Living Life As It Is To Be Lived: A Brief Respite From Structure

As I walked away from my final race of the season, it was odd to not have the sense of relief that typically ensues. Instead, a general warmth of satisfaction lingered through the next weeks as I thought back over the season. With each new race, I seemed to get stronger and the trend never did end. My last races of the season were without a doubt my strongest and unlike seasons past, the waning days of competition did not drag on.

Entering the month of April, and my annual respite from Cross Country skiing, I was anxious to escape the structured livelihood required of a professional athlete. I did not know what exactly it was that I wanted to do, but that was not important. What was important was the freedom to do whatever came to mind. And after a few days of catching up on chores neglected while on the road, I did exactly that.

My first exercise in momentary freedom was a quick trip to Southern Utah with my good friend Jeremy, an Olympic Biathlete who felt the need to stretch his wings same as I. Two dirt bikes in tow, we drove to Moab to ride the famous Slickrock trail, something I have done tens of times on a pedal bike but never once with a motor. It was a completely different experience and equally thrilling. Mountain biking is much like cross-country skiing, dirt biking is it's antithesis and perhaps that is the reason I enjoy it so much. Its a constant exercise in total commitment, there is no tip-toeing on a motorcycle, unless you like pushing 300lbs up a hill.

Riding White Wash

The day following our ride on the Slickrock we joined a group of new found friends for a ride in White Wash. It was an insanely technical trail for the second ride of the year but never willing to back down, I kept at it and soon became comfortable with the terrain. It was without question my best day ever on a dirt bike. As we left the desert in our rear view mirror, we grinned into the sunset and recanted the ride. Without question, it was an epic start to our weeks away from ski racing.

Ledges make for technical riding.

Returning to Park City, I soldiered on in my mission to do exactly what I wanted to do. I joined friends out on the town, staying out late enough to see the sun peak over the hills early in the morning. It didn't take long before it was time to pack for my next adventure, a vacation to Costa Rica that was given to me for Christmas by my radical girlfriend, Crystal.

We left for San Jose early in the morning and arrived late in the afternoon following a short stop over in Houston. We had an adventurous ride through Alajuela, navigating small roads lacking any sort of signage, eventually arriving at Las Orquedias where we spent the first night. The next morning we were pulled from our sleep by an early, equatorial sunrise and hit the road en route to volcano country. We stopped to peer into the crater of the Poas Volcano with no more than 30 seconds to spare before a thick cloud cover enveloped the mountain for the rest of the day. We continued on, passing waterfalls and sprawling coffee plantations until we reached the town of La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano. We found a hotel, enjoyed a meal and watched lava flow into the darkness of night.

The next morning we toured the canopy of the rain forest by zip line. And while the zip line was fun, the real joy came from seeing just how vast and lush a rain forest really is. I'm not sure words can accurately describe how much life exists in those regions. While in La Fortuna we also toured the back parts of the town, allowing us to peak into the real Costa Rica and soaked ourselves in the region's famous hot springs.

Crystal And I in Costa.

After a few days flying solo, Crystal and I trekked back to San Jose to meet up with our friends Colin and Nicole (Nicole Deyong - also an ITA athlete). The morning following their arrival we drove out to Puntarenas, where we put the trusty Terrios on a ferry to Paquera, and drove to our final destination- a surf spot named Santa Teresa. We had rented a house with several other friends, all linked somehow through our involvement in ski racing.

abby, chris, myself, crystal, colin, nicole, toby (from left)

The next 4 days we spent surfing, boogie boarding, body surfing and in general, lounging on the beach. It was great to have a few days to just chill out with friends and enjoy life without schedule and commitment outside of that we have to each other. The end approached quickly and we ventured back towards the capitol city and departed the Rich Coast of Central America; an amazing place that I can't wait to revisit.

hanging at a waterfall

Upon our return to Park City, it was time to take care of some sponsorship commitments, most notably a photo shoot for Rossignol Softgoods '09. Before leaving to Costa Rica I had committed to a 3 day shoot in and around Park City, though when I returned that had morphed into a 7 day shoot spanning the desert of Southern Utah. As their chosen poster child, I really had no choice and anxious to repay them for their commitment to me, it was the least I could do.

The group of ten consisted of several photographers, an art director, the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing and 5 models, myself included. As for the models, we had never met but we soon formed a cohesive bunch that turned a week of hard work into the kind of week you wish could make last a lifetime. We toured the desert of Southern Utah, making stops in Moab, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. Temperatures were just barely cooperative, hovering just above the half-century mark as I spent much of the time wearing nothing but a pair of surf shorts in front of a camera. It all paid off, the shots were amazing and the memories in my head are not that of work but of hiking, mountain biking, and paddling a stretch of the Colorado river in a kayak with some awesome new friends (I'm not a kayaker and how I got roped into that whole thing is still a bit of a mystery).

Zion National Park.

Calf Creek Falls - Escalante NP. That is some cold water. Believe me.

Photographing the Photographer. Zion.

Enjoying the Sunset in Capitol Reef NP.

Bryce Canyon NP. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.

A month of adventure behind me I am beeming with excitement to begin training again. Life is for living and lately I feel as though I've been doing a great job of it. As I read stories of fellow ITA athletes and their push towards Beijing Olympic team, I can't help to be a bit jealous of the experiences they are having and will have during such a trying time. Those are moments that one does not forget. They are the times that you put everything forward, sparing nothing. And it's that effort that is important. An effort that is the culmination of years of dedication, sacrifice and perseverance.

Good luck to all the ITA athletes trying to make that team, enjoy it!