<![CDATA[Lauren Jortberg - Blog]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 21:35:09 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Bend bend bend!]]>Thu, 25 May 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/bend-bend-bendReporting from two great weeks in Bend.

Every year we start the new training year on snow in Bend. It is the best way to get back into the swing of training; it’s beautiful and the “play” is high in the ratio of work to play. Bend feels like an adult playground with endless skiing, mountain biking, trail running, and even river activities. River activities aren’t always in the mix, but we experienced some incredibly nice swimming-weather temperatures. Honestly, it was maybe a little warmer than we would prefer up at Bachelor, but with that, we took advantage of training in slushy conditions as we often (and sadly, increasingly more often) race in them, but we rarely have the opportunity to train in them.

Even though the work feels like play, we are still hard at work. And I think all of us can attest to our sore bodies after straining them again post a restful spring. It can be a pretty rude awakening to jump cold turkey into a 20+ hour week so we try to stay active in April and get back into the swing of things come May 1st. But even with that, I was still unbelievably sore. Maybe the sorest I’ve ever been in my entire life. It was quite comical watching us hobble around, taking baby steps around ensuring not to strain our sore hip flexors. 

It was a hip flexor heavy camp! We are a team, and even a country, that excels at skating, and many of us see the low hanging fruit of improving our classic skiing. So, the focus of camp was centered around classic skiing, especially because roller-skiing on classic skis doesn’t transfer to making skis kick. Therefore, the opportunity to train on snow in the non-racing season is rare and super important to take advantage of. Compounded with tricky spring snow conditions, it is a recipe for focusing on good technique. You can’t fake it in mushy, slushy, sugary, and slightly icy conditions! 

If you’re trying to improve your classic technique, here are some of the main drills we worked on. (a lot of these work for skating too). 

  1. No pole with breaststroke arms up above your head. I really liked this drill because it forced you to have your hands super high and forward (above your head).  This causes a forward lean and therefore you must commit fully to each ski. It allows you to feel the glide on each ski and feel weight transfer from one leg to another. The breaststroke arms ensure you’re activating your core too as it is challenging for balance.
  2. Skipping on classic skis. Yep, looks super funny and feels super funny. The skipping also forces fully committing to weight transfer.
  3. Work on technique off skis. Yep, just on your feet, hopefully while watching video. Our new coach Maria worked a lot with us on this, and I felt a lot of really great positive changes! 

Now we are all getting ready for an amazing summer in Stratton!! Please enjoy some pictures from a very very sunny Bend camp :)
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]]><![CDATA[An ode to experienced teammates]]>Mon, 10 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/an-ode-to-experienced-teammatesMy first time chasing the World Cup tour was extremely humbling! Good thing I was surrounded by two super experienced World Cup veterans! Jessie and Julia offer a pletheroa of experience on so many fronts. I was a bit outside of my comfort zone nearly the entire season. Even though World Cup racing is just ski racing when it comes down to it, I wasn't able to have that mindset all the time. And that's okay. The good thing is that they were incredibly patient and took me under their wings to show me the ropes of the World Cup circuit. 

Some of the wisdom I took away from spending the winter with them: 
  • Making silly videos/tiktoks is probably the answer
  • A new level of focus for how to mentally prepare to execute a race plan.. and to push harder than you thought was possible
  • Although it's our job, it's a really fun job
  • There will always be ups and downs but most importantly there is always growth, especially within the downs
  • No imposter syndrome allowed, you belong here! 
  • Celebrate all the wins, no matter the size
  • Make friends with the other skiers from other nations
  • Sleep is key 
  • You don't have to keep up with your wax tech
  • Every race is an opportunity to learn
  • It's okay to ask for help
  • If it was easy, more people would do it

​Most importantly, they knew how to pick me up when I needed it the most!

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]]><![CDATA[Roses and thorns: European winter]]>Thu, 30 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/roses-and-thorns-european-winter

beito

ruka

Lillehammer

beito...2.0

davos

Seefeld

Livigno

Les Rousses

Toblach

Lillehammer, sujosen, Kvitfjell and Oslo

Falun

Tallin
Okay, that was cool. Traveling around the world is easily one of the best parts of the job! There's a lot to keep track of while we travel this much, and to be honest, we don't "tourist" much to ensure energy on race day is there. But we do get to see some incredible places!

