Location: Sochi, Russia
Race Type: Paralympic Test Event
Representing: Canada
I cannot believe I am in Russia! It is so amazing to be in the same spot that I will be competing in next year. Seeing all the construction and work being done to host the Olympic games has been life changing.
Travelling to Russia is an experience in itself. After leaving Whistler it took about 36 hours to reach our Hotel in Sochi. Once we reached the hotel it was time to adjust to the time difference. From Whistler it is a 12 hour difference. What felt like 6:00pm was now 6:00am. It took a few days but with a balance of sleep, exercise, and food I was able to adjust.
Landed in Russia
Once adjusted to the time difference it was time to move to the mountains. What a difference. I went from being in the middle of a construction zone to a beautiful high class village. The first day we tried to get on snow there was a snow storm the night before and the lifts were closed. It wasn’t that crazy but I don’t argue with Russia military men holding guns and not speaking English. I wasn’t too bummed because I could use the extra rest day.
2014 Mountain Layout
View From the Village
Our first day on snow was amazing! I have never seen so many cranes, trucks, and workers on a mountain before. We explored where some of the venues for the Olympics would be (Slopestyle, Halfpipe, Skier-cross, and our SBX hill). After getting yelled at in Russian we then proceeded to do some laps to get our legs back. After having a funky lunch on the top we called it a day.
Time to start training. Today we were allowed on course to do our inspection and start training the course. If I could describe the course in one word it would be, fun. Enough jumps and rollers to keep it fun, as well as enough turns to be smart about ones line. Challenging enough but not pissing my pants. All and all exactly what I am hoping to see in 2014. Training went very well for me. I was happy with my line and knew exactly what I need to improve on to be successful in the race.
The Course
Today I am going to give it all I got, I have gotten here because of the people that have supported me. With this being a bigger event then the previous two, there is more competition. My goal is to place top ten and 2nd in Canada. Thank you everyone for the continued support and I will keep you updated with my results!
In the words of: John Leslie