Scenes from School: Salt Lake City Edition

After finishing a ten-day intensity block and being all caught up on my university book learning I had no more excuses for not heading out to the Great Salt Lake. Today made a fine day to be in the second saltiest body of water in the world. The brine flies were away, and one could go bob bob bobbing away in the brackish waters outside the once world famous Saltair Palace. On the paddleboard, you could look down and see reddish-brown plumes of brine shrimp hatching.

Even better, the last surviving building of the Coney Island of the West (hint, it is the only one not built of wood) was open, so I got to look around and see the old photos from a hundred years ago. Back then that the place was alive in regal opulence. It is so surprising to find places that time forgot in America, especially in the western United States. Everything feels like it was built in the last fifty years here. And, really, you could not believe the scene that one stood on these salty flats - boardwalks, a special passenger train just for the resort, the world's biggest rollercoaster - all here. Today you can find plenty of solitude at Saltair.

Another view from the lake. The water's there, I promise. It's just that the flatness of the geography plays tricks on the eyes. The lake resides as the bottom of ancient bottom to Lake Bonneville that once covered much on the Intermountain West. Today the waterline ebbs and flows with the snowmelt and each passing thunderstorm.

So far this summer  plenty of thunderstorms have made their way through Utah, though I know the brutally hot summer afternoons are coming. This makes watching the last rays of the day slip away with a storm brewing above that much better.

And the fifth graders back at Osborn Elementary? I think they are doing alright. The young scientists made it onto the big screen again, this time to discover and talk about the vitality of the Wenatchee River that rushes by.


Nature Education at Barn Beach with Mr Peck's 5th Grade Class from Icicle TV on Vimeo.

Until next time. -T.

Thank you Mr. Peck!

With the calendar's turn to May, big wheels (and big dreams) kept on turning. After the Hawaiian adventure  I returned home to my roots in the Wenatchee Valley. I had plenty of catching up to do: with friends and family, with my fifth grade class at Osborn Elementary, the Columbia River, and five months of accumulated mail.

Catching a glimpse of the old trains and steam engines outside of town.



Beginning the day with Mr. Peck's 5th graders.

With all the travel of ski racing season being in full-swing, I had only two days in the classroom with Mr. Peck since Christmas before I came back. During that time away, I had to stay in touch via postcards and photographs. It's always better to be there in person to give them a high five after  the opening bell to class. In class, the 5th graders were collecting wildflowers for their collection, watching quail eggs incubate and hatch, and making worm tea from the castings of worms the kid's were each growing in class. With such a lively bunch of kids, and so much stimulus, there was hardly a dull moment. It's pretty amazing to think what teachers do, how they are able to have enough energy to charge hard and motivate kids, day after day. Comparatively, a fifty kilometer is a sprint!

After 35 years spent teaching and coaching in the Leavenworth School District, Mr. Peck is calling it quits. Well, sort of. Starting in June, he's taking a new job with Teton Science Schools where he'll work with new teachers, helping them perfect their craft in education. Greg's speciality comes in placed-based teaching of field ecology and experimental education. With the campus sitting on Teddy Roosevelt's Dude Ranch in the foothills of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I think Mr. Peck's change of employment will be the ideal venue and opportunity for him to help groom the next wave of teachers in America. It's been an honor and a privilege to work with Mr. Peck in the classroom. For eight years now I've been visiting his class and conversing when overseas with his classes. For the past five years, I've done this with In The Arena. With Amory and the ITA team behind me, I've been more diligent with these responsibilities. Thank you Greg! Thank you Amory!

Now I've had to say my goodbyes. The last days I've been cracking the books myself, nearing the end of my work for a Masters in Professional Communication from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. But there's still work to be done, both in the classroom and on the roads and trails in anticipation of Sochi 2014.

Until the next time -- a special report from Salt Lake City. 

