WCSN Blogs

Hey There WCSN Fans!

Wow, what a difference just a few days on home turf means to me. I decided to skip the Zagreb slalom in favor of going home to Tahoe, taking some time off and taking that rest up to Whistler.

While home, I picked up my new Audi which several of us US skiers are getting through the ski team’s Audi sponsorship (THANKS AUDI and USSA!). I decided on the TT, since I already have a car that’s meant for utility. I know, I know, it’s a toy, but hey, what the heck: we all deserve a toy here and there. Check me out being silly in the pictures…

Also, and this is much more exciting than the car, I visited Daron
Rhalves’ family and got to hold their new precious baby twins. Wow wow
wow… what can I say except that it’s an amazing feeling to hold the
freshest, newest generation of humanity. Their future is so wide open
for them and I know they have everything they need to make it to
adulthood. Daron and his wife are amazing people, loving and providing,
so I’m really excited to see the two little toddlers grow to become
amazing adults!

Up at Whistler, I’ve been feeling pretty good with some good training
runs. The mountains and the snow feel completely different than in
Europe, a feeling that I’m familiar with. We’ll see what kind of results
that “feeling” will bring, but either way, I’m stoked and excited to be
on North American soil.

I’ll check in with you all once back in Europe! ohhh and I will be doing
a live chat session on my website, http://JuliaMancuso.com this coming
Saturday. Stop by the site to see the details.

Talk to you all later!

Jules

Find out about Julia Mancuso and Chemmy Alcott’s plans to auction ski gear for Right to Play. Click here to learn more!

Hi Guys!

So, we’re racing the men’s downhill Olympic course this weekend in Sestriere, Italy. It’s nice to be back on a men’s downhill (like St. Anton), and I have to say that at first we were a little bit disappointed that you could tuck the whole course except for two turns. But that was because it had snowed a lot. Once that snow was compressed, it ran a lot faster and much more to my liking.

Of course, they had to take away a few of the men’s jumps (bummer, because I just love catching air), but still it’s a lot of fun. Ohhh, and there’s a big jump at the bottom, which is sweet.

I love being back in Italy. There’s lots of pasta, pizza, olive oil and good cheese. My technician lives half an hour away from here, so I guess you can say it’s home away from home for the team. And of course, I get to relive the Olympic dream. I took a run on my hill yesterday. It brought tears to my eyes.

Arrivaderci a tutti!
Jules

It’s storming here in St Moritz!!! I have been enjoying my day off, watching movies in the bus and just cruising with my friends. My friend Rory is here from Tahoe and she is an avid cross country skier, she had me out there yesterday skiing through the lake trails here. It was a ton of fun and a ton of work… I could really feel my lungs working for me! It was such a great way to spend the afternoon outside on a beautiful day. I always like to enjoy all the area’s to their fullest, not just on the race hill!

I am a pretty lucky girl too, another friend of mine who is travelling with me this year is Japanese and an expert sushi maker! We made hand rolls for dinner! A little bit of crab and avo rolled up with some wasabi soy sauce, yummy yummy!

We race tomorrow and the weather is supposed to stay a little bit bad… but hopefully we can rip it!!! see ya Jules

Hey,

So I just got back from a wonderful week in my favorite place, Cortina D’Ampezzo. We got some really good powder skiing the first couple of days we were there, and that made us also extend our trip through Monday to pull off the Super G that was canceled in Aspen.

It was exciting to be on the Podium again in Super G this year. I always have a really great time on that hill, and even though I ended my Cortina podium streak, at least I manage to continue the tradition of doing well in front of all my Italian fans!

I have to say it was tough to hear about Scott Macartney’s crash, though I still haven’t seen it and don’t think I can watch it, even though he is doing really well. Its always tough to imagine the risks that we take doing what we do. I try to just stay positive and like most things in life, take it as it comes, and think positively. Scott you are amazing!!!

I am in Germany now, and today was a little foggy as it normally is here, but I guess the forecast for tomorrow is looking good. We are back to the tech races and I am looking forward to get my quick feet back on!

ciao!

Hi Everyone!

Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun! I just realized that it’s been 3 weeks since you’ve heard from me on WCSN.

Same procedure as every year, I find myself running around Europe from here to there and back again. Just the other week we had a race in the deepest innards of the Czech Republic, WAAAAAY out there in the boonies I tell ya. Imagine traveling to some far off place into another country (try the movie Hostel for example) and that’s pretty much what we had going on… no kidding, when we got there at midnight and got out of the car, the coldest Siberian arctic blast of wind ripped through our bodies. Brrrrrrr!

No, honestly though, Spindleruv came through for us with light snow for the GS race and then full on clear skies for the slalom. My races were so-so: 9th in slalom (I’m happy about that actually… my training has paid off!), and 8th in GS (bummer).

Back to Kirchberg, Austria where I had great great training sessions and skied some of my best slalom ever (gotta see if I can get some of that footage onto my website). Perhaps it had to do with the new plates Rossignol and I got hooked up on my skis. They seem to turn better for me. We developed those for my St. Anton downhill and as you may remember I did pretty well there.

But still, new plates and amazing training and all, didn’t make for a winning experience in Maribor, Slovenia, where I didn’t quite make the grade. Maribor, always a good time, was soooo WARM (unlike the Siberian blast we experienced in Czech). It was +13C at night and the slalom was so slushy and rainy, it was nuts. The more skiers went down, the deeper and deeper the ruts got. I am so amazed at just how well those course workers prepared the hill in the first place. Without their hard work, the race could never have been held.

Off to Venice to meet up with Mom and the family. WHAT AN AMAZING CITY! It really is everything the romantics say it is. And Carlo, my friend who runs Shred Optics with Ted, invited us all to such an amazing restaurant. Soooo good. Thanks Carlo!

And now, as I write this, we’re socked in about 40 cm of snow in Cortina. 2 downhill training runs have been canceled and there’s no end in sight for this snowfall. It’s nice and cozy in the bus, so we’re happy.

I was just thinking that maybe a little powder session is called for… hmmmm… should I? Yeah. I will. Gotta go hit it! Talk to y’all later!

Ciao tutti!
Jules

It’s nice to be back in Aspen, the weather is nice and warm … for now, and the course is a ton of fun.

I have to tell everyone about Lake Louise, it was sooooo cold … brrr. The races were so cold I wore a face mask, and I know that they are pretty nerdy, but I tell ya, my face felt a lot better with that on especially charging down the hill at such speeds. I was 13th and 11th, and I know it’s not what most people think is great for me coming off of such a great season, but hey someone has to be 11th and 13th, and I am proud to hold the honors of those two spots. I have to say, I am feeling great and to look on the positive side, I made it down safe, and last year, I didn’t make top 30!!! so I m off to a good start!

Aspen is always fun, my mom and sister Sara are going to be here tomorrow, that is very exciting for me. My sister just turned 18! Happy birthday Sara, I can’t believe you are what we call an adult! crazy times it is….

Stay tuned and watch us here in Aspen! Its going to be fun, and I have a feeling I am going to have some fast races!

Just wanted to say a quick hello from Lake Louise. We went skating on the lake and played a little bit of hockey! It was a little dark, but Lake Louise is a beautiful place. I recommend it to all! We made some snow angels too. … I will let you know how the races go! Right now we are lucky because it isn’t too cold, but I hear the cold is coming. … Ciao