from my first two years of fis had a way of sneaking up on me in a way I did not think was possible. Ever since I was little I felt that I had always had the “just send it” mentality, which I borrowed from my older brothers. This mentality came to a halt my first year fis when I was out from a concussion for two months, and following that, I tore my acl/mcl which left me without skiing for a year. Both injuries were the result of ski crashes but by the time I started my second year of fis I felt back to normal. I recall having a couple tough days where the fear of crashing took over, but throughout all of my “kneehab” and return to snow I felt as if my sending it attitude came back to me, and I could ski fearlessly. Just 11 race starts after my first race back, I sent it down the course, and ended up snapping my arm in half. It was scary, but it was also the most pain I have ever felt in my life. Despite that, I decided to ski another year, but this time I would be back home and part of the Alberta Ski Team! 

Broken bones (with the help of some metal plates) heal much faster than ligaments, thankfully, so I was able to return to snow for our first camp of the season in Saas Fee. I was so ecstatic to be back skiing again and to feel normal. The entire camp had gone so smoothly until the last day where I felt so scared I was going to crash, that I could not ski down the course. That was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that to that degree. It was honestly terrifying and it would not be the last time I would experience that. There were countless days of training and the occasional race day where that fear would take over. I had seen a few sport psychologists/therapists but I found that they were not able to help me out. I never did find a way of getting rid of those doubts in my head but just by trying to have fun at skiing did distract me and allowed me to love skiing again. I could not have done that without the help from my teammates who I am eternally grateful for and our chairlift chats.

I’m sharing my story not just to reflect, but in hopes that it might help someone else going through something similar.  I don’t think that we talk enough about how scary skiing actually can be, and that by being able to talk to your coaches/parents/friends about it, your team of people can help you conquer those fears. 

Finally, thank you to everyone I have met throughout my ski career – you have all played a part in making this journey so special. I cannot be happier with the way that my last year of racing has gone and for it to be surrounded by so many amazing people. I finally finished one full year of fis and managed to drop my points substantially. This could not have been possible without the help from our sponsors of the Alberta Ski Team; GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports. 

Even though I won’t be racing, I’ll be coaching, so I’ll catch you all out on the slopes!

-Keira 🙂

Alberta has given us our first taste of spring and it has me extremely excited for this coming year. I have now gone the entire winter season without skiing and probably won’t get to until way later in the year. My ACL tear and reconstruction has created the longest time in  my life I have gone without ski racing. Looking back it still feels too crazy to believe. 

My last race was April 19th, 2024. It was actually one of my better races of that season. I had struggled with GS for a while, always failing to make lasting changes to my skiing, but I was always told to “trust the process” and so I did. At this very last race something clicked and it started to come together. My work in training was finally transferring to my racing. Finishing on a successful race left me motivated and happily anxious for the next season. However, four days into our first pre-season training camp in Switzerland I tore my ACL and meniscuses. This effectively stole the whole coming year of racing from me. So now my next competition will be in December of this year, a full 20 months since my last. One of the hardest things about ACL reconstruction is staying motivated. Being out for so long can make you feel hopeless and makes it very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why this new warmer weather is so exciting. It is a constant reminder that I am so much closer to skiing and competing again.

Another inspiring reminder of how skiing is just barely beyond my reach is my progress and success in the gym. I have never been so dedicated to working out and the results are evident. I no longer notice my knee during any daily activities. Walking feels like it always used to. I have been doing lots of track work too, focusing on dynamic movements and can basically run now. Even my testing on force plates has shown some reductions in asymmetry as I learn how to jump again. Although I am primarily focused on my squat form, I am back to squatting a decent weight. My biggest setback for my knee has been the pain and tension I feel when bending it past 90°,specifically the harvest site where they took part of my quadricep tendon and used it to replace my ACL. However, this is to be expected as it takes a long time for my tendon to return to its pre-surgery strength. I am also comforted by all the other CSI athletes who have gone through similar injuries. They share their experiences of returning to snow and help answer all my questions. It is always better to know you aren’t alone.

It feels like my injury journey is coming to an end even though it is far from over. The hardest part of all this was the inactivity. Being stuck in a place where you aren’t allowed to do any recreational activity for an active person is its own type of prison. You have to sit on the sidelines in what feels like a sedentary lifestyle and just wait as your body heals. It has taught me too much about patience and positive thinking, but I am glad to see it coming to an end. Even though it is still ages till I compete at a prime skiing level, my activity and lifestyle has been unpaused. I have been biking outside, throwing the baseball with my dad and brother, working on my football spiral with Caleb, and even playing some soccer with the younger kids in my neighbourhood. It is a weird feeling returning to what should be your normal, but one I am saviour because it proves my hard work is paying off. 