Recharging: In Photos

Greetings from Hawaii's Big Island. After the season's conclusion, I jetted off here. It's pretty crazy to think that this Hawaiian adventure is my first proper vacation. After a last couple seasons past I would either trade in the cross country skis for an alpine or alpine touring set-up and head right back to my 5th grade class in Leavenworth after a visit with the grandparents. Or in my high school to University of Utah days, hop right into the track and field season. With the buildup to the Sochi Olympics coming, I thought are real recharge with Bettina along the Pacific would be just the ticket. What follows are a couple images and impressions from the time here.

The verdant green mountain and valley of Kailua. We headed across Oahu for some paddling to the Mokulua Islands.

Snorkeling Hanauma Bay is another must-do here in Hawaii. The amount and diversity of the fish I came across here was amazing. I wish I had another, better way to describe it.

I was stoked to run into some sea turtles here at Black Sand Beach. Since then, I've spotted turtles both on land and in the sea several other times.

Leaving in the morning at sea level and near-jungle, then hiking to the top of Mauna Kea at 4,200 meters (almost 14,000 feet) made for a morning of intense juxtapositions. This is the highest point of the Hawaiian Islands, and apparently the best astronomy and star-gazing spot in the world.

A selection of the observatories I came upon on the hike up Mauna Kea. The mountain was unlike any place I've ever been. For miles in any direction there is no vegetation - absolutely zero. I don't think Death Valley or anywhere else on the globe outside the Sahara Desert has anything on this place when it comes to harshness of living.

Another day trip I won't soon forget came from visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. In the distance, the volcano is spewing fumes from the crater. We wanted to run around the whole crater rim trail. But we were turned around due to the toxicity of the air the volcano is currently producing. Being here was to get a little closer to feeling the heartbeat of the earth.

I'm sure, soon enough, my gaze will turn once again to figuring out how to glide on snow as fast and efficiently as possible.  Until then, good luck and viel spass!

Thanks for following along this season! To the best of times. And those that will be.

Hanauma Bay: Swim with the Fishes

Today Bettina and I rented a couple of single speeds down the Oahu coast and made our way down to Hanauma Bay with some snorkel gear slung across our backs. Swimming along the coral reef with the turtles and fishes and Wolf Eels of the Pacific Ocean was pretty amazing. I guess the bay is like a little Channel Islands or Galapagos Islands, with some varieties fish found only in this little cove of the ocean.

Season: Finito

After seven months of snow and half of a calendar year spent racing, the view outside my window has changed, and kind of in a big way. I’m really looking forward to taking in the islands of Hawaii, relaxing, eating too much pineapple, swinging a golf club for the first time in three years, and of course getting in the water. I don’t think it would take too much for me to swtich gears and become a waterman: long-distance prone-paddleboarding, outrigger canoeing and some surfing are all on the agenda once the body feels fresh enough after the long winter of racing that ended with a fury with the World Cup Finals, Canadian Nationals, and just yesterday the US National Championship 50km.

 After stealing the 50 kilometer championship from the Canadians at the Whistler Olympic Park, I lost my race shape by a bout of illness. This made yesterday’s soft, sloppy 50 kilometer a real grind. The body wasn’t up for a top performance, but I hung in there and came on strong in the final kilometers to finish 7^th overall, or 5^th American. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail…

Racing around the King’s Castle in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden during the World Cup Finals.

It’s kind of crazy to think back right now, about where my winter of white began, and all the stops and stories I picked up along the way.  Day one of the 2012/2013 season started on the  rollerski treadmill of the sport science laboratory at Montana State University under the watchful eye of Dragan Danevski and Dr. Dan Heil.  The mountain photo above comes from the peak of the Dachstein Glacier where I once again joined Petter Hagen and Team Sjusjoen for the first strides of the season back in October.

In chasing one’s dreams, you incur the tenderest of debts. There are couches and beds you stay on, meals and rides, conversation and companionship, mentorship and sponsorship, training partners and service technicians, and, and, and… 

In particular, I’d like to take this opportunity so give some words of appreciation to my parents. From the first strides on my step-in Epoke skis at age two, to chasing the Olympic dream for a fourth quadrennial, they have been there every step of the way. And Bettina. And Petter and Dragan. And the Bridger Ski Foundation and Team Sjusjoen. And Tor Arne and Guri Hetland for opening the doors to train day in, day out with the Swiss National Team while in Davos, Switzerland this winter and fall. And the US team for the expert ski service and help at the Scandinavian spring tour.

