October 29, 2008 (Anchorage, AK) – Hello fellow SkiTrax readers! I am excited to kick off my skier diary this month as the season is now only a few weeks away. Here’s a little summary of what I’ve been up to since the last season ended:

Just as I was about to finish off my last races of the season, I got a massive blood clot in my upper left leg and spent the next five weeks mostly off my feet, in and out of the hospital, uncertain of what my skiing future would hold. Thankfully I was able to get the right treatment to clear the clot, and by the end of April I was back skiing again.

On May 16, I got married to Canadian ski racer, and SkiTrax correspondent, Jeff Ellis. We lucked out and had a beautiful day with Mt. McKinley in full view, and celebrated with all our closest friends and family. The next week we went on our “active” honeymoon in Moab, UT.

Through the summer I attended four glacier training camps at the Thomas Training Center (just north of Girdwood, AK). The first camps were a good kick in the pants as I tried to regain my fitness from the time off. The weather conditions were varied and overall I had 30 great days of skiing!

Alaska had the “summer that never came,” with cold temperatures and few sunny days. So in September, I went south and joined my fellow US Ski Team members for a 10-day camp in Whistler, BC. We got to check out the Olympic venue and the athlete’s village under construction, and took the plunge bungee jumping off a 180ft high bridge. Awesome camp!

In early October I again headed south and joined Canadian Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford for an 8-day sprint hammer camp. We pushed each other through multiple interval sessions, I did my first ever Yoga class, and we even baked two huge apple pies for Canadian Thanksgiving. Super fun!

Upon returning to Anchorage after the Canmore camp, I picked up a flu bug and had to spend a few days down and out. I am currently working my way back into full training, trying to be patient to make sure I’m totally healthy before putting on the final touches on my pre-season prep.

The last six months have flown by. I’m sure the next six will fly by too. Stay tuned for Kikkan updates, here at skitrax.com!!