From November to March, I made the transatlantic journey six times, and I spent approximately 106 days in Europe. I know this because I overstayed my welcome. As an American, you're only allowed 90 days spent in the Schengen region, in which you need to spend 180 consecutive days out of the Schengen to reset it. A fun thing I learned, on day 79, while in Europe, from which I scrambled to get a visa. Besides the point, what the point is, I spent a lot of time in Europe this winter. And I might have said this "okay, but actually I could maybe move here" at nearly every European stop this year. Julia Kern can attest. Is it true? Potentially, here are my roses and thorns for each stop, racing aside because I'm a human too :)

Enjoy some of the highlights from each stop – with a blurb of some adjectives and maybe some sentences; feel free to read or not. 

Norway:
Beitostolen: "Beito" emphasis on the "i" in English
  • First time seeing a reindeer in real life 
  • The snow melted, and I ruined a few pairs of skis.. skiing was grim and courses are really hard
  • There is a very small town, unfortunately I couldn't find a place that sold lattes or baked goods

Finland 
Ruka
  • A real life snow globe! 
  • The apartments are very nice and spacious!
  • Courses are HARD (I think I've mentioned that in every single blog with Ruka but oh well)
  • Not a lot of kms of skiing - very little natural snow, so maybe there's more skiing/ski trails. 
  • Kind of an odd stadium layout
  • Good fans!
  • It's really dark haha
  • No real town, just a ski resort
​

​
Back to Norway
Lillehammer
  • Omg so cute; there is the cutest downtown, and it feels like a real place
  • I love it here 
  • It snowed a bunch after they decided to spread the man-made on the biathlon trails. They are pretty flat.
  • Every team stays in the same hotel.. Fun to see all the other teams, but it is a germ fest
  • Literally almost zero fans.. I thought Norwegians cared about nordic skiing??

Back to Beitostolen 
  • The apartments are sooooo nice. We all have our own bedrooms, which is a rare occurance for us on the road
  • The snow is amazing
  • The tourist trails are excellent, you can ski for literally ever
  • It's REALLY cold, like too cold
  • The sunrises and sunsets are incredible 
  • I lost my AirPods in a snow bank 
    Switzerland 
    Davos
    • Mountains!! 
    • Altitude isn't my favorite 
    • There are the cutest Swiss cows at the race venue
    • The actual skiing is just okay 
    • There isn't enough snow to ski up the valleys, which I hear is amazing
    • Sledding!!!!!!
    Austria 
    Seefeld
    • I just love this place
    • Our apartments are incredible 
    • 360 views
    • The mountains are incredible and there's lots of sunshine 
    • Still not that much snow so the skiing is decent, but I hear that the tourist trails are incredible when there is more snow.
    Italy
    Livigno
    • Okay, stunning! 
    • Thin air, but I'm actually loving it here 
    • The best chocolate gelato of all time
    • My first World Cup heats and team sprint!
    France 
    Les Rousses
    • It's Vermont pretty/quaint! 
    • The gym is so nice - we are staying in the French National training center
    • The fans are some of the most insane and awesome I've ever seen!

    Back to Italy
    Toblach
    • Stunning
    • Such nice tourist trails
    • Recommendation for a ski or bike vacation!
    • Amazing views, amazing food, amazing trails!
    • No bad things to say ;)

