KMS Women's Alpine Team

Stratton ECups and Sugarbush Vermont Cup

2012-01-17T05:15:00.000-08:00

As many of you are aware, the girls are into the heart of their season. We have been training hard since the beginning of November, and now it's go time! The team split up last week after departing from Smuggler's Notch. Most of the girls shifted gears, from training tech to speed. They have been working hard on the hill and prepping their skis for this week's FIS Super G series at Okemo. During that time period, Kristie Ryan and Kara Van Herwarde competed in 4 Eastern Cup Tech races at Stratton. This race series was stacked with NCAA Division I collegiate athletes, provincial team skiers, as well as other racers from ski academies. Ryan had a great showing during the first, 2 day GS series. She started bib 81 the first day and moved respectively up to 50th position. She geared up and did it again on the 2nd day! Kara was skiing well in the first section called "the beach". Unfortunately, she took a spill right over the roll over, where I started filming.
We endured some less than optimal weather during the slalom series. The lift wouldn't start on the 2nd day due to the ice that had accumulated, so the athletes practiced their skating and slipping skills until we were able to hold first run at 11am. Ryan skied well until straddling an exiting gate, coming out of the flush. During the 2nd day, Kara skied sections very well during 2nd run. We drove home in a whiteout, which made the 2 hour drive back home an adventure!
Yesterday, the whole team competed in a GS Vermont Cup at Sugarbush. After a 59 minute delay, due to timing issues, the race kicked off. We came down to a rough start for the first run, but saw vast improvements by certain athletes on the 2nd run. Kelly Rowland moved from 25th position after 1st, to 15th overall (coming in 8th on the 2nd run). Jessie McNeil moved from 37th to 26th position, after skiing the first pitch very well. Jocelyn Werle was 24th, Michelle Martin 39th, and Kara Van Herwarde 41st.
We have one day of training before heading to Okemo for Super G. Afterwards, the team will split up once again. The J2s will be staying on the speed track, going to NH for a 4 race super g series at Attitash. The J1s will be heading up to Collingwood, Ontario for a 4 day tech series. Stay tuned for results!

Slalom at Smuggs!

2012-01-09T11:01:00.001-08:00

The girls wait for the awards ceremony after day 2.

This past weekend, we took the majority of the team up to Smuggler's Notch to race a slalom series. The girls competed against other Vermont schools such as SMS, GMVS and even St. Michael's College. On Saturday, we raced in abnormally warm weather for Smuggler's Notch. The track was soft, but the girls made the best of it. Even when it started to rain for second run!
Our better conditions and results came on Sunday. The surface firmed up, so the track held up much better than the day before. Kristie Ryan raced down first run to finish in 3rd place. Ryan was having an awesome 2nd run, but came into the flush (that Stags set!) too straight. She straddled the combo, then hiked. Our top KMS athlete was Jessie McNeill. McNeill finished 9th overall (6th for j2s). Our rookie, Alyce Ritchey was right behind her after first run, finishing 11th, then straddled a gate towards the bottom of 2nd run, (once again, on Stags course).
Rounding out the top 20 were Jocelyn Werle (14th), Kelly Rowland (15th), Michelle Martin (19th) and Heather Desino (20th). The girls agreed that they had an alright race series, but are hoping to podium and round out the top ten later in the season.
This week, Kristie Ryan will be competing in a 4 day Tech Eastern Cup series in Stratton. The rest of the team will be training and shifting gears to focus on speed events. The team is in to compete at the Eastern Cup Super G series at Okemo on Jan. 15th and 16th. There will be a lot of super g skis to prep and wax in the near future!

Holiday Week Update

2011-12-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays. Most of the women's team has come back to school to train and race already. We were fortunate to compete in our first Vermont Cup of the season (finally!) on the The team raced GS on Okemo's steep and intimidating competition trail, Wardance. Our top two finishers were Kristie Ryan, coming in strong in 5th place, and Jocelyn Werle, rounding out the top 10 in 9th place. Another strong finisher moving from 41st spot to 20th was first year J2 Heather Desino.
For the past 2 days, the team has been loading the lift before sunrise to get in early morning training from 7-9am. It's a short session, but the girls were able to lap around frequently on Bunny. This way, we can have training to ourselves to avoid the holiday crowds.
Tomorrow, we compete at Cochran's ski area for a night slalom. We'll depart KMS at 10am for a 2:30pm start time. Stay tuned for results!

Back in the east

2011-12-19T15:35:00.001-08:00

Another successful trip is coming to a close. We just landed in Boston, soon we will be getting our bags and climbing into the vans for the last three hour leg of this trip. We had a very good camp in mammoth and some great results in Alaska, now its time to get some rest and get ready for Christmas and the rest of the season. Even with the lackluster weather and lack of snow I am ready to be home in Killington.

