The US Ski Team has been traveling to New Zealand for summer skiing for years and this time around Lars and I decides do join them. A good choice it turnes out, skiing here is fantastic! We’re living a good life on the Snowfarm (outside Queenstown, on the south island of NZ), with great food, comfortable lodging and good company. It doesn’t hurt with 50 km of perfectly groomed trails right outside the door either!

Training is going really well. So far we’ve done a lot of distance, a few interval sessions and one TT. For weights we drive down to a really nice gym in Wanaka, a little town about half an hour downhill from the Snowfarm. After many trips down the road I’m still far from comfortable with driving on the left side (Left to Live!). Right hand turns and roundabouts really freak me out. Shifting with the left hand seems very hard. Needless to say, I’m not driving a car until I’m back in Bend.

A picture from the far end of one of the longest trails. "The Farm" off in the distance.

Morgan Arritola in perfect classic tracks.

Andi (NZ) and me on our classic ski this morning.