I hope to come and watch as many spring series races as possible. My teammates have been dedicated this whole year and I can’t wait to see how they succeed. I am also very grateful for so many people who have helped me in ways they might not understand. My family has always been there whenever I needed this winter. Caleb and Jamie, my fellow teammates, who I am grateful to have consistently brought life to my recovery and help  me bear the burden of injury. My trainer and Physiotherapist, Nate and Kevin, have been a huge piece of my ability to bounce back and I am grateful for their expertise. It is hard to put into words how excited I am for the next season. My past year racing and coming year wouldn’t be possible with the people at Alberta Alpine and the sponsors supporting us. GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports are some amazing organisations that actively support our community. Thank you to everyone! 

 Hi  everyone!

 I  hope  everyone  is  enjoying  the  much  needed  snow  in  the  Bow  Valley  as  much  as  we  are  and  have  hopefully  gotten  some  much  needed  powder  days!  I  last  wrote  to  you  from  the  start  of  the  New  Year  and  we  have  been  quite  busy  since  then.

We  had  an  intense  start  to  the  New  Year  by  getting  humbled  by  the  ice  at  the  two-day  Norquay  NorAm  slalom  which  followed  two  days  of  racing  the  GS  NorAM  at  Lake  Louise.  From  there,  I  then  went  to  Kimberly  to  race  just  the  NorAm  Super  G  before  coming  back  home  to  visit  Norquay  again  for  the  FIS  GMC  Cup  races.  The  FIS  series  this  time  at  Norquay  was  much  better  for  me  after  spending  more  time  training  on  the  injected  surface  and  I  was  able  to  ski  much  better  in  the  GS.  The  surface  at  Norquay  continued  to  be  very  challenging  as  we  had  significant  snowfall  before  the  race  making  it  inconsistent  between  ice  and  snowy  sections.  We  only  had  8  and  9  girls  finishing  the  slaloms  and  only  7  guys  finished  the  second  slalom  race.  Following  the  Norquay  races  we  traveled  to  Quebec  where  we  found  the  snow!  It  felt  like  quite  the  shock  going  from  skiing  an  injected  ice  surface  to  switching  back  into  ruts  but  we  made  the  most  out  of  the  short  trip.  Once  back  home,  we  trained  for  a  week  before  travelling  to  Sun  Peaks.  I  had  a  much  better  series  at  Sun  Peaks  and  was  happy  to  be  improving  heading  into  NorAm  finals  at  Burke.

While  it  has  been  snowing  in  the  west,  the  east  we  have  had  challenging  weather  conditions.  We  started  our  trip  by  flying  into  Montreal  and  driving  to  Vermont  to  Burke  Mountain  Academy  where  we  planned  to  train  for  two  days  prior  to  racing  the  NorAm  finals.  We  had  a  successful  first  day  of  training  that  was  quite  similar  to  our  preseason  training  in  Chile.  However,  the  second  day  delivered  a  change  of  weather  from  the  sunny  day  before.  The  hill  didn’t  freeze  and  a  wicked  wind  storm  blew  away  all  the  B-net  from  the  hill.  The  coaches  then  rolled  all  the  b-net  and  implemented  a  salt  program  in  hopes  of  preparing  the  surface  for  the  start  of  the  NorAm.  The  evening  before  the  race  brought  rain  and  more  wind  making  the  hill  an  un-ski  able  surface  kinda  similar  to  the  moon!  The  ROC  was  forced  to  cancel  the  first  slalom  day  in  favour  of  a  double  header  the  next  day.  With  very  challenging  conditions,  especially  with  my  deep  bib  number,  I  struggled.  The  surface  was  mixed  with  an  icy  two  footed  groove  with  its  fair  share  of  bumps.  I  straddled  on  the  first  run  of  race  one  and  then  fell  on  the  second  run  of  race  two.  It  was  definitely  a  challenging  day  but  I  was  happy  to  at  least  make  it  down  once!  Congrats  to  Keira  tho  who  scored  her  first  NorAm  points!  The  following  day  was  another  double  header  but  this  time  GS.  I  struggled  even  more  in  the  GS  and  starting  further  back,  and  was  not  able  to  qualify  for  either  second  run.