A little taste of the east

2011-12-18T11:38:00.001-08:00

The reasons may be differant but we just got a taste of the east. Due to heavy snow, high Winds, and high avalanche risk the mountain is not opening today and the second gs has been cancelled.
Now we are going to finish our packing and start a very slow drive to anchorage. Our next concern is going to be getting to town before the seward highway gets closed for avalanche control by the dot.
It's been a great trip so far but I am really bummed that we are not getting the opportunity to get this last gs is. But on the flip side I am really psyched to be heading home, I think everyone is ready to sleep in their own beds for a few days before we head back on the road.
I will check back in from anchorage this afternoon.
See you all at home tomorrow night.
Stags

Weather delay

2011-12-18T09:50:00.001-08:00

We must be at a ski race. Right now we are on a weather delay to see what will happen today. It rained most of the night and into this morning, it just recently changed over to snow. It's also really windy right now.
This weather combined with some random power outages has us waiting for a 10am jury meeting to see what out plan is for today.
They have also been blasting for avi control since 7 this morning.
Check back later to see what we end up doing today.
Stags

Alyesaka GS#1

2011-12-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today we had to contend with some pretty soft and bumpy conditions. The girls did a good job moving up first run, Kiersten up into 12th, Kristie moved into 20th, Jocelyn into 26th, and Kara skied into 30th. Jerica had some trouble and came down into 58th. Second run the girls did a better job on the top pitch, but most of them had trouble adjusting to the set on the lower pitch. Kiersten had a great run going but came in straight and back and took a detour right before the bottom flat, Jocelyn had the same problem, they finished 22nd and 31st. Kristie had a solid run and skied herself into 18th. Kara also had a much better second run and moved up into 23rd. Jerica had trouble in the middle section and wasn't able to stay in the course.

While it may not have felt very good the girls scored some good results. Kristie scored a 73, her best GS to date. Kiersten also had a great day in the end, scoring an 84. Kara scored her best GS ever by nearly 50 points with an 85. And despite her troubles along the way Jocelyn score right around her points with a 102, not bad considering how much trouble she had on the lower pitch.

Tomorrow we have the last GS of the series. I am hoping that the girls have some gas left to ski fast and score more great results. After the race tomorrow we are packing the cars and heading back to Anchorage for the night. Monday we start the long trip home, leaving the hotel around 4am for a 6am flight to Saint Paul and then on to Boston. We are supposed to land around 7 Monday night then drive home, hopefully reaching school by 11pm.

First run

2011-12-17T14:27:00.001-08:00

First run is in the books and things are looking good. So far this year we havn't been able to ski much gs, but the girls did a good job on the run. Kiersten had a pretty ragged run and skied herself up into 12th. Kristie skied into 20th followed by jocelyn in 26th. Kara once again skied well and will be starting 1st in the second run. Jerica had a few problems and came down into 58th. Next run we are going to raise the intensity take a few more risks.
Let's go girls
Stags

Untouched gs

2011-12-17T11:31:00.001-08:00

When was the last time you saw w gs race where the hill was untouched at 10:30 am? Schedules are just a bit more relaxed this far north. Inspection is starting any minute.

Alyeska SL Day2

2011-12-17T00:09:00.000-08:00

We are half way through the races up here in Alaska and through the Slalom portion of the trip. Today was a bit tougher than yesterday but the snow was better. First run Kristie ran into trouble on the top and didn't make it down. Jocelyn met a similar end on the lower pitch. She leaned in an unfortunately exited the course, running into the measuring tape of the men's second run setter in the process. Kiersten had a solid first run moving up into 18th and Kara skied well and moved into 30th. Jerica had a few bobbles and was able to move into 46 on the run.

Second Run Kara was able to capitalize on starting first on the run and had her best Slalom run of the year so far, 10th on the run and 20th overall. She scored a 111 point race, by far her best Slalom result to date. Kiersten had a good second run going but had some trouble with a difficult section and had to hike, unfortunately she didn't go far enough and was disqualified in the end. Jerica had great run going on the top two thirds of the course but got caught by a couple of very tight gates at the finish and wasn't able to hold her line and had to slow down right before the line.

The girls are psyched to get out for GS tomorrow, their skis are ready and the spent a bunch of time doing homework this evening.

Stags

Excited for Super Series GS

2011-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

The girls and myself made it safely up to Mont Tremblant. The girls are really psyched to race in a fairly small, but competitive field tomorrow. The mountain's been working really hard to be able to obtain a race series. Fortunately, the race hill's in such good shape, the TD said they could've held the race today or yesterday. The athlete's will be able to catch the first gondola up to the top lodge at 7:15, so they can have time to get some warm up mileage before 9:15 inspection. Myself and the other coaches get to load the gondola at 7am...to set up 60 B nets for the race.
Catch the race on live-timing.com! 10:30am start.

Inspection is open

2011-12-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Game on

2011-12-15T23:42:00.001-08:00

Race Day!!! SL #1

2011-12-15T23:27:00.001-08:00

We have the first FIS sl of the season in the books. The girls had some pretty varied results. Kiersten and Kristie had good first runs and moved well into the flip, skiing into 13th and 18th. Kara had a good first run back in her first FIS SL since 2010, moving up from 52nd into 25th. Jerica had some trouble on the bottom first run and finished 49th. Jocelyn skied well in sections but was interrupted by a hooking a tip at the top of the bottom pitch.
Second run Kristie was a bit conservative but held on for 16th overall, Kiersten had another good run and moved up into 11th overall. They both also scored their career best SL results, Kiersten scored a 71 and Kristie scored an 81.
Jerica and Kara both had trouble on the second run and took some minor detours on the way, finishing 39th and 40th.
On the mens side Andrew kimbell had a great day finishing 5th and scoring his best sl result ever with a 73.

Race day

2011-12-15T16:14:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed a nice relaxing mornong. The girls worked on homework and final ski prep. Now we are waiting for them finish setting and getting the 6" of fresh snow pushed off the race hill. The snow over here is much better today than it was over on the training hill yesterday.

