AST Athlete Journal: Cole Merrett
What’s up, everyone! My name is Cole Merrett, and I am here to write my first athlete journal for the 2026/27 season. This is my second year skiing for the provincial team, and I am super stoked for what’s ahead this season.
I am writing this journal in the midst of our second Europe camp. Our team started in Wintenburg, where we spent 5 days grinding on the ice before traveling to Saas Fee for 10 days. Wintenburg always provides mint slalom training; no matter if you’re on your first or last run, it’s the same track with no deterioration. The ice gives you automatic feedback; if you’re not in the right position, you stand no chance of making it down the hill. On top of that, it allows for a high volume of skiing with quick chair laps and 4 hours of skiing a day. It’s the perfect place to make changes in your skiing, and I know everyone did. After putting in the work in the fridge, arriving in Saas Fee felt like heaven. We were really lucky to have 5 bluebird days to start off the camp, where we were able to focus on GS over different terrain. Saas Fee has 3 different slopes which allowed our team to start on mellower terrain before moving to the steeper sections. Ultimately, it’s been the perfect combination of indoor slalom and glacier GS to make the changes necessary in our skiing.
With the hot weather across Europe this summer, our original plans for glacier skiing didn’t quite work out. Thankfully, we have incredible coaches who adapted quickly and found alternative training options to keep us on track. By the end of this camp, we’re on course to have 30 days on snow before November, putting us in a great position to hit the ground running and attack the race season.
Entering my second year on the provincial team, I feel much more prepared and confident about the season ahead. Competing in Nor-Am and FIS races last year showed me what it takes to reach the next level and left me hungry going into the off season. With the help of Nate Morris, our athletic trainer, I was able to make some good gains in the gym and come into this season stronger then ever. Overall, I’m excited to continue building momentum in training and roll into race season feeling more prepared than ever.
As always, none of this would be possible without our fantastic sponsors who allow us to chase our dreams. I want to thank GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon, Genstar, Silvertip Resort, KUUsport and GearUp Mountain Sports. And most importantly, I’d like to thank my parents for always believing in me. None of this would be possible without your help!