Site update - Where's Patrick?

Remember summer? It looked like this:

It isn't summer anymore. Strictly speaking, I guess it isn't winter yet either!

Anyway, I've updated the "Where's Patrick" section on the left sidebar of the site. Now you don't have to lie awake wondering which country I'm in.

Boom.

Sovereign Lake NorAm - 2013

This past weekend Jack, Reid, and I took in the NorAm at Sovereign Lake (near Vernon, BC). It was a great weekend. Here are some shots.

Reid, pre-race.

Jack, pre-race.

Testing skis. It was super cold out.

Reid, post-race. "I felt rough there when I was laying on the ground. Everything was spinning." As told by Reid.

Great team! Such a fun weekend.

Taken Sunday morning. The views were not bad!

Again, Sunday morning. Great place to be.

First Lake Weekend!

Some shots from the first weekend on the water. Really awesome to have Paul, Tyla, and Brian out too!

For those of you only interested in skiing posts... well, this is still technically a skiing post!

Getting loaded up to go!

There was an insane thunderstorm on the way to Boyle. Something like 90mm of rain feel in just a couple of hours.

Maryann enjoying the warm water. And her ridiculously floaty life jacket.

Getting things dialed in.

With the water looking great, Paul was the very first person to ski behind the new boat. Here he is in the water getting ready to go.

Paul pulling out. He got up the very first try!

We used up every last shred of daylight. Here is Paul laying down one last pass.

First ski of the year for me!

The next morning, Maryann woke up early and noticed that the lake was absolutely flat. Luckily, she woke me up and we were on the water by 7:30AM! We had the entire lake to ourselves. Amazing!

Ski Selection - Photos

A few pictures from this summer's trip:

Panoramic shot of the patio at the Kellerbräu. This is one of my favourite places to spend the evenings in Ried. It is also a local brewery and several hundred years old.

Grillteller. The only thing to order at the Kellerbräu. Grilled pork, chicken, beef, and a hotdog for good measure. Awesome!

Flexing.

The crew!

Arriving at the Salomon factory.

Reviewing the materials with Jean-Marc, the chief engineer.

Skis everywhere.

Deep in the mix!

Ski Selection

I've just returned from our annual ski selection trip in Europe. If you've ever wondered what happens during these trips, I've posted a short video here (click on the link):  Ski Selection - 2013

Here we evaluate a subtle range of characteristics to find high quality skis with the desired attributes.

Lahti - video

Here is a youtube link to check out the video for the sprint finals:

Lahti Skate Sprint - finals


What a race!

Lahti

This morning we head back to Helsinki to fly to Oslo. Our shuttle doesn't pick us up until 11:00, so it was a pretty relaxed morning. We had a chance to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast, which is a luxury at the World Cup.

As per usual, I don't really have any pictures of my own from this trip... at least not yet. But here are a bunch that I stole from other people. 

Our accommodations for the week were in the village of Vierumäki. We were not housed in a hotel, but rather in a sport school. This meant that our rooms were sort of dorm style, but they were very comfortable. 

The Lahti stadium with the ski jumps in the background. Ski jumping is a big deal here.

Up close and personal with the big jump.

Skiing in general is a big deal in Europe. This cool helicopter was flying around all week with a TV camera attached.

Saturday was a skate sprint. The race was super short and super flat. The field was really stacked and Sadie and Kikkan both ended up in the same semi-final.

The final was an incredibly exciting race. Given the flat course, Marit and Kikkan basically entered the stadium together and it was a drag race to the finish. Unreal to watch two of the fastest skiers in the world battle it out.

It was a photo finish, but in the end Kikkan took the win. BOOM!

Two of the classiest ladies on the world cup.

Flower ceremony.

It turns out that March 8 is International Women's Day. This is a big deal in Europe and here two of the wax techs give flowers to all of the girls on the team. Needless to say, the girls were pretty excited about this.