July 31, 2010 (Wanaka, NZ) – Time is flying past now, I almost feel like the Doc’ in Back to the Future, it’s going that fast. After a meaningful and successful Share the Road event in Canmore, it was back on the road, and looking at the calendar – it looks like I’ll be on the road pretty steady now for the next…well… year.

Last week, Chandra and I had a wonderful, albeit quick trip out to the Okanagan. It wasn’t really a holiday, seeing as I was training quite a bit, but it was great for Chandra and I to get away together (even if it was brief) before we were leave Canada for our team’s long summer migration down south to New Zealand.

We ended up spending 4 nights in the Okanagan, and while the real reason for the trip was because Chandra had some sponsorship obligations, I decided to come along for the ride and train somewhere new (and with better weather J) for a few days. There’s still some Ontario left inside me so an opportunity to having some swimming and training in warm water/warm weather sounded great to me. While she hit the golf tournaments and did sponsor relations, I kicked back and did some great exploratory training in some unfamiliar terrain above Kelowna, BC, meandering among the vineyards and orchards that are tucked away in the hills above the city.

Our short trip truly was a“tour de Okanagan,” as Chandra and I stayed one night at my aunt and uncle’s place in Vernon (thanks Huntley family!), two nights in Kelowna, and finishing off our trip with a night in Oliver, BC at friend’s place (and the owner La Stella and Le Vieux Pin wineries).

On the outside, perhaps it looked like a busy week right before a training camp, but mentally it was great to see friends, family and spend time some quality time with Chandra away from home obligations.

Canmore and western Canada has been delivering big time these last ten or so days, and although I was sad to leave the +30 heat that is as rare as a black pearl in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, I was excited and thrilled to head south to strap on the boards for a couple weeks of great training.

Which brings us to now. For the fifth time I’ve left the sunny warm weather that finally hits the Rockies in late July for the snows of the Southern Alps in New Zealand’s South Island. Staying on the high plateau that rises above the Cardrona Valley, our winter home in the summer is the perfect place to get in some quality skiing.

New Zealand is a great place for a training camp. The travel down isn’t so bad, and aside from the one long flight (12.5hrs) crossing the Pacific Ocean, the rest is pretty straightforward.

I love training camps. No distractions, great training, great recovery and this year our team has such a positive environment and vibe happening these days. We have a massage therapist with us (Justin’s friend, Scott) who will keep us on the road while we put in the kilometers of skiing that we’ve traveled so far to enjoy, and although I’m missing some “training camp staples” I guess I’ll let George off the hook since he’ll be a dad in less than a week…

My plan for the camp will be similar to other years, although I will be continuing to work on my major weakness – strength, all while continuing with the normal volume based camp I’ve been accustomed to. Assuming it’s all good, I’ll do one or two of the FIS distance races down here that begin late next week while  shooting for 22-24hrs a week as far as the load goes.

Everyone traveled down here without a problem, and alas there aren’t any funny stories coming out of our camp as of yet. We are all fired up to put in 16 great days down under and I’ll try to update the blog often with photos of how things are going.

I’ll say one thing – the first two days down here have been AMAZING as far as conditions go. When the skiing down here in like this (sunny, 40km of perfectly groomed trails, no wind, stellar views, great company and moderate temperatures (-5, to +2) – there is no better place in the world to ski, it’s simply fantastic.

Crooksy, GKill, George, and Drewbers’ and the rest of the boys back home – we’ll throw down a few bundies’ for you all.

D.