Alyeska sl training

2011-12-14T17:43:00.001-08:00

Today we got out a little earlier and trained a slalom on the training hill. The snow was better than yesterday, but it was still a very differant surface than we are used to. The snow seemed like it was completely saturated, so it felt firm but it was difficult to get a ski to hold very well.
We took a couple runs and then let everyone freeski for a bit. The freeskiing on the race hill was better than yesterday. After the weekends snow storm the surface is improving every day.
Right now everyone is working on homework and Greg and I are going to start dinner before we head up for the team captains meeting.
Everyone is excited to start the FIS season tomorrow. Make sure to check in on live timing tomorrow to see how everyone is doing.
Stags

2011-12-13T19:12:00.001-08:00

Training at Alyeska

2011-12-13T19:07:00.001-08:00

The girls were able to sleep in a bit this morning before we headed up to the mt. Since the mountain never opened yesterday there was still over 35" of fresh snow on the top of the mt. So we have the kids some time to go freeski and explore before training.
We did train a little gs on the training hill but the snow wasn't very good so we only took a couple runs.
Right now some of the guys are cooking dinner and the rest are working on homework. Tomorrow we are going to train some sl, and Thursday we start racing.
Stags

Back in AK

2011-12-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

We have finally arrived in Girdwood. We had a pretty long day yesterday after a leisurely start in Reno. Or flight was delayed due to mechanical problems, we had boarded and had to get back off to wait in the terminal until it was resolved. We did get in the air and made our connection in Salt Lake with time to spare. Five hours after leaving Salt Lake we landed in some heavy snow in Anchorage.
After three trips on the shuttle we all finally settled in at the hotel in Anchorage for a few hours of sleep around 2am. This morning we got up, found the rental vehicles, and packed up to head south. We were greeted in Girdwood by new snow and no power. The mountain was closed.
We had planned on training GS but that will have to wait until another day. We spent the afternoon getting moved in and organized, we also ended up driving back to Anchorage to get groceries and other supplies.
We are planning to get on the hill tomorrow barring any other issues.
Check back for pictures and updates over the next few days.
Time for some sleep.
Stags

Final Day in Mammoth and First race of the yar

2011-12-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

We are moved out of the hotel in Mammoth and waiting in the Hotel in Reno for our flight to Anchorage this afternoon. The girls got to race their first USSA SL of the season. It was a great opportunity to get some of the pre-season jitters out of their systems. Kristie had a decent first run and came down with a good second run and was able to put together two runs to score a great 73 point result in 7th place. Kiersten also had a good day and finished 13th overall. Kara had a great first race back from her knee injury in Saas Fee. She was a little nervous first run, but skied with considerably more confidence second run. She skied some of the best slalom that I have seen out of her, in the process she was able to score a 115 point race which will help her going into this season. Jocelyn ran into some trouble on the second run and was unable to finish. Jerica opted not to race second run to save her knee for the races in Alaska.

We will be heading over to the airport to get checked in soon. We are all looking forward to getting up to the great north to open the FIS race season.

We should be on snow in Girdwood about this time tomorrow, check back for some pictures.

Stags

Mammoth run one

2011-12-10T13:02:00.001-08:00

The girls had some good sections first run. The set was much more open and straighter than Anything we tend to see in the east. They starting to pick up another gear for races and are looking for more speed. Kristie skied into 8th, kiersten 12th, jpcelyn 19th, and Kara 20th, Jerica finished 50th.
One more run then we are off to reno for the night.
Stags

Rave day

2011-12-10T08:46:00.001-08:00

Here we go. First race of the year for these girls. Super open slalom with a royal flush, should be fun to watch. Kristie time one so make sure to check out live timing today.

Stags

Last day of training in Mammoth

2011-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today marked our last training session on Mammoth. Tomorrow we have a USSA SL here and then we head down to Reno before the Flight up north Sunday afternoon.

Today we did a race simulation on ADG. We set the first run and ran the girls in USSA point order, then they got a consolation run in that course before a full reset and another race run.

Kiersten was able to hold on for the overall win and Jocelyn was able to win the consolation race from the second runs.

Tomorrow we are racing on ADG for the opening race here in California. Kristie pulled bib 1, Jocelyn 15, Kiersten 18, Kara 28, and Jerica 31. Should be a great chance to get an early start before we head north.

Stags

Mammoth Slalom day 2 on Ruthies

2011-12-08T13:54:00.001-08:00

Today we had a great slalom session on Ruthies, just to the right of the hill we were on yesterday. The pitch was a little more mellow with more gradual terrain changes. The girls did a good job working on tactics and are starting to learn how to ski combinations properly. They are also starting to find some good speed of the pitch and on the flats. Tomorrow we are moving back over to Andy's Double Gold for our final training session in Mammoth. We have the opportunity to train SL on the race hill before we have a USSA SL on Saturday to help finalize out preparations for Alaska.

Stags

Mammoth Day 5 Slalom

2011-12-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

After the day off yesterday the girls got up this morning for a great morning session on Fascination. The girls got 5-6 runs on a 40 turn slalom course. They all had some good sections and some good runs.

Tomorrow we are heading back out for slalom on Ralphies. We are half way through camp here in Mammoth and everyone is really psyched for Alaska.

Nick

Ginger bread house competition!

2011-12-07T16:37:00.001-08:00

Nice work to everyone that helped out!

Slalom on east fall

2011-12-07T10:28:00.001-08:00

We have been privileged this week to get in some gate training. We have tweaked the women's and men's weekly schedules around. Training in the morning all week gives us a chance to get some mileage in to prepare for upcoming races. Although the surface has been soft, we have been able to train consistently on east fall. This gives us an advantage over other programs training on the east coast. During the afternoon, the athletes have study hall and classroom time.
Tuesday evening after dinner, kms students, along with some coaches and faculty, enjoyed playing Dodgeball at the local elementary school. Every week the local elem. School gym allows us to use the facility. We ended up having a lot of fun, and playing for over an hour!