    Back to Norway 
    Lillehammer and Sujosen 
    • It was so nice I had to come back.. if that doesn't capture everything?
    • If you're looking for a ski vacation - this is my first recommendation
    • You pay for parking instead of a trail pass, but I couldn't download the app in the American app store
    • Everyone in this town nordic skis 
    • The huge Swix store is here so you can stock up on some great goodies, including shot glasses shaped like kick wax. 
    Kvitfjell
    • Really beautiful! It kinda looks a little bit like a moonscape 
    • I went to watch my friend Tricia Mangan race in the downhill World Cup, but the nordic skiing is equally amazing (I didn't actually alpine ski, just watched)
    • Seems like a cool place if you like to both alpine and nordic ski!
    Oslo
    • Such an incredible city, with insanely great skiing for a real city (makes sense why Norwegians are so good at skiing)
    • Food with ethnic flavors for the first time in a long time. I got Thai food that was really good
    • The saunas on the ocean are a must 
    • The hype behind Holmenkollen is real, it's so wild. This is where all the Norwegian fans are
    Sweden
    Falun
    • This place also reminds me of Vermont
    • Great tourist trails, as long as there's good snow
    • The weather in mid-to-late-March, (two years of data) is blue sky and tons of sunshine
    • One of the most fun sprint course (in my opinion) 
    • Some of the best fans of all time
    • There is a bakery right on the side of the course that has some of the best gluten-free baked goods I've ever had in my entire life
    Estonia
    Tallin
  • 1st city sprint!
  • A really cool, verrryyyy old city! 
  • First time with the non-fluors for World Cup, so that was a little stressful with ski picking and limited wax technicians.
  • The fans and atmosphere was truly incredible. There were hot tiubs next to the course for fans​
]]><![CDATA[The Emotional Duality of Coming Home and The Power of Belief]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/the-emotional-duality-of-coming-home-and-the-power-of-beliefI learned a lot from Period 1. You can read about it here. However, it took leaving Period 1 behind to realize what I needed: the race gear, edge, fire, or whatever you want to call it. I discovered this in the States for US Nationals in Houghton, MI. Landing back in the States was an emotional rollercoaster and dynamic duality. Sad while relieved, bummed yet excited, frustrated yet motivated. It feels like, "okay, we're sent home - how will we react to that? There are two options: 1. Feel bummed you couldn't hang in the big leagues, so now you're sent home. 2. Recognize that there's a lot of opportunity for growth and reassessment. Sometimes you need to be a big fish in a little pond. And with that, I chose growth, with some sadness, for sure.

If you know me, you know I'm quite competitive. My parents love to remind me that I would ask them to time me to do everything as a child. Including how fast I could get dressed/ready. I'm a board games feen, especially Settlers of Catan and Bananagrams. As I've aged, I've grown to turn my competitiveness on and off (thank goodness). However, I have an innately competitive spirit. Where was that during Period 1? Honestly, I don't know. I felt like I was racing with no fire, no spice, just in survival mode. I was nervous, scared, and I lacked belief in myself. I had the "do as best as you can" mentality, for better or worse (this is a coping mechanism for fear of failure). A switch flipped the morning of the skate sprint at US Nationals in Houghton. I read an interview with Rosie Brennan that morning. In this interview, Rosie said something along the lines of, "I thought to myself I can do so why don't I" after having a successful Tour De Ski stage. Combined with a pep-talk from Pat O'Brien, I thought, well, I should probably think like that too. I had a race plan I felt confident in, and I went and executed it. I was racing. I won the qualifier, and I proved to myself that I can. I ended up 3rd through heats, which keeps you hungry for more, something I needed. I forget how good it feels to ski confidently. Those are the feelings that get me to the start line; my competitive fire was lit.

I got sent back over to Europe based on winning the qualifier in Houghton, and I thought we should probably 'keep these good vibes going' and believe in myself at the World Cup too. 

I took that belief in myself to Period 3 of the World Cup. I woke up the morning of the Livigno sprint and told myself the same thing: "Today is the day, Lauren Jortberg, that you are going to make World Cup heats." And I did. Manifesting?? 

My first time making heats on the World Cup, and it was easily the most incredible day of my life. I qualified 24th that day and picked heat 1; knowing that heat 1 is usually the fastest, I wanted to see if I could hang. I skied an almost perfect quarterfinal, almost making it to the semifinals. I imploded just before the line and quickly went from fourth to sixth. Although it's a bummer to move from 24th to 29th on the day, the day was a turning point in my ski career. The belief in myself that I can and, more importantly, that I will. But, I have to believe in myself. Although I hate to sound like a quote on the wall of your grandmother's bathroom, the power of belief is truly incredible.

There's a balance between being kind to yourself and believing that you can do hard things. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to how to manage this balance other than recognizing that it's okay to "fail" but more on that later. 
​]]><![CDATA[Thoughts on Period 1 of world cup]]>Sun, 01 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/thoughts-on-period-1-of-world-cupMany thoughts
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The Ruka "snow-globe" haze
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3:51 pm in Ruka
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Watching Jessie win a World Cup :)
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Some dissappointing feelings!
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Racing in Lillehammer, Norway actually felt like racing!
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Grateful to have my family watch!
Period 1 encompassed everything. It was amazing, challenging, but most importantly, it was a massive opportunity for growth. Before I delve into Period 1, I should clarify some ski racing vernacular. What is Period 1, you may ask? The cross-country World Cup is broken up into five periods. Each period has a set of races - as little as four and up to eleven. The period represents a set of races over a certain amount of time; so, Period 1 spanned from November 25th to December 18th and eleven races. 

