The last two days at the River were great. For the first time in about a year and a half, I finally skied fast slalom. I really didn’t know what to expect. We had some killer training leading into the races at Sunday River with Gould Academy on great snow. It was actually the best slalom training we’ve had all season and I was able to put together a couple fast runs. But after struggling in slalom for ages, I wasn’t too confident about the races.

In the first slalom race, I just pushed out of the gate, didn’t think about much, and finished 6th on the first run about a second off the pace. I was pretty psyched because I just skied well and didn’t make any mistakes. The second run was an exceptionally turny course and I found the rhythm early. I became a bit late in one section, but was able to snap off a couple tight turns to stay online. I crossed the finish line to hear most of the other competitors clicking their poles together. It’s a courtesy to click your poles together to let the current racer know that he had a fast run. I asked the guy next to me if it was any good and he said I was winning the run. As it turned out, I finished 5th, won the second run, and was able to drop my slalom points. All and all, it was great to put together two runs.

Yesterday, I skied well, tried to pin it a bit harder, and made some mistakes to finish a respectable 6th. All and all, the last four days were successful. I wanted a GS victory, but there are more to come.

Sam and I are in the Manchester Airport on our way to Austria and Germany for two weeks of racing.

Hope you’re all doing well, w