Day off yesterday

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the girls took a much needed day off to rest and get some work done. They spent the morning in town with Heather House Christmas shopping. The afternoon left plenty of time to do homework and prep skis for the next few days of training.
Today we are heading up soon to train slalom on Fascination.

Mammoth Day 4 Full Length GS

2011-12-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today the girls had a chance to sleep in for a bit before we headed out. We spent some time in the morning free skiing and working on fundamentals. I have been very impressed with how hard the girls have been working on the hill to make changes and improve their skiing. We had a mid day training block on Andy's Double Gold. After the J3's finished their morning session we set GS right off the top of the trail. ADG is steep and challenging on the top third and then gradually mellows out through the second half of the trail. The girls are a bit tired from four straight days but they worked hard and did well for their first day running full GS.

Tomorrow we are taking a well deserved day off. I am planning a trip down to Bishop for some shopping and Mexican food, as well as a chance to get to a lower elevation for a bit.

Stags

Mammoth Day 3

2011-12-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

We finished up another sunny day here in Mammoth. Much like yesterday we skied for a bit in the morning and then the girls went in for study hall. We worked through some more of the drills during the session, everyone worked hard and is showing improvement. In the afternoon we had hill space up and Andy's Double Gold again this afternoon. We set a 26m apex gs course on the lower part of the trail to give the girls a chance to work on turn shape and learning where to put the apex of a turn. The snow was phenomenal again today, give the girls every opportunity to work on their skiing. Ali Price joined us today from the J3 group and did a great job both in the free skiing and in the afternoon session.

The girls are starting to look a little tired from the travel and skiing the last three days so we are going to let them sleep in for a bit tomorrow. We are finally going to have a chance to run full length GS, should be another great session with plenty of sun and great snow.

Stags

Mammoth Day 2 GS Apex

2011-12-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today we had a chance to ski for an hour in the morning before study hall. We took the opportunity to take a few free runs and work on some drills before the afternoon session. In the afternoon we had very productive session on Andy's Double Gold. We set a 27 m apex GS course to help the athletes understand turn shape and pressure management. The Girls did a good job today adjusting to the turn shape that we were looking for and raising the intensity level through the session. We took a little time after skiing to do some recovery in the pool and do a core workout. Tomorrow we are back on ADG in the afternoon and we plan to continue with apex GS for another day before progressing into full length GS on Monday.

Nick

Day 1 in Mammoth

2011-12-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

We had a productive first day here in Mammoth. After a little extra sleep this morning that girls got up and had a few free runs to get back on their feet after the travel day.
Then we got started with a 15 turn brush apex slalom course to work on turn shape and to help bring some of the drills into a course environment. We had a productive session with everyone skiing well and making improvements.
Before study hall we managed to sneak in an extra hour in the afternoon to start getting used to GS skis. We only got about 6 runs but they all looked considerably more comfortable by the last run.
Tomorrow we are planning to work on some free skiing fundamentals and then move into a GS apex course in the afternoon.
Check back tomorrow for an update and more pictures.
Nick

Mammoth arrival

2011-12-01T18:53:00.001-08:00

We are in mammoth and the kids are settling in. They are getting skis scraped and bindings setup and unpacking. Everyone is really psyched for this camp as well as for this season.
I'm sure they will heading off to bed soon but we are hoping to freeski tomorrow and train a little slalom apex.
Check back tomorrow for a training update and some pictures.
Nick

Logan international

2011-12-01T02:08:00.001-08:00

It looks like we are heading out of town just in time, maybe a day late. We should be boarding in a little bot to get this trip underway. We will be saint Paul in a couple hours and into reno early this afternoon. All reports are that the snow is good in mammoth and reports for alyeska look good. I will check back in when we get to mammoth this afternoon.
Stags

Getting ready for competition season.

2011-11-30T10:23:00.001-08:00

The women's program has been busy training on the east and west coast. The first fundamentals mammoth camp came back yesterday evening. We have another race prep group leaving for mammoth and Alaska today. The rest of the program is getting geared up for Vermont cups and races up in Canada later in December. We've been on snow free skiing with one day of brush gates for the past 2 weeks. Even though the snow isn't optimal we've had a pretty productive prep period! Hope everyone had awesome thanksgiving and your December holiday prep isn't too hectic!

Community Service day with Ski Patrol

2011-11-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

The J1, 2 and 3 women and men met up with ski patrol at 8:30am sharp. Today, we helped set up safety pads on lift towers down Wild Fire and Snow Shed.

First Week at KMS!

2011-11-13T17:59:00.001-08:00

6 inches!

We're psyched to have everyone back at school! During our first week, the women's team was keeping busy with class time, free skiing, dryland and testing. Our first day we tested each athlete on their strength, agility and power skills. These tests results determine the physical condition of each athlete. This way, we're able to develop individual workout plans for the fall and winter training. During the rest of the week, the women and men were able to jump on snow for some free skiing and drills.

Despite blasting snow guns, the women endured a solid training session on Friday.

