Hallo from OberHof, germany!

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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