 Following  the  two  days  of  double  headers  we  had  a  rest  day  and  then  drove  to  Mont  Tremblant,  but  not  before  making  a  few  critical  stops.  Probably  our  most  important  destination  of  the  season  was  a  visit  to  Ben  and  Jerry’s  Factory!  We  were  able  to  make  it  in  time  for  a  tour  and  got  to  see  how  they  make  their  ice  cream.  We  all  found  it  wild  that  they  made  400,000  pints  at  the  Waterbury  factory  and  over  a  million  a  day  at  the  Burlington  factory.  Ben  and  Jerry’s  was  definitely  my  favourite  part  of  Vermont!  Later  on  the  drive  we  stopped  at  Trader  Joe’s  and  got  some  good  snacks  that  we  wished  we  had  in  Canada  including  sour  scandinavian  swimmers  that  have  become  our  new  favourite  candy!

Since  being  in  Mont  Tremblant  we  have  trained  two  days  at  St  Saviour  on  a  really  good  surface.  It  was  nice  to  train  on  what  we  raced  the  GS  on  today  and  what  we’ll  race  on  for  the  following  days  both  at  St  Saviour  and  Mont  Tremblant.  Today  was  the  first  day  of  Nationals  for  both  women  and  Men  as  the  men’s  race  was  cancelled  yesterday  due  to  high  winds  and  poor  visibility.  Today’s  race  also  had  limited  visibility  and  some  winds  but  was  more  manageable.  We  all  struggled  in  inspection  as  it  was  a  new  run  for  most  of  us  and  we  only  had  about  two  gates  of  visibility  at  a  time  making  it  hard  to  get  a  feel  for  the  terrain.  I  had  a  better  first  run  today  than  second  where  I  made  more  mistakes  but  I  was  happier  with  the  day  overall.  A  big  congrats  to  Zoe  who  was  third  overall  today  and  halved  her  GS  points!  We’ll  be  racing  slalom  tomorrow  at  St  Saviour  before  returning  to  Tremblant  on  Thursday  for  the  Slalom  nationals.  I  will  be  excited  to  be  heading  home  on  Thursday  and  to  be  back  training  in  the  Bow  Valley  before  finishing  our  season  with  our  last  two  series  at  Panorama  and  Nakiska  in  April.

Thank  you  to  our  team  sponsors  GMC  Dealers  of  Alberta,  Karbon  Sports,  Genstar  Canada,  Mountain  Fire  Foods,  and  Gear  up  Mountain  Sports.  I  would  also  like  to  thank  our  community  of  volunteers  and  our  families  for  supporting  us  and  making  the  races  happen.  Our  season  wouldn’t  be  possible  without  them! 

-Katie

Hi everyone!

I am writing to you from our place in Kamloops, where we are staying for the Sun Peaks race! My last athlete journal was during Chile, and a lot has happened since then. We’ve been racing all over the Bow Valley, as well as Kimberley, Panorama, and Quebec. Yesterday we drove eight hours to get here, but the ice cream and goat stop at Dutchmen Dairy made it feel shorter! Today we got to enjoy some tech freeskiing on the race run and a couple fun park/mountain laps in the sun. We have four days of racing at Sun Peaks, then we will get to enjoy a day freeskiing at Revelstoke on our way home!

The races this season have proved challenging, with a NorAm field at our first two FIS races, and the extremely challenging ice at Norquay (ice is not one of my strengths), and NorAms in between. After surviving Norquay, and learning some valuable lessons on the ice, the team flew out to Quebec. The travel, as usual, had its complications. We had boarded our flight and sat on the plane for an hour before getting notified that we had to deplane because of the plane crash in Toronto. We unloaded the plane and got the notification that our flight had been canceled. So, two days later, we did it all again and finally made it to Quebec. This meant that we had missed our two days of training on the race hills, and we got to our house at 10 pm the night before our race. We all woke up tired, but ready to race, and we had to fight deteriorating courses due to soft snow. Thankfully most of us had already skied at Bromont and Owl’s head before, so we were familiar with the terrain. The second day of GS, I made flip after the first run which meant a relatively fresh course for the second run. The course was set in my favourite way, straight. I took advantage of the course playing to my strengths, straight and fresh, soft snow, and it payed off. I managed to score by about 17 points! It was really nice to have a strong run and a good score after struggling so much at Norquay on the ice and feeling a little bit less confident.

