October 01, 2013 (Italy) – When the leaves start to turn in New England, nordic skiers come to full realization that fall leads directly to winter. Snow is just around the corner. But for professional nordic racers, waiting until the first flakes fly is simply no longer an option. As the sport matures, so does the training. World Cup nordic racers these days often put in up to 100 days on snow during the “dryland” season.

With that in mind, the MWSC XC Olympic Development Team headed across the pond and up the mountainside to Stelvio Pass, Italy for the second half of September. The goal was simple: 25+ hours of ski training at high altitude. We arrived in a white-out snowstorm. During the course of our 15 days staying on the glacier at Hotel Livrio, we had every conceivable type of skiing, from fresh powder to bulletproof ice to full-sun and spring corn snow. What an excellent way to get ready for a long season of racing!

Days at training camp are quite simple: wake, eat, on snow for first session by 8 a.m., eat, nap, on-snow for second session by 1 p.m., off the glacier for grooming by 3 p.m., internet time, nap, eat, and sleep. We did take advantage of the nearby mountains for some excellent trail running as recovery in a few of the afternoons, but primarily, we skied.

Kris Freeman finished his 15 days with over 50 hours of skiing. For Welly, Sam and Omar, the camp came in at between 28 and 32 hours on snow and more than 40 hours of total training. Add in a few days of sight-seeing and some quality time spent at lower altitude in the small Italian town of Mals, and you’ve got what may be the best fall training camp I’ve ever seen.