2018 World Junior/U23 Championships
Goms, Switzerland
January 27 - February 3
Journal, January 23rd – skiing in the sun:
The sun came out today and cleared away the fog! A beautiful landscape of mountains were behind the clouds all this time and we didn't even know it! Katherine SJ and I skied today just to enjoy the sun. It was so wonderful!
Unfortunately, an avalanche has gone across the road going down the mountain so we might just be stuck in this beautiful paradise for another day. :)
Hannah Mehain
Journal, January 22nd – skiing in the rain:
There is so much snow where we are staying here in Praz de Lys it is unbelievable! I don't know how the roofs can hold that much weight. The snow is heavy too because it is so wet. When we started out skiing it was snowing but by the time we finished it was raining. I was soaked right through to my Leefa layer. Although it was wet, I thoroughly enjoyed my ski with Maya, Katherine S-J and Alexandra. We were skiing up the downhill run on our way to the cross-country trails and someone pointed us out to their ski instructor. The instructor took one look at us and said, "On excuse les Canadiens!" (we excuse Canadians). They are so kind to us!
This afternoon, I worked on my homework and helped Catherine with her English homework.
Hannah Mehain
Journal, January 21st:
Today, I had my first race of the trip at the French Cup. It was wild! I have never raced in such conditions. Luckily it was not raining like the forecast predicted, but it was pretty close to rain. The snow was coming down hard, plus it was very foggy so it was extremely difficult to see the track. Glasses were fogging up. Skiers were standing straight up on the downhills trying to see better and then going as hard as they could on the uphills to make up time. Many people skied right into the snowbank. As I was going around a corner my glasses were fogged up and I hit a glazed patch and I fell. My ski came right off and my binding was still attached to my boot! I stood up and contemplated what I should do. There was no one in sight. The stadium was a fair ways off. I unclipped the binding from my boot, fetched my ski from the snowbank and jammed it back onto my ski and continued racing. I brought my focus back to the race. I decided to ditch my glasses as I went for another lap because I could not see anything with them anyway. On the second lap, I got a split from Lisa. "Midpack", she said. I thought, "Wow! I'm not doing too bad with having done some ski repair mid race! Let's close the gap now! I can move up a few places." And so, I worked hard the rest of the race to try to make it count.
On the bus ride from the ski trails to the lunch place, I started a conversation with a couple of French girls who were sitting beside me. I asked them how their race went. They responded, but I did not understand a word they said. Luckily, Catherine was sitting there also and she continued the conversation with them.
The first race in Europe was in very challenging conditions, to say the least. Hopefully, the races at World Juniors/U23 will be better.
Hannah Mehain
Journal, January 20th:
We arrived in La Fontaine, France this afternoon to ski the French Cup race course for tomorrow. The ski area is on top of a mountain and it felt like we had to go up a cliff to get to it. After many switchbacks we finally came to snow. We then drove through a couple of little villages that were on top of the mountain. The buildings were made of old stone and wood and looked like they were built in the 19th century. Some buildings were crumbling. It was as if we stepped back in time a 100 or more years. Apparently, the place burned down in the 1940's and all that was left was stone foundations.
It was snowing like crazy when we tried to ski the course. With the track covered in snow and a thick fog in the air, it was very difficult to see where the track went. The course looks like it was carved out of an open field. It has rolling terrain like a golf course. My goal is to work every transition.
Hannah Mehain
Journal, January 19th:
It is a strange but wonderful thing to see the sun poke it’s head through the clouds after having being deprived from it for days! Coming from the sunny Okanagan, I am not used to all this cloudy weather. Even in the winter, I am able to escape into the sunshine on top of Silver Star Mountain when it is a thick cloudy soup down below. Though it is cloudy, I am happy because it is snowing!!! It has been snowing for days it seems and just today, the sun briefly lit up the snowy landscape and shone through the windows while we enjoyed our lunch. Lunch was another decadent meal! A salad with meat and a cheesy pastry on top! A delicious treat after a beautiful ski. The trails here are absolutely stunning! The trees are snow burdened and there are heaps of snow on the roofs of the adorable European cabins.
I am looking forward to cheering Catherine and Laura on in the French Nationals skate sprint qualifier this Saturday. I will be racing the 5km classic on Sunday.
Hannah Mehain
BC Athletes:
Annika Richardson – Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club (N. Vancouver)
Gareth Williams – Telemark Nordic Society (Kelowna)
Hannah Mehain – Sovereign Lake Nordic Club (Vernon)
BC Coaches:
Chris Manhard – CCBC Provincial Coach
Matt Smider – Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club