September 18, 2012 – Jordan Fields (SMS) is participating in the Lake Placid fall training camp with the NENSA Elite Group. Here he gives his recount of the uphill climb.

Saturday began early for the athletes participating in the Lake Placid Training camp. We were scheduled to participate in NYSEF’s (New York Ski Education Foundation) famous Climb to the Castle: a grueling five mile rollerski race up Whiteface Mountain that started at 8am.

We rolled out of bed at around 5:45am and then headed to the OTC (Olympic Training Center) dining hall for breakfast at 6am. However, when we arrived, we were greeted by a locked and dark dining hall. More athletes began filing in and by around 6:10, there was a group of close to fifty athletes and coaches waiting outside the doors. Apparently we had to wait for the lights to come on in the dining hall before we could get food (whether they were on a timer or just needed time to warm up in the morning wasn’t clear). At last the lights came on and the hungry Nordic skiers stampeded in to get some pre-race fuel.

Read full report HERE.