As this being my first blog post I have some catch up to do because it has been a busy few months and I regret that i hadn't made time earlier to start up this blog. However,  I would now like to take some time and review briefly the highlights which I have had being on CVTC and living out west. I will then proceed to a more detailed description of what the Frozen Thunder scene consisted of. 
  Immediately after finishing my high school exams, I packed everything I needed and hopped on a plane the morning after prom to move into my new home, Whistler. Luckily my family came out with me and helped me settle while they explored the wonders of Whistler and the surrounding areas. I had a hectic one week before we left on our first team trip. 
  We left in early July for a three week training camp in Park City, Utah. This was approximately twenty hours spent in the car over two days. I had not driven that long since I was young, but it was something I needed to get quickly used to, as we drive a lot being on CVTC. We chose Park City because it sits at an altitude of around 7000ft. This makes it very handy for training. Though it was great for training I am not one to favour the desert. It was very hot and very barren. 
  

Painting of Utah I did after the trip.
  I went home for one week to Ontario after the Utah trip to visit my family, see my friends, and enjoy the lake. It was nice to have this break.
  When I came back to Whistler we had three days of testing. The testing involved an erg machine test (double pole machine), a VO2 max test, and two time trials. We had the whole month of August in Whistler which was great because I didn't have much time previously to settle in and explore my new home. Highlights of August were finding the amazing train wreck in Function Junction, the stand up paddle board race/ getting to explore Vancouver, getting a job with Whistler Cooks, relaxing by the lakes, and finding snow at the top of Whistler mountain. 

The train wreck in Function Junction.
The next journey began in early September. We were to go to the Haig glacier in Alberta, Rossland, and Revelstoke for one week each. This granted us a variety of training opportunities, outreach into the cross country BC scene, and a great way to see some other parts of the country. I had been to the Haig glacier once before and loved it so I was ecstatic to return. We had four beautiful days on snow but unfortunately the groomer broke down and we had to pack the camp in a day early and finish the rest of it on foot. 
  Rossland I really enjoyed. It is a quaint little mountain town that was originally founded for mining. It still doesn't look like it has changed much since then. The old character of the town definitely gives off a unique vibe. The training was also great there! We had a route for roller skiing near the US border that was fairly quiet and many opportunities for road biking. World Junior Trials will be held in Rossland this year so it was also an opportunity to check out the newly cut trails.
  Revelstoke was also a great place. I could tell that the town catered to tourists coming to check out the alpine runs and get a glimpse of the mountains. We met up with the BC ski team and the local ski club to give some outreach for CVTC and hopefully get younger BC athletes to consider joining an NDC one day. 

The Haig glacier base camp.
  After this three week whirlwind trip I decided to head home to Ontario again for a fall break. This was a well needed break for me and it was awesome to be home and get refocused before the race season starts. The fall colours were beautiful back home and I got to have a turkey dinner!
  Coming back from Ontario I brought my best friend Patrick out with me for a week. It was his first time out west and I think he loved the mountain air. In between showing Patrick around we had our second rounds of testing. This included once again, an erg test, a VO2 max test and two time trials. I apparently have the new three minute record on the erg test so I hope I can hold on to that! 
Picture taken out my bedroom window at home.
Frozen Thunder!
  The next week was Frozen Thunder which was the most recent event we've done. We packed up all of skis and gear and piled in the team van, preparing ourselves for the long and winding road to Canmore. You begin to become accustomed to this route because Canmore is such a sought after destination for a Nordic racer. We still have two more trips to Canmore this year. It becomes a second home for those of us that don't live there or are from there. The drive from Whistler to Canmore is usually anticipated to take 10 hours, and it entails two stops. One stop is in Kamloops and usually the second is either in Revelstoke or Golden. 
  When we arrived in Canmore we clumsily attempted to climb out of the van as a result of the stiffness a long car ride brings upon you. It's always great arriving upon clear and sunny skies and that's what Canmore treated us to the whole week. After unloading our suitcases out of the trailer we went to get our most important job done, food.
  We got to sleep in a bit on the next day with practice scheduled for around nine.  We purchased our ski passes and waxed our skis before hitting the snow. Frozen Thunder appears very out of place. There's no snow on the ground, people are roller skiing, the temperatures were reaching up to 20 degrees, and yet there is a road of snow a metre deep for three kilometres. It's uniqueness has attracted not only Canadian skiers but also skiers from the United States to as broad as Europe. It is also an excellent experience to embrace the presence of some of our country's as well as the worlds best skiers. Frozen Thunder is definitely the place to attract a high caliber of athletes and coaches. 
     The best thing about such a big Nordic event is that you get to be reconnected with all the great friends in the ski community. There aren't too many people you ski into that you don't know. Skiing with good friends definitely  makes the long skis on the repetitive loop a lot more enjoyable. It's always fun times with great friends! 
  Each day at this camp involved two workouts. The morning was always a ski, either long and easy, or with some intensity sets to keep it interesting. The afternoons would rotate between running, strength and skiing. The goal was to get as much on snow time as we could while still trying to keep our health and overall fitness up.
  The main event at Frozen Thunder is the early season classic sprint race. This event was held on Thursday morning. There were approximately 50 people in each category. The categories were just a men's and a women's category, so everyone was thrown into one group. Only the top 16 moved on to heats, which was competitively stacked full with National Team athletes. In fact there was really only National Teams or NDC athletes racing, which gives a very fast field of competitors. No one on CVTC moved on but we didn't take it too much to heart because we understood how difficult it would be. We stayed to watch the heats, curious to see who would take the win, and headed back to rest up for the next workout.
   Unfortunately that afternoon I came down with a pretty nasty cold and I quickly became uninvolved in training for the rest of the camp. As an athlete it's difficult to admit you're sick because you like to feel invincible, but the only way to fight off the cold is to take an insane amount of vitamins and sleep. After a long couple of days quarantined to my hotel room it was time to head back to Whistler. It was less full of a van on the way back leaving Martin, Sebastian, and Paul in Canmore to visit with family. This made the car ride a little roomier. After ten hours of music, sleep and discussions we were back in Whistler.
  That pretty well sums up to the point we are at now. We had last Sunday off training and helped out at the ski swap in town. I am just coming over my cold and getting back to the normal training routine. We are gearing up for a tough month of training in November to beat us into race shape and then the season begins in December! Stay tuned for more updates!


Liam


Aunt Lea
11/4/2013 05:37:05 am

Wow, I love your blog site Liam! What an adventure you are having!! Good luck with all your races!!

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Cindy
11/5/2013 12:11:55 am

Great to hear all the news, keep up the good work.

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Mom
11/5/2013 08:45:56 am

We are impressed with your new blog! You have written a very interesting summary of your experiences thus far! We also liked your painting and your pictures. The picture of the train wreck is cool! Keep up the postings. We will look forward to reading your next one - and seeing the painting of Frozen Thunder which I know you are working on!

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Liam
11/6/2013 07:46:47 am

Thank you for the great feedback everyone! Hope all is well and stay tuned for more updates.

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