In between Quebec and leaving for Sun Peaks, we got 3 days of training at Nakiska. After two days of GS on Mapmaker and a day of slalom on Whoop up I am feeling confident for the next couple of races on similar runs, as well as the race on those runs in less than two months. It was nice to spend some time at home, and be back in the gym with Nate and the team. Being at home also means I can spend some time in the evenings playing my guitar, which is too big to travel with. My favourite song to play right now is Maine by Noah Kahan. The warm weather also meant enjoying some walks in the sun! 

The team is pretty split up right now, with Gered and Zoe at World Junior Championships (Huge congrats on Zoe’s 10th and Gered’s 19th!!!), Luc is still in Quebec, and Aiden, Jamie and Caleb at home working on their recovery. Us girls, Katie, Keira, Polly, Deavyn and I, will be staying in Kamloops together. We leave in two weeks for NorAm finals at Burke, and Nationals at Mont Tremblant, then we are into the Panorama spring series and Nakiska finals! The season feels like it is flying by, but I am happy to know we still have lots of race starts. My next athlete journal will be in May. I am excited to be able to update everyone at the end of my season!

Thank you to all the support from our sponsors, GMC, Wolfe, Karbon, Genstar, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear up as well as all of the coaches and the huge support system we have that helps us all succeed.

See you next time!

Kyleigh

Hello everyone, my name is Caleb Brooks. I am 20 years old and this is my 3rd season on the Alberta ski team. This ski season hasn’t ended up the way I wanted. But we will get into that later.  In December we had a packed schedule full of racing. We raced in Panorama for the NORAMS and right after the Christmas series. The Panorama NORAMS were a successful race series where I came 14th in the super G. In the Gs I was just out of the top 30. In the Slalom I had two top 20s with top 15 runs. At the end of this race series I was ranked 20th in slalom and 23 in Superg.  I was super stoked! The Christmas series was also filled with solid skiing and I was happy to be headed home for some rest and family time.  My home club Lake Louise was hosting a Santa Slalom just before Chiristmas.  I was excited to come and cheer on the younger athletes and participate in a fun race with my brother and sister.  No pressure, no competition, just plain fun!  Well, the first run was great but the second run, not so much.  I injured my knee and am still working on accepting that my season is over.

The MRI showed a torn MPFL, Cartilage damage behind my knee cap and a MCL grade 1 tear. The MPFL holds and helps your knee cap glide and as described by my surgeon, is the size of a linguiny. This news came as a pretty big shock to me and to be honest I didn’t want to accept it. My life went from skiing everyday, travelling, being active to not being able to ski and train for an undetermined amount of time. I still think about that. In 1 second all the hours of training, the turns made, the sweat and effort put in, my season was over. I miss skiing more than I can put into words. Skiing has always been my passion and how I définie myself. The feeling of carving down a mountain, the rush of adrenaline, and the freedom—it’s like second nature to me. December 30th I entered surgery with Dr Timmerman in Calgary. He repaired my MPFL and took out the floating cartilage pieces in my knee.

Everything went well with the surgery. I was able to bear weight right after surgery and walk with crutches.

After three weeks of rest and recovery with minimal movement, I was cleared to start Physio. Kevin and Nate at the CSI facility in Calgary, have been amazing in giving me the confidence to work hard and regain my strength. Firstly, we worked on range of motion rather than strengthening. We’ve been doing Blood flow restriction and EMS in order to get everything going again. A couple weeks ago, I started squatting again and I never expected to shed tears of JOY over leg exercises. I am now starting to bike, run and soon cross country ski.  As soon as my legs are of equal strength, I should be able to start sliding down on my skis again.

Despite these challenges, I have remained resilient and focused on giving my best effort in everything I do. I know that success in skiing requires perseverance and dedication, and I am determined to keep pushing myself to reach my full potential. While the season may not have ended the way I wanted, I am grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve gained. Next year, my goal isn’t just to return to the level I was at before the injury. My goal is to excel by pushing my limits, Conquering new challenges, and becoming stronger than ever before. Although this knee surgery has set me back, it won’t prevent me from achieving my goals and dreams. So,I’m taking this time as a chance to grow. The journey ahead is lengthy, but I’m dedicated to the effort it requires. I’ve invested too much effort and come too far to let a single injury hold me back. I’ll return to the slopes next winter, better than ever.

Thanks to our amazing sponsors GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports. You guys make our ski season possible!!