I will particularly remember having so many friends from the University of Utah days out cheering trailside at the national championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah, and having the opportunity to race in front of so many uncles, aunts and cousins during the Tour de Twin Cities.

The list goes on and on.  To all of you and many, many more, thank you.

Scenes from Stockholm: Royal Palace Sprint

The story of the Royal Palace Sprint goes back ten editions. I first heard back in 2004 (my first Stockholm Palace Sprint) that the King of Sweden had a keen eye for nordic skiing, but was dissuaded from the pursuit in his earlier days. His interest in ski racing has burned brightly through the years, though. Having the best ski racers in the world racing around his Palace is apparently a treat for the Swedish King and his Family.

The Palace grounds sit on some incredible real estate. It's an island with the Atlantic Ocean all around. Copper and gold, bridges and pavilions pocket the venue. All the while, gargoyles and golden crowns and impressive carved lions like this keep a watchful eye out on the old town.

The Stockholm weather was... brisk. It was definitely the coldest, most blustery -5 celsius weather I've been in. This dried out the machine-made snow, leaving it sugary and unable to set up properly. Double poling the course on the men's side was prominent. 

The view from the King's Castle. The Vasa Museum and other city attractions lay in this neighborhood of the city.

The girl's team taking in the last warm sunny rays of their winterlong European ski racing adventure.

Until next time, from Falun.

Scenes from the Road: Holmenkollen 50km

At the 2011 World Championships, I finally got the chance to race on the Holmenkollen trails just outside Oslo, Norway. Yesterday, on my first time back since, I got another bucketlist experience - joining Kjell-Erik Kristiansen in announcing the Holmenkollen 50km.  Kjell-Erik is a true pro, and one of those special characters cross-country skiing has - a personality for the sport not unlike Dick Vitale and college basketball.  Kjell-Erik understands skiing in-and-out, and probably has a better grasp on its demands better than most athletes. While announcing, Kjell-Erik switches seamlessly between Finnish to Swedish to German to Norwegian to English. He does this to converse with the international crowds at ski races, and to cheer on the athletes in their native tongue. I was most impressed, though, how he could recognize the athletes. From a country mile away Kjell-Erik could pick out Italy's Dietmar Noeckler or Norway's Snorri Einarsson just by their technique within a pack of competitors. 

If you're up in Holmenkollen, the ski jump acts as the north star. For three days it's nonstop action, both in the air and on the trails. For ski jumpers and nordic combined, these are the concluding competitions of the season.

This jump is far from some of the rickety-old wooden ski jumps I've seen in my day. From Oslo's new opera house to the ski jump, it seems like nordic architecture is enjoying a renaissance.

This man is responsible for mixing the stadium music for every World Cup. Especially distance skiers will talk about how they come through the stadium for another lap of the race and certain songs playing at that time get stuck in their minds for the rest of the race. For better and for worse, this man makes that happen.

As many of you know, skiing is a pretty big deal in Norway. I think this picture captures a sense of this. The King is always in the house when the World Cup comes to Holmenkollen. Next Wednesday, I will race around the King of Sweden's Castle. The Swedish Royal Family will be in attendance. Looking forward to it, Princess Madeleine.

For days on end the woods of Holmenkollen are filled with people camping out alongside the race course. It is quite that party and revelry. Someday I'll have to go back and get this experience from the race. This year, Canada's Dasha Gaiazova couldn't wait. The race organizer gave her a tent. She found a thermorest and a sleeping bag somewhere else. She looked tired when I saw her the next day, though maybe much fresher in the mind.

And Norwegian boller! 

Next stop: Stockholm, Sweden for the World Cup Finals mini-tour. Until the next time. -Torin