So the season is underway. We had our first World Cup GS race in Soelden, Austria last week and the season is off to a start. As far as my skiing went, it was ok. I got out of the start strong and had a good top section but then I got a bit lost half way down and started skiing way to round and over thinking it so I had no speed coming onto the flats. I have to be happy with it though because I had not started in a GS race in two years. Since the Lienz world cup that ended GS skiing pretty fast. So I am happy with finishing and getting that out of my head but I am ready for the next one. Too bad its not till Aspen. But I have some work to do. I need to start training more like I race. Strip down to the downhill suit and get after it on my first two training runs. Maybe work on my inspections a bit more. I always enjoy having the first race down, that way you know how you stand. It can be a bit nerve racking though when you are not on your top form. But just another little thing in the back of your mind to get you down the hill. All in all, the training and racing in Switzerland and Austria went great.

I am home in Jackson now enjoying some serious weather. It’s freezing cold one minute and dumping with snow the next to beautiful blue sky. I am only home for a few days but it might be my last for the year so I am happy to just lay around eating and hanging out with family and friends. As we speak I am having a food baby on the couch. My father cooked up a great meal and now I can’t move. It’s nice to get away from all the hype for a few days and just relax. Let the body detox and release and let your mind do something other than sleep ski eat train ski sleep eat. We are headed to Germany for some indoor skiing and then up to Finland for the Slalom race on my Birthday! Oh man I’m getting old. I better get on it! he he Enjoy the new snow wherever you are!!!!!!!!

So we had a great last prep period here in Saas Fee, Switzerland. There is not a lot of snow here in Europe right now but it’s coming! We are getting ready to race in Soelden, Austria for our first World Cup. It’s so exciting but a little nerve racking. I have not raced GS since December of 2007 when I crashed in Lienz so I’m a bit nervous. But this year I had a great prep period with lots of skiing in New Zealand, Chile and here in Saas. I feel good; it’s always hard to tell how you are doing til you race. But sometimes it’s hard to just let go of the training and just go and race. You have to be confident and trust yourself. Trust that you have trained hard and that you know what to do. Then after the race, you can reassess and make some changes. We have so many GS skis to try also so that is hard. After Soelden we don’t race GS for another month so that gives us more time too. I have had a bit of a head cold so I have been trying to stay healthy, sleeping a lot, eating, drinking a ton of water and resting. Gotta stay on it for the race. I am taking a few more days off to rejuvenate and hopefully that gives me a bit more energy! Either way, I’m just going to put my poles over that wand and go for it! I can’t wait!

I have been enjoying such a fun time traveling. From Chile to Germany and France, I am just all over the place and loving it. We had a great camp in Chile, very difficult but much needed. I was in desperate need of some serious boot camp training, being off the snow for so long and not having long courses in my bag of tricks so it was great. Then a quick trip home where I enjoyed some good dinners with friends and family and got the house ready for winter and spent a few days with my pops hiking and just laughing away…….. Now I am on a crazy adventure with Kevin. I started in Sylt, Germany which is this Island north of Hamburg where he has Windsurfing finals. It is always so cold but a fun place, kinda like the Hamptons of Germany. We had one day in Hamburg and explored it up and down. Very clean and hip. The architecture is super cool some very modern mixed in with old WWII area buildings and gorgeous water fronts and canals. It was not what I expected and loved it. We are now in Marseille France staying with Kevin’s windsurfing buddy, Cedrics, very lovely family in such a cute French villa and cooking up big dinners with 8 people at a time sitting around laughing away and yes complete with the stinky cheese that they dig out at the end….. I am going to gain loads of weight before our first race… he he bring on the ski race! I have been so into cooking and especially with a spicy flare so I cooked everyone curry tonight and they are all crying or downing rice and cashews to chill off the effect!

I am so in love with this European peacefulness. For me total chaos is always peaceful. We have a big house full of French, Argentinean, English and American craziness laughter, love, happiness and a sweet little dog named Nala. I love the the family feeling, running around in my moccasins and getting this feeling so far from home is very pleasant. It is a perfect break before we head to Saas Fee Switzerland for our last prep camp. Its so exciting that we are going to be racing in less than two weeks. Crazy, I am so happy for this. Gotta keep the head on straight though and keep plugging away and being safe. We have a good little power block before we head to Soelden and rock the world right!!!!!

