Last Blog Post From AWCA Norway 2024
The last 2 days of the camp
Our camp ended with a 7 hour drive from Trondheim to Oslo airport after 2 more days of racing. Unfortunately, only Xav could compete in these races as Tom, Derek, and now Max were all feeling a bit under the weather. Xav was pleased with his race in the 20km mass start classic but had a bit of a rough go in the 12km skate pursuit wave start.
When we arrived at our Oslo airport hotel, Coach Tormod dropped us off and we finalized our packing for our travel home the next morning. After the long drive, we were all quite hungry so we ended up ordering Dominos to the hotel and had one last dinner together to cap off a fantastic training camp.
Camp reflections and final thoughts
As our camp came to a close, we took the time to reflect on the past 3 weeks in Norway and Sweden. Overall, this camp was extremely valuable and eye-opening in some ways. Having the opportunity to train and race on the world-class race courses at Holmenkollen in Oslo and Granåsen in Trondheim gave us a little glimpse into how lucky the Norwegians are to have access to such great quality training locations.
Although the rollerskiing in Norway was excellent, the most valuable part of the camp for us was getting to spend a week on snow in Torsby. Having the opportunity to train in the tunnel was a great reminder of why we do this sport; nothing beats the feeling of striding and gliding on snow. Not only is skiing on snow during the summer a great way to take a break from rollerskiing almost everyday, it's also a great reminder of what real ski technique feels like in comparison to “rollerski technique.” The biggest difference is definitely in classic striding as the ratchet wheel on a rollerski will provide grip no matter how you ski whereas, on skis, you need to engage your wax pocket to get grip. For some of us, we actually felt like it was easier to ski with good skate and classic technique on snow versus rollerskis which made us excited for the snow to start flying. Another part about on-snow training that we cherished was the fact that it is more taxing muscularly. This allowed us to do some ski-specific strength workouts where we skied without poles for roughly 15-30 minutes to improve our muscle endurance. All in all, we tried our best to make the most out of our time in Torsby and we hope that we can have a similar experience again.
In conclusion, we wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported this training camp. Unfortunately, training as high-level cross-country skiers who are striving to compete at the highest level is a very expensive endeavor. Without our supporters from the cross-country ski community, we would not have been able to embark on this training camp and reap its benefits. We are all extremely grateful for the support we have received and appreciate you assissting us as we pursue our dreams.