Irene

2011-08-29T10:09:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone has come through the hurricane unscathed. Here at Killington we are currently without power or water, but it is a beautiful day. Currently we are stuck on the mt, route 4 into rutland is missing all three lanes just above sugar and spice. Route 100 to pittsford is closed, and heading south on 100 is completely gone by the white church before the base of starship. We are hoping 4 will be passable sometime today or tomorrow. So with no other options a hike to to the top of K1 seemed like a good idea. Hope everyone is safe and dry, its actually really nice up here.
Stags

Our last day at la parva

2011-08-19T08:08:00.001-07:00

Camp is officially winding down and coming to a close. We had planned a fun slalom race for this morning, but the surface was simply too soft. We took a few slip runs but cut everyone loose to go ski powder and enjoy their final day on snow in chile.
Now everyone is busy travel waxing skis, packing, and cleaning the condo. The bus is set to arrive in a couple hours to take is down to the airport, one last trip down through the switchbacks and into the city. We have had a very productive camp and I think everyone has made significant improvements.
See you all at jfk tomorrow morning.
Stags

Snow in la parva

2011-08-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

With the prospect of heavy snow looming over us for the last few days it seems to have arrived. This morning we woke up to a few centimeters of fresh snow and a day off. Through the day the snow fall has increased, by he coaches meeting at four the top of he mountain already had 30 cm.
Looking forward to tomorrow we are planning to go for slalom in the morning. But with the current snow fall that may evolve into a couple hours of powder skiing before the bus arrives.
Training or freeskiing tomorrow should be a great last day in chile, I know everyone is getting excited to get home to some warm temperatures and a few days off before school starts.
I will try to get an update and some pictures up before we take off tomorrow night.
Stags

La Parva SL

2011-08-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

We had another great day of Slalom today. We set one course on the top over the pitch will full gates and another brush apex course on the bottom. The girls work really hard today and took 10 runs in the full gate course. They worked hard and made more improvements today. We were lucky to wake up to very little new snow so set up and course prep were quick and painless.

After this four day block we are looking forward to our last day off this trip. They are ready to start packing and getting ready for the trip home on Friday. Friday is going to be a pretty busy day, we are planning to have a fun race on the final day. Then we need to get packed, skis travel waxed, and moved out of the condos for the trip down to Santiago.

The girls have worked hard this trip and I am really psyched with their progress over the last two weeks.

See you all in a few days.

Nick

Slalom in the Snow

2011-08-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up to a couple inches of fresh snow. After a few slip runs we were able to get down to a good surface for training. On the upper part of the La Paloma trail we set a brush apex course to work on turn shape and pressure placement. Down below we ran a section of full gates from the pitch out on to the flats.
Through morning snow came in at times and visibility got very low. Even with the somewhat challenging conditions the girls did a good job and are showing some improvement.
After lunch we went out and took a few more runs to work on specific skills. The girls were pretty tired but we pushed hard and they made some good progress toward the end of the session.
I didn't get many great pictures so I will try to get some good ones tomorrow.
We are planning to try again for SL tomorrow because the forecast is for some heavy snow tomorrow afternoon and into Thursday.
Check back tomorrow for more Pics.
Nick

SL Apex and SL Training

2011-08-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

We were got out on the hill this morning and had a great view of low clouds in the valley below us with the moon above.

We trained slalom on Los Flores this morning. We started out with a section of brush apex slalom on the upper part of the trail to work on turn shape and tactics. It was a pretty tough session due to a significant side hill and fairly steep pitch, but the girls did a good job working on the drill and staying positive.

After four runs of apex we added a 19 gate section of rhythm slalom to build off the skills from above. The girls did a good job fighting and working hard through the session.

The girls are getting pretty tired as we work through the second half of the camp, so I gave them the rest of the day off. We have more slalom scheduled for tomorrow before the final day off.

Nick

Day of #2 and day#6 on snow

2011-08-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a day off from skiing and headed to the coast to take a break and get out of that altitude. Everyone had a chance to walk around Vina Del Mar and most took the opportunity to get in the water. On the way home we stopped at a couple open air markets to look for souvenirs and dinner.

This morning we got right back on schedule and headed out at 6:45am to meet the shuttle and train GS. We trained on the Nevada trail, a challenging slope on the upper part of the mountain. We ended up with 26 turns and about a 40 second course. We took the chance to set some brushes on the first half of the course to help everyone figure out the tactics. The girls did a good job finding the line we were looking for and worked hard to improve from run to run. After 5 runs we headed down for a short break.

Our second session started at 11 with 2 hours of SL drills and freeskiing. With the prospect of some snow coming later in the week we are pushing up the schedule on SL training to tomorrow and Tuesday. Tomorrow should be a great first SL session of this prep period.

Check back tomorrow for more pictures.

Nick

La Parva Day 7

2011-08-12T14:04:00.001-07:00

We finished our third and final day of this block. Jessie and Jerica ran SG during the first half of the session on the upper part of the Baros Negros trail. They took four runs and did a great job skiing fast and making the adjustments that I was asking for. Kara took the opportunity to ski GS with a group of the guys on the La Paloma trail in the first part of the session. She did a great job and has been doing well this camp working hard and getting faster.
After SG we went down to La Paloma and took over the GS training, setting some apex brushes and working on tactics.
We have an off day tomorrow and have a fun trip to the coast planned.
Nick

La Parva Day 5 on Snow, SG and GS

2011-08-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

We started the day with an early trip to the top of the mountain for some SG. We had an amazing view out over the Andes with neighbor El Colorado on the left. Jessie and Jerica did a good job today in their first SG session of the year. They are still learning how to make a 200cm SG ski work and how to develop pressure over a much longer turn radius.
After SG Jessie and Kara joined the guys for a quick GS session. We trained on the front of the mountain right above the village. The top was pretty steep so we took a few runs starting in the middle for our first real GS session of the camp. The girls did a good job and are working hard to improve.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to some more SG and maybe some jump training if the hill is ready.
Nick

GS Apex

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great morning session of GS apex on the La Paloma trail. The girls took 12 runs working with various drills. They are all making great progress.
This afternoon we are heading out for a few freeski runs on SG skis to get ready for an early morning SG session tomorrow.
Nick

GS apex la parva

2011-08-10T07:20:00.001-07:00

We are starting the second block.of camp here in chile. I have the girls running a gs apex drill course with brushes. The girls are taking some warm-up runs and getting ready to train.
They had a good day off yesterday and are well rested. Time to get going and get it done.
I will have more pictures up after training this afternoon.

