We've been trying hard to include a lot more fun in Cory's training routine with more free-skiing and more powder skiing when possible.
BC Adaptive held a 4-day All-Mountain Camp at Sun Peaks in late January and it turned out to be exactly what Cory was looking for.
It's a 5 or 6 hour drive to Sun Peaks, depending on weather conditions as there are several high mountain passes where snow and visibility can slow things down. While we didn't encounter much snowfall, it was obvious there had been some big snowfalls earlier.
And as we get nearer to Sun Peaks, we're into some blue skies, which puts smiles on our faces!
By the time we get to our rented condo at Sun Peaks, it's back into snow...
And then the next morning, and Sun Peaks lives up to its name and reputation!
After a warm-up run or two, it's onto the race course on the Nancy Greene International Race Centre on the OSV run. The OSV is a legacy from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games...OSV is the Austrian abbreviation for Ski Austria as the Austrian Ski Team developed the run and even installed a chair for it. On training days, it is closed to the public and on this day, BC Adaptive has exclusive
use of the entire run.
Then it's down to business, as Cory eases into his first run through a race course in about a year, still remembering his signature start where he gets down low then pushes off.
The run is made up of 3 different race courses, none of them too long, on this first day of training.
It's obvious he is taking it slowly, not skiing a particularly aggressive line and not getting too close to the flag panels. His body position is quite good but there are moments when he is too far back, characterized by his shins being perpendicular to the snow rather than at an angle to the snow.
nice and forward here, knees forward of his toes, keeping his whole body forward and pushing his skis for more speed and better edge pressure...
Here, his knees are more perpendicular, so not as much edge pressure, and his body is further back but his hands are up and forward in both...
Then it's back up to the top for another run through the 3 courses...and getting a bit more aggressive, brushing some gates out of his way. And he makes another good move, reaching down at the finish line to stop the clock earlier than it would otherwise. But he's a bit late so we'll have to work on getting that hand down a bit earlier...
Getting clearly more comfortable, more speed but a bit late turning at each gate...not unexpected considering the length of time since he was last in gates...going faster and faster.....
until he finally has to slam on the brakes a bit - see the snow spray obliterate him - in order to make a gate (with some Dad commentary along the way)
Really starting to get it together now with speed and a more aggressive line, though still a bit in the back seat...
working on timing....
and pretty much nails it for his last run of the day...good body position, brushing the gates and this time no big braking at that gate..
That does it for the 1st day of gate training so time for some fun! How about some ski cross Cory? on his at first then with a fellow Special Olympian
And of course, a day of race training is best ended with a beer in a hot tub.
With a bit of a snowfall overnight, the next day looks perfect once again. A little soft dry powdery snow - champagne powder they call it in the BC Interior - over hard-packed snow makes it perfect for racing - fast but with good control.
Then back into a race course, this time sharing the OSV run with another group of racers:
Working on his signature start out of the gate...
and on his final run he gets to me so fast I barely had time to get the camera on him..
The day ends with a group photo of coaches, volunteers, and athletes attending the camp, taken right at the top of the OSV run. Cory is in the middle with a few others in red jackets, Cory's the one in the bright green helmet.
And later that night, it's a lot of Sun Peaks champagne powder and race training is cancelled. No problem for Cory - he just pops into his powder skis and off he goes with two terrific Sun Peaks Adaptive Skiing volunteers, Raechel and John.
And powder it was!
One of the coaches for the camp was Josh Dueck - Canadian Gold & Silver Medalist at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympic Games
What? no beer?
Later it's a lovely walk through Sun Peaks village:
And yet more powder on our last day....
So if we set out to give Cory some race training combined with a lot of fun, it sure looks like the BC Adaptive Camp was a complete success.
Now over to Whistler...where things get a bit more serious...
Whistler Mountain Ski Club has been terrific with Cory over the years as we believe he is the only athlete with a disability to ever train with the Club. Looking for more gate training, we planned to join WMSC's U14 program for some Giant Slalom. But when we arrived at Whistler, we learned that they had changed to Slalom and Cory had not brought his slalom skis with him. Slalom skis are shorter than Giant Slalom skis since shorter skis allow for quicker more abrupt turns. Fortunately, WMSC's Executive Director had a SL pair with him and graciously offered to lend them to Cory.
But it was a cold day after a warm night and the snow was rock hard. Many of the other skiers gave up after a run or two but Cory - as he always does - persevered and got numerous runs through a series of race course on the National Training Centre on the Ptarmigan run, closed off to the public. Since the race course takes up only a part of Ptarmigan, it gives us both the opportunity to free-ski at top speed with virtually no one else around. So yes, some work to do in the race course but a lot of fun too just getting there.
And even though it was set up for U14s, the icy snow made it very challenging....and he bails out on a few gates on the first part of this video. But it's all good as it is a great way to get back into his first slalom race course since the Nationals in Newfoundland in 2016, and on borrowed skis too.
There's no bailing out on his next run through, though he does slow down to a crawl to get through the gates properly. But there are features on this course - called hairpins and flushes where gates are in line vertically - that would never appear on a Special Olympics course - so it's great practice for easier races later.
But a minor mishap in the 3rd section as Cory gets caught up in a delay gate, but fortunately no crash no injury...
Still not a lot of speed, but good form as he brushes by each gate and his touchdown finish...
Then a lunch break as the sky turns blue
and after a few more good runs through the race course...
It's time to head home after a really good day of training...this is the Dave Murray Downhill run where the Mens Downhill was held at the 2010 Olympics, certainly our favourite run at Whistler..it is the second longest downhill race course in the world after Wengen in Switzerland....and this top portion is about a fifth of its total length....
there he goes...for a long and fun ride to the end of the day...
yep, he's the dot in the middle of the yellow circle...
A return visit to Whistler Mountain Ski Club the following week for more training...here's their club house on Rob Boyd Way in Whistler...
Whistler is showing off a bit on this day...excellent visibility and good snow coverage...
Cory had planned to work with the U14s again but they had changed to Slalom and Cory had his Giant Slalom skis, which are longer and rather unsafe to use in a Slalom course. Fortunately, WMSC had a Giant Slalom course set up nearby, and the coaches there kindly offered their course for Cory's use.
Only later did Cory learn that it was a FIS course - designed for athletes one step below Team BC (not Special Olympics Team BC but the able-bodied Team BC) which is only one step below the Canadian Alpine Ski Team. He was rather amazed when he learned he had race on a FIS course.
So thanks to BC Adaptive and WMSC, Cory feels well prepared for the Regional Qualifier races in Kimberley
Of course, he also did some training with Special Olympics but for some reason, Sp O does not set up a race course very often. Free skiing is important too but to me it seems like playing basketball without a net - you can certainly play but when it comes time to compete you likely won't be ready. Only on two days this winter did Cory get to train in a course, and only short ones at that. It's why he goes to terrific organizations like BC Adaptive and Whistler Mountain Ski Club to improve his racing skills.
So now it's off to Kimberley, BC where he will race Super G and Giant Slalom tomorrow and Slalom on Sunday.