A brief synopsis of Period 1:

Period 1 kicks off in Ruka, Finland, every year (at least the last many years; please don’t quote me, though). Ruka is quite far North, it is located due south of the Arctic Circle. In mid to late November, it’s dark, and snow is constantly floating in the air like a snow globe. The days after arriving in Ruka are sleepy and move slowly. Our deep slumbers break by the sound and smell of freshly ground coffee (Julia brings her own grinder and roasted beans that she roasts herself). There is no rush to get out the door - sleep and recovery are paramount after international travel and as we gear up for the racing season. After a leisurely morning, we walked from our trailside apartment to Yolanda, the wax truck. For me, a rookie to World Cup skiing, there is a novice excitement in my step; my nerves and excitement float through the air similar to the snow-globe-like snow from the snow guns.

Even though Ruka feels like a snow globe, there was very little natural snow. The week started with a 1km strip of dirty snow. The loop grew daily, eventually becoming a 5km distance loop and a sprint course. I’ve always heard rumblings about the Ruka courses. The rumblings are true. The hills are massive (TV doesn’t do them justice), and the steep grades can be tricky to ski well. I struggled more than I ever had with a course. This, for me, was an interesting experience because I’ve always heard of people being scared of courses or hills. I’ve never felt those sentiments about a hill or a course. I’ve always thrived on hard courses - which I think is due to growing up in Colorado with challenging terrain. I’ve struggled the most on flat courses historically. That changed in Ruka, though. I skied the final climb many times, and it never felt right.
I never felt like I could ski it well, and that lack of confidence greatly impacted my racing. Thankfully, my roommates, Jessie and Julia, shared similar sentiments with Ruka, and the course challenges have taken time and experience to ski . In the moment, the racing was quite disappointing. However, it’s hard to have your first race of the season - and your second-ever World Cup start, on the Ruka courses. For that, I focused on being kind to myself and using it as motivation to improve. I allowed myself to feel a bit of frustration, sadness, and embarrassment. I put on a face mask and listened to Lana Del Rey. A little self-care goes a long way.

Rather than bore you with day-to-day synapses of the rest of Period 1, here are my golden nuggets and major takeaways :) 

Golden nuggets:
Results don’t dictate who you are or how you are to be around. You don’t need to force toxic positivity amongst the world - take your time to process how you need to - but racing how you would like shouldn’t dictate how you are to be around. 

Everyone is fighting battles - whether you know of them or not.

Growth can be readjusting plans, goals, and expectations to fit your situation.

Surround yourself with those whose energy brings you up!

Trust the process!

There will be incredibly disappointing days, weeks, and maybe even periods but with that is truly an incredible amount of growth. However, it is easier to see and believe after the fact.

Major takeaways from Period 1
  • I perfected the chocolate chip cookie - with gluten; Jessie taught me some game-changing baking tips that went a long way. My biggest tip is refrigerating the dough or putting it outside in Ruka for an hour or so.
  • Life moves quickly, especially when moving to a new place every week. Stop to look up at the trees often.
  • Pack less stuff 
  • Routines are everything in constant change. Skin, hair, PT/body 
  • Find your controllables (ties in with routine)
  • Get out of your comfort zone!
  • Distance racing! Do it when you have the opportunity.
  • Learn some more languages; duo lingo is decent.
  • Make some foreign friends!
  • Watch more World Cup and technique footage.
  • Don’t try to do it all.
  • Mental health is number one.
  • It’s okay if it’s a bit overwhelming. 
  • Ask for help.
  • It’s okay to fail.
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]]><![CDATA[slow down to speed up]]>Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/slow-down-to-speed-up​A Pre-season tail familiar to many
Chaotic is probably the best word to describe the last month or so. A week of cabin life recharging in Beitostolen, Norway, was exactly what the doctor ordered. 

After returning from Park City camp in late October, life felt a little rushed in sleepy Stratton, Vermont. To many, including myself, that might sound a bit shocking. However, it turns out packing up your life into one duffle bag for six months (for the first time), training 20+ hours a week, working remotely part-time, and life itself leaves very little downtime. This was heightened by the stress/excitement of gearing up for Period 1 of the World Cup, something I’ve never done before! The days filled with getting from Point A to Point B, without forgetting 88, idealized a week of cabin life in a sleepy little town in Norway. And that’s exactly how I spent the last week in Beitostolen, Norway. A large exhale of relief might have been heard throughout the country of Norway.