Nick Stagers
Head Women's Coach
Killington Mountain School
nstagers@killingtonmountainschool.org
(207)460-7824 cell

La Parva day 4

2011-08-09T03:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the girls finished their fourth day on snow of the camp. In the morning we continued to work through the drills we have been working with this camp. They are showing significant improvement so far and are skiing better than I could have hoped this early into the camp.
In the afternoon we took some time and went back out for another two hours to freeski on GS skis. We also worked on a few drills to bring the skills we have been working on into their GS skiing.

Tomorrow they will get to enjoy a much deserved day off to relax and recharge for the next three day block. When we come back on Wednesday we will be running some GS apex and moving toward some SG. We should have some SG training Thursday and Friday with some GS in the afternoons.

Nick

La Parrva day 3

2011-08-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

r

o
We had another great day on the hill today. We continued to build on the drills we worked on yesterday and the girls had very productive day. After three days on snow the girls are all seeing improvements and are excited by their progress.
Tomorrow we will have decided to keep pushing the girls to work hard and go for another day of drills and free skiing before having a day off on Tuesday.
Off the hill we have been enjoying some great cooking from Rhonda the new head chef at KMS. We had a great pork dinner with apple sauce, cauliflower, potato's, etc.
I will have some more pictures tomorrow before the off day.
Nick

La Parva day 2

2011-08-06T15:41:00.001-07:00

Day two here in chile is coming to a close. We had a great day on the hill today working on drills and freeski. The girls are already showing progress on the hill, this is looking like it will be a very productive camp. This afternoon the girls went back out for some freeski after lunch and then did a little recovery.
The wind is picking up a bit late in the day and there may be some snow coming in but freeskiing tomorrow should be great.
Time for some dinner and a team meeting at 7:15

Nick Stagers
Head Women's Coach
Killington Mountain School
nstagers@killingtonmountainschool.org
(207)460-7824 cell

Welcome to chile

2011-08-05T16:19:00.001-07:00

Greetings from chile. After an overnight flight from JFK we landed in Santiago and got our gear together and headed up to La Parva. The kids were a bit tired after sleeping on the plane but over all everything went well.
On the way up to the mountain we stopped at the jumbo supermarket for food and snacks for the next few days. With the size the group it took a while but was well worth it in the end.
After the jumbo we finished the drive up to la parva, making our way through over 40 switchbacks on a very narrow twisting mt road.
We were able to get in about an hour and a half of skiing this afternoon. The girls are settling into camp well and are motivated to work hard and make some important changes. I'm looking forward to the next two weeks on snow.
Here are a couple pictures from the day. I will try to post a few more every day.
See ya tomorrow
Nick

Nick Stagers
Head Women's Coach
Killington Mountain School
nstagers@killingtonmountainschool.org
(207)460-7824 cell

Dryland Camp

2011-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to next week dryland camp is just about here. there are some things that you will need to make sure that you bring with you to this camp.
sleeping bag and sleeping mat
Backpack
Hiking boots or cross trainers, no sneaker for hiking
rain gear
Fleeces or other heavier layers
bug spray
sunscreen
Water bottles
Sunglasses
and anything else that you will need for three nights of camping
If I have forgotten anything please let me know.
See you all on Wednesday for camp.
Nick

Gym Hours This week

2011-07-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

The gym will be open Monday through Friday this week from 9-11:30.
If these hours don't work let me know and we can try to work out another time.

Dryland week of July 11th

2011-07-11T07:08:00.001-07:00

Ladies,
I will be at school most every day this week.
Jack will be covering dryland from 9-11:30 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
I will be covering the Gym Thursday and Friday from 9-11:30.
If you are planning to come in during the first half of the week let me know and I will make sure to be there, or if you can't make it during the posted hours let me know and we will work out a time.
Nick

Dryland Schedule next week

2011-06-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ladies,
I will in town Tuesday next week from late morning until around 6 for anyone that wants tom come up to school to workout.
Lon will be at school Monday through Friday from 9-11.

The week of the fourth I'm not sure if anyone will be around to open the gym. After that week I will be in town full time so I will be at school most days if you let me know when you want to work out.
Have a good weekend
Nick

This weekend and next week

2011-06-08T05:59:00.001-07:00

This Saturday Jack is going to be running a dryland session in Woodstock. It will start at 9 at the ball field behind the Woodstock in on rt 116. Everyone is welcome and it should be a good time.

And on Monday I will be doing testing for anyone that can make it up to school. Anyone that is local should try to make it. If you come to test you should plan to take Sunday off to be fresh for testing on Monday. If you can make it please let me know when you can be here so I can plan the day.

Once I know I will let you know when the gym will be open.

Gym hours this week at KMS

2011-05-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ladies there will be a coach at KMS to open the gym for dryland this week. Also make sure that you are checking your KMS emails for the dryland schedule. If you are planning to come up and work out please let me know.
Thanks
Stags

Gym hours for week of May 16

Tues; 3-6p/ Rutland out of school early 1pm works!

wed; 3-6p

thu; 3-6p / Rutland out of school early 2pm works!

