Departure Imminent...

Here's the last post before the MOD crew reunites on the Continent. While the younger elements of the squad have been competing over in Hinterzarten the past two weeks, I've been capitalizing on two weeks of training. And for the first time since mid-October, I feel RACE READY. Lots of rest, food, and solid training has brought me back to a level where I feel fast, snappy, and competitive. A great sensation to have going into five weeks of high-level European racing!

But now I must contend with packing. It seems I have about 300lbs of equipment and 3lbs of clothing and softgoods. It's always a conundrum to decide which/how many skis to take abroad, or anywhere, for that matter. One pair stiff and one pair soft skate skis. Zeroes have become a must-have. Klister skis are probably a good idea given the history of snow conditions in northern Italy/Switzerland area. That's four pairs. The essentials. But then you think of the extra pairs, the overlappers. That second pair of stiff skate skis with a finer grind - sure would be nice to have those to test against in certain conditions... Then there's the pair of medium-flexed classic skis which slough into both soft-track and firm-track conditions. They also have a unique grind. Don't want to leave those guys behind. Add to that the three additional pairs of matched test skis, a pole tube, two pairs of boots and a partridge in a pear tree. I should throw in a seven-iron and a pitching wedge just to keep TSA guessing.

I got in my last ski for a few months here in the Methow yesterday. The Gunn Ranch road has always been one of my favorites for views: on a sunny day you get the full mountain panorama and as a bonus you can take your dog with you. Here's a nice parting shot of Clancy enjoying his day on the tracks. Next report is from Europe!