On November 8th, Alyana and I settled into the cabin-life lifestyle in Beito; our days consisted of sleeping in late, skiing many loops around the very hilly 4 km man-made loop, eating yummy food, drinking lots of tea, face-timing friends and family, and working from our computers. The days were slow as we adjusted to Europe time and the feeling of skiing on “real” snow. It was exactly what I needed, especially heading into a long winter of the most travel I’ve done.

Ten days spent in Beito was a great pre-camp to the real pre-camp in Ruka. This allowed our bodies to get a headstart on adjusting to Europe time and training on snow. The on-snow training in Beito offered plenty of challenging terrain and snow conditions. The first few days were wintery, and the skiing was excellent for early November. A large chunk of the available 4.4km man-made loop is part of the World Cup course, and the TV does, in fact, not do it justice. It was fun to get a sneak peek of the race course because our third stop in Period 1 is in Beito, so we could do some intensity on the courses we'll be racing on come December. The courses are courses I really like; minimal flats and tons of climbing with technical descending. However, the tough courses made training hard without flat or "tourist" trails to rip around on during easy skis. It was good practice ensuring that my heart rate was in level 1, even if the pace felt so slow, like walking on skis slow. This is the challenging time of year because it is so exciting to get back on snow, and it is easy to go too fast during easy training and train too many hours. One of my goals going into the week was not to get too excited about skiing too fast and too much, and I'm happy to report that I was successful! Slowing down this past week allowed for an easy adjustment to our next stop: Ruka, Finland. I met up with the rest of the US Ski Team in Ruka a few days ago. We are all settled in cute little cabins right beside the race courses. The courses are slowly coming together each day as truckloads of snow spread around us, but I have yet to ski on the sprint course. I do have to say that everyone says the hills in Ruka are crazy, and the TV doesn't do justice to them. They are, in fact, correct. The hills are the biggest ones I've ever seen on a cross-country ski course. We love the challenge! I'm hopeful that slowing down over the past two weeks will help me find that extra race gear here in a few days :)

Some of the highlights from Ruka so far include: seeing the sun (!!), baking lots of yummy treats, amazing homemade dinners by our very own chef Tanya, getting to know US Ski Team staff better (mainly wax techs), and way too much giggling with my roommates Jessie and Julia. We are having fun!!

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]]><![CDATA[Altitude thoughts]]>Mon, 24 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/altitude-thoughtsPark city version
You might have picked up on my recent eureka moment of maturity if you read my last blog. To build upon my recent maturity and to give a little background to this camp's mindset, a few of us aren’t necessarily altitude lovers. Speaking for myself here - although I did grow up in Colorado, I would much rather train at sea level. However, we recognize the physiological benefits of an altitude block and that we often race at altitude.

This year I’ve put a lot of thought into why my body doesn’t particularly respond to the altitude as well as I would like it to. Alyana, Lina, and I all feel similarly hesitant about altitude, and we listened to the Is there a Benefit to Altitude Training Training on Fast Talk Laboratories. After listening to this podcast, we know that the science behind altitude training is very complicated. The podcast notes that there is an ideal amount of time spent (no less than two weeks but ideally 3+), a minimum altitude of 6,000ft, if possible, sleep high and train lower, and to ensure ferritin levels of the athlete are 50+. Finally, the first few days are extremely easy. There is much more to the podcast; it’s worth a listen! 

The major takeaways from listening to this podcast include: working on my ferritin, intentionally training significantly slower than my sea-level pace, and taking the first few days at altitude, extremely chill! I feel we’ve done a good job not getting caught up in going too fast and doing too much, especially with the hustle and bustle of camp. Fall camp is always such a fun time because it’s often the first time seeing everyone since the end of the season or Bend camp. But that can induce a ~ competitive ~ environment. Thankfully, the work on maturing, normalizing the self-drop, and listening to my body was all in my back pocket.  As I did get my cake and eat it too; it has been so fun to catch up with skiers from all over the country - keeping the easy workouts at a conversational pace :)

The weather here in Park City has been impeccable; the mornings are a brisk 42 degrees, but the sun's warmth allows for layers to be quickly shedded. The aspen leaves are absolutely firing right now, so buckle up for lots of foliage pictures. We started the camp with a true Park City classic - a town loop. We’ve gone to Soldier Hollow twice so far, once for a classic speed workout and another for the 5km pace project. The 5km project day was fun because we did it two times classic, and then we switched to skate gear for the last two. The 5km pace project is often a workout where I’ve felt the effects of not training quite as smart at altitude, especially because it is easy not to be conservative enough in level three. I went into the workout with a conservative plan, and I can definitely say it was hard, but I did a good job executing my plan to start conservatively. It’s incredible how much better the workout feels when you actually stay in level three when you are supposed to.

