Torin Koos (USST) ©Don Portman
Interview with Torin Koos
Congrats on your wins – how does it feel to be racing again?
Torin Koos: Oh man, it’s great to be back racing. It feels good to be putting on the race bib and pushing hard. That’s what the hours of training in the summer and fall are all about.
You don’t get to race that often in your own backyard – how does it feel to compete at home?
TK: Pretty sweet. I definitely had the hometown crowd going. All the skiers – particularly the junior skiers – from the Wenatchee Valley, The Methow Valley and Bend, Oregon were cheering hard.
Tell us about the day 1 Sprint course and race on Saturday.
TK: The organizers pulled together a great event on the sprint day after days of hard rains turned the tracks to mush. I was ready for anything, but to be skiing on a well-designed sprint loop manufactured to near perfection is always nice. The 1.3 kilometer challenged the skier in every aspect – climbing, descending, transitions, fast skiing – and was a very fair track
Back-to-back wins has to feel good – tell us about Sunday’s 15km classic race.
TK: The day was a tough one. The rains left such little snow pack the course we used in Saturday’s sprint couldn’t take classic tracks, and the venue moved to the Loup Loup Ski Bowl a small alpine venue in the mountains of the Okanogan Valley, on State Park Nordic ski trails.
There was a half-foot of freshly fallen powder. And it was 32 degrees and misting. The tracks became blown out pretty much instantly and made for a kind of technician’s ski day, on top of a five kilometer loop that that consisted of one long 3km climb, a km of double poling on false flats, followed by a one kilometer descent. All the top racers used zero/rubbing skis.
You’ve been at home training since the Rogla WCup before Xmas – how’s your fitness?
TK: The fitness looks like pretty solid. I can get better, maybe even much better, in the next weeks.
What’s on tap after the Methow SuperTour in preparation for the upcoming Canmore WCup and 2010 Games?
TK: I’m heading up to Canmore on Tuesday to train everyday under the watchful eye of Justin Wadsworth for the final preparations.
You’ve been dabbling with videos in the recent past – any projects in the works?
TK: No. I’ve been slacking in that regard. It happens, I guess.
You’re clearly not slacking on the skiing – all the best with the rest of the season.
TK: Thanks
Women’s full results here.
Men’s full results here.
Results (brief)
Women
1. Caitlin Compton (Go Training) 27:27.8
2. Laura Valaas (APU) 27:40.7
3. Nicole DeYong (SVEVF) 28:06.4
Men
1. Torin Koos (USST) 34:08.1
2. Brian Gregg (CXC) 34:09.0
3. Drew Goldsack (Can) 34:23.2