Sat; 3-5p

Test

2011-05-10T15:33:00.001-07:00

Test

2011-03-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

From March 3rd until the 11th, 6 of the KMS womens team competed 3 GMC cup series in Quebec and Ontario, Canada. The first series, in Camp Fortune, QC, the girls competed in a slalom series against canadian province teams, as well as a couple division I college teams.
After the slalom series, we had a long and adventurous van ride to Collingwood, Ontario. Here, the girls competed in a GS series at Georgian Peaks and another slalom series at Devil's Glen. On the first day, Jocelyn Werle moved from bib 65 to 39th position. Jocelyn scored a 96. Allison Visconti moved from bib 25 to 15th position. Ali scored a 62; 12 points lower than her profile. Other results included Michelle Martin, 50th, Kelly Rowland 53rd and Jessica McNeil, 55th.
On the second day, Visconti moved from 25th to 19th. Kristie Ryan and Jocelyn Werle finished neck and neck at 42nd and 43rd. Martin 52, McNeil 53rd and Rowland at 54th.
On the days we had off the girls enjoyed walking through the Blue Mountain Village, doing recovery spins, and cooking family style meals.
Devils Glen slaloms kicked off to a great start. Visconti podiumed her first GMC cup, coming in 3rd place! Other results included Ryan in 30th, Werle 38th and Rowland 39th. On the 2nd day, Ryan was our first finisher coming in 21st, Martin was right behind her in 22nd. Werle came in 28th with Rowland behind her in 29th.

Camp Fortune, Georgian Peaks, Devil's Glen

2011-03-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

From March 4th until the 11th, Ali Viscontie, Kristie Ryan, Kelly Rowland, Jessie McNeill, Jocelyn Werle and Michelle Martin are racing in Canadian FIS series. Tomorrow will be the second day of the first slalom series. To follow live, you can follow on this link: canski.live-timing.com. The women's race at Camp Fortune will start at 10:30am, after the men.

West Mt and Quechee

2011-02-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

The women's team has had a busy month competing and travelling! Our most recent competition was an open FIS race in West Mountain, NY. Don't worry, we didn't know where that was either until a few days before the race. Most of the women went, giving a couple of athletes their first FIS starts to develop their profiles. Ali Visconti took 1st place, which is her first FIS win! Michelle Martin and Jocelyn Werle took top honors for the J2s. Martin was 3rd and Werle 2nd. Kelly Rowland came in 17th and Jerica MacMahon took 23rd.

Yesterday we trained at Quechee Mountain. The girls trained gates and drills with the Quechee ski team j4 and j3 team. We had a great time in the sun getting to know the younger athletes. Tomorrow the girls will compete at Suicide Six in a slalom Vermont Cup.

Martin and Kimbell win on bronco

2011-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

After ten years away Pico is back to racing on Bronco. The kms women took 1st, 5th JessicaMcNeill,
6th Kristie Ryan, 9th Kelly Rowland 14th Jerica McMahon and a great effort in the first run by Jocelyn Werle who was 7th.

Races at Suicide Six and Killington

2011-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend our whole women's squad competed in Vermont Cups at Suicide Six and Killington. The girls skied well during their GS home race on Needles Eye. Allison Visconti had a fast second run, coming in 5th place, placing her in 11th overall. Michelle Martin, Kelly Rowland, Kristie Ryan, Jessie McNeil were right next to one another, coming in 17th, 19th, 20th and 21st, respectively. Jocelyn Werle made her first GS race of the season coming off of an injury. She moved from bib 70 to coming in 23rd place!

Yesterday we had a great GS apex training session on Needles. Todays session is TBD due to the weather.

Busy Week!

2011-01-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

The KMS women's team has had a very busy month with travelling, competing and training. This past week the women have travelled to Sugarloaf, ME, Stratton, Stowe, and Cranmore, NH. To kick off the week, Ali Visconti competed at the NCAA college carnival hosted by Colby. Ali moved up from starting 54th to coming in 25th place. After scoring a 53 as well as experiencing an epic flat tire adventure in the middle of Stratton, ME, she had a successful weekend!
Back in VT, the girls competed in 2 Vermont Cups: 2 GS events at Stowe and Stratton. Kelly Rowland had a very successful weekend, coming in 15th on Saturday and the 4th on Sunday! Kelly scored a 95 and an 89. Kristie Ryan was right behind her on Saturday, coming in 18th.
On Monday and Tuesday, Ali, Kristie, as well as first time Eastern Cup competers, Jessie McNeil and Michelle Martin, raced at the Cranmore Slalom FIS series in NH. Rookies Jessie and Michelle both moved up respectively in the rankings and scored to develop their slalom profile. Cranmore ended up having beautiful weather, despite the low temperatures. The girls took advantage of the free skiing and training courses, which were kept up all day. Monday night they enjoyed homemade lasagna and carrot cake in Eaton!

Slalom on East Fall

2010-12-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's slalom training on upper East Fall. Today, the van departs at 11:30 for GS training at Stratton. We're getting psyched for our first race series at Stratton and Sunday River!

Drop Box

2010-12-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Slalom Training in Mammoth

2010-11-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

The women have moved from GS to Slalom training. Yesterday and today, we got the chance to train slalom on Fascination. After a 4 day training block, the men's and women's squad is taking a rest day tomorrow, followed by 2 days of GS.

Yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner was a success! The girls contributed to the dinner by making lots of apple and pumpkin pies.