Besides the roller-skiing, we’ve taken advantage of Park City's wonderful trails. I flew my mountain bike out here, so I’ve ridden a bunch on the trails here at Park City Mountain Resort. The riding has been a great way to explore the area! We rode from the base of PCMR to the Crest trail and down to Kimball junction, which was absolutely worth the two hours of climbing. The trails are a bit blown out with the dirt bumps, but the views and leaves are incredible. I’ve also loved having my bike out here so much because it’s allowed me to ride with a bunch of my friends who live in Park City, like Foreste Peterson, my former alpine teammate at Dartmouth, and a handful of other non-nordies. The past two years at Park City camp, Covid has still been a bit more restricting for social activities, and this year I was able to socialize more within those bike rides and attending my other Dartmouth friend, Alice Merryweather’s, birthday party. This honestly small amount of socialization was so fulfilling after a few years of not seeing some of these friends! This Park City camp, so far, has checked all the boxes for me :) 
]]><![CDATA[Oh, Sweet, Sweet, Sweaty Vermont Summer]]>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/oh-sweet-sweet-sweaty-vermont-summer
Woah! It’s September. I love September. The mornings are a brisk 62 degrees without a cloud in the sky and the perfect amount of sun train in a t-shirt. The leaves are starting to tease us with a hint of color. Pumpkin spice lattes are soon to be ordered by Lina. Alayna recently purchased the perfect fall “shacket.” Jessie and Julia returned from Australia. Perry shaved his beard, and I honestly don’t recognize him sometimes. Pat and Ida had a baby (a few weeks ago!). Sverre is soon to be Grandpa Sverre. It’s safe to say September and the fall are looking marvelous.

After the last two falls out West, I cannot wait for another East Coast fall! However, it wouldn’t be fair to jump into fall without giving a true summer recap because it was truly one of my favorite summers yet. Why was it so great, you may ask? Well, take a seat, and grab your hot cup of coffee or tea. 

This summer was a lot of things but one thing it had the last few years lacked was a large intentionality/investment/focus in myself. That might sound confusing, odd, or maybe obvious; I’m not sure. Not to sound like an inspirational quote on your Grandma’s bathroom wall, but I’m guilty of getting from point A to point B without always enjoying the journey. This summer, I focused most of my energy on my needs, wants, goals, and the journey of getting to point B, C, or D. Maybe I’m maturing at the ripe age of 25, but I’ve recognized that juggling a few too many things makes it, so you don’t even have time to think about the journey. Being in Stratton this summer forced me to slow down and prioritize the things in my life that benefit me, my skiing, and my happiness. Sometimes you need to slow down to get faster, which has been my summer mantra. While life in Stratton sometimes feels a bit isolating - it gave me the space to reflect and be intentional. And wow, it pays off. What a concept, I know! What did that look like, you may ask? Great question; for me, this summer, it looked like a lot of things, one of them is working with a sports psych/therapist (because destigmatize mental health!), and another one was a sailing trip in the Grenadines with one of my closest friends and her brothers, and others include: rediscovering my love for skiing, self-dropping when the pace was too hot for my L1 or L3, many hours spent on my gravel and mountain bike, walking laps in the pool to stay active during a back spasm, not training through a back spasm, prioritizing my sleep/recovery, frequent dinner parties with my teammates, emphasizing the importance of every workout, and being kinder to myself.

​
In that vein, this summer was a bit of a reset for me; a new chapter of my career, a new team, and a newish place to train. As I’ve spent two summers in Stratton, it has been nearly seven years since I last lived here. Things didn’t feel entirely new, but rather it was the perfect amount of familiarity with the excitement of novelty. It’s also been cool to reflect on my personal growth from when I was here last, the summer before starting at Dartmouth. A lot has changed, and I’ve grown a ton as a person and a skier! It’s fun to tuck the downhills that 17-year-old me walked down and to easily double pole or V2 the terrain I used to stride or V1. In the last seven years, the training in Stratton has just gotten better; the roads are smoother, there are more mountain biking trails, and we were lucky to have an incredible, energetic, and fun crew!

