Holidays in the Cities

Throughout college I was able to make my way home about three times per year: in the Spring after finals were over, right before going back to school in the Fall, and around the Holidays in December. I love seeing my family and friends in Minnesota and wish I had the opportunity to visit more often, but it’s hard to find the time during school and plane tickets get expensive… 

All three of us kids at Anders' graduation party in June - the last time we were all home together.

This year I was lucky enough to spend almost three weeks at home over the Holidays. After injuring my back in the last Supertour race in Silverstar, B.C., I jumped into a recovery routine and tried to get it to heal as efficiently as possible. After a few days and a trip to the chiropractor I thought I was good to go and started easing my way back into my normal training. Unfortunately, I pushed my luck, and this only made my back seize up again. I realized that if I didn’t want my back to cause me problems during US Nationals then I needed to take a step back and really rest up. It might seem easy to focus on resting, but with pretty important races coming up in January it was hard not to worry about missing out on key workouts. This tested my patience, but after about a week and a half I was finally ready to get things going again.

Jumped into a fun 10k race at Elm Creek (PC: Skinnyski).

​Once I was able to accomplish what needed to be done I found myself more relaxed and ready to enjoy the Holiday season at home. I got to see old friends from high school, teammates from the ski community, and had some quality time with my siblings. 

Anders and I almost took each other out in the middle of the race, oops! (PC: Skinnyski)

Catching up with one of my best friends from high school.

Reunited once again :)

​My family and I drove up to our cabin in Hayward, WI to find some skiing on the Birkie trails. Although there wasn’t a ton of natural snow, the Birkie Foundation was able to put together a fun little loop of man-made snow for everyone to enjoy. Our cabin isn’t far away from the upper peninsula of Michigan, so we made a day trip to ski on some incredible trails at ABR in Ironwood, MI. My family grew up skiing and it is something we have always done together. Having the opportunity to spend this quality time with everyone really makes me happiest!

Enjoying the fresh snow in Ironwood, MI.

​While I was home I followed up on a few promises I had made at my Gear West fundraiser. I had the chance to stop by the Mound Westonka and Wayzata High School ski practices to work with some speedy looking juniors in my community. I also hosted a clinic with the Minnesota Youth Ski League (I learned how to ski through MYSL) and had the opportunity to ski, play games, and encourage the next generation of skiers to continue doing what they love! In my spare time I was giving a few ski lessons to some great supporters in the ski community and started working with a new sponsor: Zum Wax.

Attending an event for Zum Wax at Pioneer Midwest Ski Shop.

​It’s always sad to say goodbye to home but the time came for me to pack my bags again and head back East. Now I am fired up to be racing at US Nationals in Craftsbury, VT – another place I like to call home. Craftsbury is not far from Burlington and over my four years at UVM I loved every chance I had to ski and race here. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center has done a tremendous job at saving snow and somehow surviving two rain storms in the past few weeks. The conditions are incredible here and it should be a fun week of racing!

Stoked to race in Vermont!