ASF Race Team member Staci Mannella and her guide Kim Seevers trained with the US Adaptive Ski Team at Mount Hood, Oregon, July 10th to July 22nd. Mount Hood is a summer mecca for racers, young and old, who want to improve their technique and work on tactics in a setting where the focus is totally on racing. There were four US Team coaches and only six athletes, so they had real quality time with their own coach!

Kim fills us in on a typical training day: “The alarm goes off at 5:15am and we’re on our way to the mountain by 6:00am. The coaches have our courses set up and salted and we’re all up on top by 7:00am to begin warming up. Training includes technical drills, gate drills, and tactical training. By 11:00am the snow is too mushy to continue, so we head down for lunch and participate in either a recovery activity or go for a workout at the gym. Video analysis of the day’s runs takes place at 4:00pm, dinner follows, and our heads hit the pillow by 8:30pm or so. We’ve tried to stay up until 9:00pm, but haven’t been successful yet!”

“Having the opportunity to train with the US Adaptive Ski Team this summer has been a great experience for me,” said Staci. “Not only is it cool to ski in the middle of July, it is also awesome for me and Kim to get a head start on our training for next season. We are working with the coaches and athletes of the US team and are getting a glimpse of what could potentially be us in the future. We are learning a lot of new ways to improve my skiing and to make me a better, faster, and stronger racer. On top of great training, I’m also having fun in Mount Hood, Oregon. It’s a great experience that has me looking toward the future and one day, hopefully, joining the team as a member.”