GS Apex Training

2010-11-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

The second day on snow the women were able to train GS on Fascination. This weekend Mammoth accumulated almost 4 feet of snow! After 4 days of skiing drills, gates and powder, the women and men are taking a day to rest, STUDY, and get in a pool workout.

Mammoth

2010-11-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

The 5 women did some awesome free ski sessions yesterday, and moved right into apex to apex gs gates today. The snow has been nice and firm, which made a great opportunity for gate training and drills. After training today, the men and women started getting prepared for the weekend snow storm and rented some twin tips for the weekend! Mammoth is expected to get between 3-5 feet of snowfall in the course of 3 days.

Mammoth

2010-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

The women have landed and arrived safe and sound. Loading lifts at 9:00am tomorrow morning! We should see some snow fall and temperature drop this weekend.

Week #2

2010-11-11T10:29:00.001-08:00

During the second week at school, the women's team has been on snow when the weather permits. The team enjoyed a sunny morning while free skiing and doing individual drills. We've also been working hard off snow with lifting, spinning and running.

Along with veteran's day, we are also celebrating Ali Visconti's 18th birthday!

First week: Dryland, Testing and ON SNOW!!

2010-11-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

The women got the chance to get on snow both Tuesday and Wednesday! This sparked some excitement for the winter. Along with free skiing, the athletes have been busy with school and physical testing.

kelly gs training mt. hood

2010-08-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

last days of saas-fee

2010-07-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

electric trucks

life is good

snacks

attacking

group shot with our host peter

kelly's post of myself

2010-07-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Kelly

july 12 GS Saas-Fee

2010-07-12T07:22:00.001-07:00

Alex

Michelle

Kara

Nikki

The Women are running some aggressive GS and having fun.

Debra I hope you notice the helmet on Alex!!!

GS at Saas Fee in sunshine

2010-07-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Kelly

Emma

Elisabeth

Brit

fun in the sun

2010-07-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T03:22:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T03:12:00.000-07:00

dryland in the trees

2010-07-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T01:45:00.001-07:00

2010-07-07T01:44:00.001-07:00

2010-07-07T01:44:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T01:43:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T01:42:00.000-07:00

the tram at 7

2010-07-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

huge gains made

2010-07-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Athletes are working very hard and showing great improvement.
We have had two sunny and warm days that have created a need for
strong body position on the skis.
cheers

training day 2

2010-07-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

arrival in saas-fee

2010-07-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

All have arrived safely, if not a little tired,
two good meals, some fun dryland where they jogged and played with really cold water, added adventures of feeding the marmuts in the fields.
all are now asleep as we start skiing in the a.m.

J2 State SL at Sugarbush

2010-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

Van departs KMS at 6:45am on 2/15/10 for the J2 State SL at Sugarbush.

Game on!

Stratton NJR Thursday, Jan 21

2010-01-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Van departs KMS at 6:30am sharp!

GMVS MLK GS

2010-01-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

Howdy gang,

Van departs @ 6:15am (expecting inclement weather). Please be at KMS by 6am to load.

Race: VT GMVS GS
Day of Race: 1/18/2010
Place Of Registration: GMVS Ski Club
Registration Time: 7:00 - 8:00
Time Lift Opens for Racers: 7:45
Name of the Race Course: Inverness
Course Inspection Time: 8:30
Start Time for Race: 9:30

Suicide 6'em

2010-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

In Saturday's heated Vermont Cup slalom race at Suicide 6, Ali Visconti claimed 4th place behind a podium of NCAA collegiate racers and Brittany Angelo placed 15th overall and claimed 2nd place for J2s (she also got a shiny medal as displayed below). For full results click here. Jake Jacobs of the men's team landed 16th overall and claimed gold for the J2s.

Alpine Program Director Tom Sell poses with J2 medal winners Jake Jacobs and Brittany Angelo.

Ode to Needle's Eye

2010-01-05T12:20:00.001-08:00

To help ring in the new year, I have written a poem about my first experience of KMS SG training on Needle's Eye.

Oh, Needle's Eye,
How you look so steep at first,
Though you really are not steep at all.
But when I try to carry fence on high
Your ungroomed powder
Makes me fall.
No not once,
Which would be bad enough,
But twice,
To start my day off rough.

Yes, the Women's Team ventured over to Needle's Eye for our first few runs on SG skis this season. After a few timid runs to shake out the cobwebs, the ladies started to experiment with tactics and speed. We will return to this venue next Tuesday to enact our revenge.

Race Results

2009-12-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Allison V. who scored a FIS SL 79-point race today up at Sunday River. Down at Bromley, Kristie R. placed 6th and Kelly R. came in 15th to round out the first sheet. Though the field was small, we're banking on seeing everyone make significant upward movement tomorrow.

On the drive home, we stopped off at a neat, little farm stand so the girls could feed apples to the horses.

Kelly, Brit, and Kara attempt to feed the horses.

This horse shows us just what he thinks of the KMS J1/2 Women's Team.

Women Race at Sunday River, Bromley, and Okemo

2009-12-18T17:23:00.001-08:00

The KMS J1/2 Women's Team finished up a cold, but highly productive, week of training at Killington. Winter has officially set up shop, and we hope it decides to stay for the duration. This weekend, Senior Danielle M. and Junior Allison V. are competing in SL and GS Eastern Cup races at Sunday River in Maine. The rest of the team, including Anne C., Brittany A., Emma F., Kristie R., Kelly R., Kara V., Lisa S., and Katie B. head to Bromley on Saturday for a Vermont Cup SL and Okemo on Sunday for a George Tormey Series GS. Best of luck to all our racers competing the next few days!