Till then I’ll be diving head first into the ocean to cleanse the body before skiing is full on!

We have had an awesome camp so far. The main focus was to get lots of runs under our belt. Test out your endurance and just ski. No matter how hard you work all summer strengthening, there is nothing like skiing.

So, now that we have our ski legs, I’m ready to go home. he he I have had fun on this boat but I’m ready for something new. I am holding it together better than I have in the past. It helps to have great teammates and great internet service. But after two weeks in the same place, the food and everything gets old.

What saved me for these last few days here was an amazing afternoon shred session with Sarah. We went out to take pictures and breathe in the love of our lives and just smile. We love to ski; there is nothing else like it and we are so lucky to be able to do it for fun! Some good pool sessions and very nice cooks have also helped me out. I dug up the last remaining GF tortillas I have and had them make me a quesadilla which hit the spot! I’m super happy with how this camp went — even if it was tough and didn’t always feel great, it always feels good to work hard!

PS- For a good laugh…
All week I guess there have been some cute Brazilian boys on a little boys trip. Every day at around 3 p.m., they come down from the mountain and jump into the pool and rock their speedos. I have not noticed them until today (apparently a man in a speedo does nothing for me). I guess they have been mesmerized by all the U.S. women running around. So, now since it must be getting close to their departure day, they are getting a little more aggressive. So I am sitting here watching a preschool flirt-fest going on. They started at about tea time and have been strategizing how to pick American girls up … what they came up with was a question on paper plane that came soaring into our laps. It read “Want make a brazilian party tonight?” We sent a baseball paper plane back saying “only if it’s in a speedo!” ha ha and right then and there they pulled their pants down and showed us, yes their speedos that they wear all day all night. Pretty funny. I get such a kick out of watching these crazy kids! Hilarious, that was pretty much the end of it but who knows, maybe Hailey will make a video of them in their speedos in the pool tomorrow.

Welcome to the wild world of crazy Resi! I have been training hard from a major comeback, almost two years in the making. It’s been a long road, but a good one. One, if fact, I wouldn’t trade for the world. But I’m back and ready for some action!

We started the prep period off in New Zealand with a strong camp, great snow, lots of drills and some new style. It was great to be back with the team and training hard. I’m a big fan of training hard. I love the feeling of sculpting your mind and body and having a goal and doing everything you can to achieve it. It’s pretty cool to focus on something and have it be your life, dream, job and passion all in one. This year is the Olympic year and that has always been a big one on the list. I hope to not just go but to do well. I have a lot of work to do before that though.

We are in Valle Navado, Chile right now where we are practicing our slalom and GS skills. I even got a few runs on my super-G skis which was pretty exciting. It’s my first time coming to Valle Navado and I like it. Big ski area with lots of snow. Great hotel with a nice pool and amazing food for Chile. The key here is to not get sick. We have already lost a few girls to the stomach virus that we like to call the “Chilalean.” I am rooming with Jessica Kelley who is also back from an injury and we have been playing it safe in our room watching movies and writing and painting in our journals. It’s super high elevation here — we sleep at 10,000 ft and train at 13,000, so we need all the energy we can get. Hydrating constantly, lots of sleep and eating healthy. Luckily they have good fish and are very helpful with cooking up some of my gluten-free food I brought. It can sometimes get a bit claustrophobic up here in the mountains so its important to have things to entertain you and stay focused. I have struggled with this in the past so this year I am really trying hard to just calm down when I feel like I can’t go anywhere and explore. My teammate Sarah says to focus on exploring your inner being instead of outside. You can’t go to far around here or you might fall off the earth. It feels like we are just resting on stilts!

So far, training has been going well. Snow is a bit soft but that is OK. Feels good on the body and we can focus more on drills and tuning our skills. So far, so good! I’m so happy to be back and skiing and feeling good. I’m staying in the “Now” and not thinking ahead, but it is getting close to ski season. Only a month away before we race. Crazy, time flies by. I can’t wait! This is going to be a good year! For all the hard work there are always fun times with this crowd. I am a big believer in living every moment to the fullest and exploring the world! It’s about happiness and always having a smile on my face. Whatever that takes, I’m up for it!