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Eagle Glacier Camp
Eagle Glacier Camp – July 2004
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\r\nBy Kikkan Randall
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\r\nAfter a great camp at the Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier in June, I was excited to get in more mid-summer skiing. We planned a six-day camp to commence just after the Fourth of July weekend.
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\r\nDay One:
\r\nI met the team van at APU at 7:30am and shuttled out to the airstrip in Girdwood, a short 30-minute drive from Anchorage. The group was a little bigger than last camp and the energy level was high. Upon our arrival however, we discovered that the training center was shrouded in clouds, preventing the helicopters from flying us in. So we began the wait.
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\r\nWe waited all day. By 5pm the clouds were still not lifting. We decided to call it a day and headed back to Anchorage, ready to try again tomorrow.
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\r\nDay Two:
\r\nI was up early, ready to go in case the skies cleared. Jon called at 7:45am and said he received word from Girdwood that it was looking good. We all rushed back out to the airstrip. Unfortunately the rush was unwarranted; clouds still blocked the training center. More waiting.
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\r\nJust as we prepared to take a lunch break, the clouds cleared. We broke into groups of three and shuttled up to the glacier by helicopter. The flight up was short but fun. Once everyone arrived we got busy bringing all the gear inside and getting skis ready. The rest of the day was spent getting things up and running. It was nice and relaxing.
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Chow time at the Glaicer.
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\r\nDay Three:
\r\nAfter two days of waiting it was time to ski!! The weather had been warm overnight so we started off with a morning classic ski. Everyone jumped onto the tracks at varying times but soon we were skiing around the 8km loop in rhythmic trains. It felt so good to glide along, a feeling you can only get on snow. The sun was shining and it was hard to come back in after two hours.
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\r\nThe afternoon passed quickly with a long nap and two hearty meals. I headed out for another classic ski at 4:30pm. I was skiing on my crowns to avoid dealing with the klister just yet; kick was good, glide was a little slow. Took a few stops to check technique with Frode and focused on skiing relaxed
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\r\nDay Four:
\r\nThe coaches had put in a skating track the night before and it was time to give skating a try. A warm wind had blown across the glacier during the night, making the trail a little slow. It was a good chance to work on technique efficiency. I cruised around a couple of laps and decided to cut my ski a little short and save training time for the afternoon. Once back at the training center I got in a solid nap and then some kick around time with the other skiers.
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Kikkan Randall skiing on one of the rare, beautiful days on the Glacier!
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\r\nBefore getting on the tracks for our afternoon Fast Distance workout, a fellow teammate and I practiced our modeling skills while posing in matching outfits. It set the tone for a fun workout. During the fast distance intervals (3 x 10min) I skied with my teammates. We took turns leading and the time seemed to fly by. I felt energized and relaxed and skied a longer cool-down simply because the skiing was so joyful.
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\r\nDay Five:
\r\nThe scheduled workout for this morning was an over distance ski. The tracks were soft once again from a warmer evening and so I decided to split up the three hours between skate and classic. I spent the first hour on my skate gear and then switched over to my classic stuff as the course loosened up. The sun was shining brightly and it was warm skiing in just tights and a tank top. I recently purchased a Garmin GPS unit and it was fun to track my distance over the three hours.
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\r\nWith the long workout in the morning done I got the afternoon off. I would have rather been out there skiing in the afternoon instead of trying to occupy myself indoors. One can only sleep so much!!
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\r\nDay Six:
\r\nInitially we were supposed to have our last ski today and be out of here, but because of the weather delay we extended the camp one more day. Good thing because this morning’s tracks were smooth and firm as we headed out the door at 7:30am. Skiing felt effortless and time flew by. I had to cut myself off at two and a half hours.
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\r\nAll the sunny weather is starting to take a beating on my face. But even after thirteen hours of skiing I feel great!!
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\r\nThis afternoon I skied an easy distance classic workout. The tracks were a little soft and the klister a little sticky. Good time to focus on relaxed, quick movements.
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\r\nDay Seven:
\r\nLast day on the glacier. Up early to change the sheets on our beds and then out the door for an unofficial time trial, 4km loop. I started last of five girls, bolting out fast and skiing with a quick tempo despite slippery skis. Felt really good and worked hard up the two, kilometer-long climbs. Came across the finish line with a fast time. The coaches were joking that the winner of the time trial got a flight off the glacier instead of having to hike, Wahoo!!
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\r\nWe all came in after the ski and hustled to clean up the training center. The hiking crew got all roped up to cross the glacier, and took a few seconds for a group picture before taking off. A couple of my teammates and I that were flying out took a siesta on the ridge while waiting for the helicopter to pick us up. A quick 5-minute flight and back down to civilization.
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\r\nNow, three days off to rest and then back to training, yippee!
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The Eagle Glacier training crew.
Written By: KRandallDate Posted: 7/15/2004Number of Views: 290
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