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.

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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