Some of my major summer highlights include: 

-Jessie mastered the gluten-free and vegan cakes for all the birthdays. My favorite was the carrot cake!
-Many bean pool dinner parties
-Dinner parties at Sverre’s house, including an intense game of crocket 
-Oat milk lattes from Ungrounded Coffee Roasters
-The GF cookies at Capucine’s
-The Peru concert fundraiser
-”The Voices of Classic Rock” concert including Foreigner, Asia and Kansas in Ellicoville, NY 
-Pico, Kristin’s corgie puppy
-Thomas’ cat
-SLATE VALLEY, especially the trail Hunker Down.
-Walking at Dartmouth’s graduation two years later 
-Spending a week in Boston with my family
-Skiing in an indoor ski tunnel for the first time
]]><![CDATA[Hallo from OberHof, germany!]]>Sun, 04 Sep 2022 00:41:24 GMThttp://www.laurenjortberg.com/blog/oberhof-camp
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Hallo from Oberhof!

Lauren here reporting live from Oberhof, Germany! Today, August 21st, is day 9 of our 11-day camp. Oberhof is a skier’s paradise; there are endless running/ski trails (the Rennisteig runs through it), two roller ski tracks, and a ski tunnel. If you’re unfamiliar with a ski tunnel (I was too until a few days ago), it’s a refrigerated loop of snow that has nearly 1.7km of snow all year. Here is a picture of it from above (this is from google images), and here are tons of photos I’ve
taken while in the tunnel.

Since we’re at day 9 of our 11-day camp, I’m certainly feeling the fatigue of the training, but honestly, I’m writing this horizontally, with a smile on my face. There’s just something about that on-snow feeling that makes the hours of summer and fall work feel so worth it. But what’s cool is having a little taste of winter with a bit of summer and an entire fall to put in more work before the racing starts.

I have a lot of thoughts from these past nine days on snow in the tunnel. Some of these thoughts are due to the fact that it is easy to get deep into your thoughts when skiing in a concrete tunnel. My main takeaways include the following:

  1. Skiing on snow > being slightly bored by skiing inside a tunnel. 
  2. Technique, technique, technique! It’s easier to devote yourself to it with no distractions.
  3. No pole skiing is always the secret sauce.
  4. The tunnel is very chilly.
  5. Nature is great; make sure you spend some time in it daily if you can.
  6. Just swap what you would have put peanut butter on with Nutella.
  7. Gluten-free Schnitzel changed my life.
  8. Learn more languages.
  9. The Swiss national team is very lovely!

To elaborate on a few ski-specific thoughts, I’m on a high with how fruitful this camp has been. I’m not going to lie, 20+ hours spent in the tunnel the past week has been less entertaining than rollerskiing in the beautiful green mountains of Vermont, but the tangible value of the on-snow time outweighs the entertainment right now. However, I’m very excited to strap on the roller skis in Stratton next week!

In a sport where a ton of factors you usually can’t control, the tunnel is completely controlled; the snow, the temperature, and the terrain are always the exact same. This controlled environment is a double edge sword because it never changes. I’ve tried my best to lean into the side beneficial side of the blade, and I’ve felt immense technique improvement from the controlled environment. The many hours spent around the hampster wheel was the perfect environment for me to think purely about how I was skiing, technically, and I had an ‘aha’ moment with my classic striding. I’ve been focusing on relaxed arms and legs to create a pendulum feeling and setting my kick right under my hips. As most people don’t have access to a ski tunnel or snow this time of year, I would argue that no-pole skiing is a great option to focus on improving body positioning and technique. I’ve had a handful of injuries in my career that have forced prolonged periods of no-pole skiing, and I swear by it!

As well as technical gains, there have been some significant fitness gains! This block has focused on getting comfortable with being on snow with an emphasis on intensity. The tunnel has surprisingly decent terrain for about 1.7km of skiing. The terrain has allowed high-quality intensity and speed sessions with lots of climbing and transitions. Another benefit of skiing the same 1.7km roughly 20-25+ times a session is the ability to try various techniques and ‘perfect’ sections of the terrain. The Swiss National team is also here in Oberhof, and it was fantastic to learn from them and to make friends with them! Overall, my experience here in Oberhof has been incredible. Please enjoy my trigger-happy finger documenting the trip so far :) 
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