Overlooking Santiago (when the smog was minimal) and skiing at 12,000 ft, I have to say Chile offered amazing training. We trucked all of our equipment up a gnarly switchback road for over an hour, unpacked our gear into a quirky A-frame house that had questionable drinking water, and sat down to enjoy a vibrant sunset. Looming close by was the impressive 18000 ft. Cerro El Plumo. Over the next few weeks we were blessed with cloudless blue skies, spring snow, and fast training courses.
But don’t let that description trick into thinking it was a vacation. These girls work hard. A normal day consist of getting on the hill while the sun is just barely peaking up behind the horizon, taking run after run while coaches critique their every turn, and not to mention the exhaustion of turning forty times within a minute long course. They may be done skiing at lunch, but they have dry land training, treatments, video and meetings to fit in before the sun tucks back behind the mountains. And it’s not only the girls that work hard. A team of coaches, ski technicians, and medical staff also put in long hours on and off the hill.
We trained at two resorts located on the same mountain range. It can be quite a circus packing and moving all the equipment and people that support an international sport team.
