Crafting Quality

There are days or times when the quality of training depends on the athlete, not the environment. Now, you hope that every day offers the ideal situation to train, but that is not always the case. Seeking out the most consistent and stable situations or locations to maximize the potential of each day is important. However, we fell in love with an outdoor sport, and a winter one at that. Most training takes place outside, exposed to the elements and environmental conditions, and the weather is not always predictable or favourable. An athlete’s ability and mindset to turn a less-than-ideal situation into a positive or beneficial training experience are measures of perseverance and determination. This is something I had to put into practice over the past few weeks.

After the past two summers, when I headed indoors for on-snow camps in Torsby, Sweden, and their ski tunnel, I returned this August to the familiar Snow Farm on New Zealand’s South Island. It marked my fourteenth trip to New Zealand during their winter. In all those previous years, snow depth was never a major concern; there was usually plenty of snow. Of course, there were years of less snow, but that’s why the team chose August, as it had been the most reliable for snow depth. This year, however, was a very different story, with the scarcest snow conditions I have ever seen at the Snow Farm. One abnormally scarce year in fourteen is still an impressive ratio.

As always, when I get on the snow, my focus is on the technical aspects of my skiing. This year, it was not as simple as turning off my mind to everything but technique and skiing endless kilometres in the treeless terrain near New Zealand’s Pisa Conservation Area. Each loop involved more thinking, and a greater awareness was required. Avoiding rocks, dirt, tufts of grass, or icy spots—especially on narrow sections of trail—demanded constant caution. Improving technique wasn’t just about adjusting my position or angle; it meant fighting for balance with each stride, staying agile enough to side hop, and preventing a ski from slipping out from underneath me. It’s challenging, but also a chance to develop coping skills, push myself, and hopefully enhance my balance and technique. It’s about making the most of what I had, and it could have been worse. Although I may have changed the modality I used, the lack of snow never affected the hours I trained. The loops may not have been the longest or the ones I typically do at the Snow Farm, but it remains an incredible place to train.

I can’t say enough about the staff at the Snow Farm. Their ability to achieve and maintain good conditions during such a tough winter deserves recognition. Staff members, management, groomers, and several coaches shovelled any snow they could find so athletes could enjoy the best possible conditions. They managed the limited snow carefully to optimize the conditions. Filling dirt patches daily with shovelled snow, which would melt within two days under the relentless sun, was a true testament to the dedication of the community that helps build champions. 

Wrapping up this year’s on-snow summer camp, I have a lot to reflect on. I had very specific thoughts and plans about what I wanted to achieve or do while skiing at the Snow Farm. I don’t feel I’ve lost those pre-camp focuses, but they might now need to be shifted to another time of year. Maybe I couldn’t work on the big and flashy items, but I spent a lot of time focusing on the fundamentals and building a strong foundation for developing skills in preparation for yet another Games. Just as I was three years ago, when I last visited New Zealand, I was recovering from double surgery and slowly rebuilding my ability to train. The past three weeks have been about what I could gain, rather than what I might have lost. A mindset to challenge myself to be better regardless of the situation. It’s easy to learn in ideal conditions, but having the curiosity to learn from challenges is essential to success. To learn from the less-than-ideal, within the uncomfortable. In the moment, we never know what we might learn. It is your job to be open to learning, to have the mindset to accept those opportunities, then challenge yourself to learn from them, whatever those lessons might be.  

Today is also a special day for me as it marks the 28th anniversary of the accident that led to my amputation. Over the years, today has become a celebration of the opportunities I have been fortunate enough to experience. A farm accident 28 years ago may have ended some opportunities, but I truly believe it opened many more. So, cheers to the days and moments that challenge us, because without them, we may never discover what was truly possible.