It was however dumping snow and very, very windy meaning the top gondola couldn’t open the first day leaving us free skiing on the lower lifts. The next few days got progressively better with the snow firming up and us getting some fantastic super-g and downhill training. With there being very few teams there we were able to get a super-g or downhill course to the two of us! Not often you get that kind of training!

We are back to Pitztal for a few more days training next week before we head to Canada for the world cups. Already lots of snow over there! Can’t wait!

Looking up to the training hill from the top of the train. The shadow never really disappears
on the bottom steep because it really is super steep!

Slightly sketchy squat rack!

We trained 5 days of GS on good solid snow on a steady,  not too steep slope. It was great training, ideal for making good technical changes and progress.

The training hill.

One of the many Moelltall lakes.

The new ski room in Zell, loaded up!

First day we had GS and it was baking hot, meaning the snow had melted a lot, then frozen solid and it was seriously bumpy! It was totally different conditions to what we had in Chile and it gave me a shock as I rattled my way down the first day! It was one of those days when its probably advisable not to watch video!

So imagine my confidence when told that TJ and I would be skiing super-g the following day with the Austrian world cup team…

Our head coach Mike assured us it was probably the best speed training in the world! A big call! But it turned out to be great! I started to ski more like I can and find my guts and go for it down the steep icy hill.

We managed to get four days of good but difficult training in the first week before the weather came in and dumped snow. It started pouring rain down in the valley and hammering the hill with much needed snow.

With conditions awful on the hill I decided to go to the head factory and get some new boots made. What a place! It really is impressive with countless technicians working away on the skis and a ridiculous number of race skis!

The second week of the camp was very different conditions, the resort had gone from one piste being open to the whole lot in a matter of days. It had gone from summer to winter in 4 days!

We skied a lot of GS in soft bumpy conditions and finished off with a day of slalom! My first in a while! It was a lot of fun and much neater and faster than I expected!

About to go surfing on the first day…I say surfing but for meit was mostly taking a beating from thewaves, turns out 9 foot swell is quite big!

Taking a break during one of bike rides along the coast.

Cooking up a storm next to our massive tent!

Hiking along the cliff tops in our new mizuno kit.

The last week we were there we had 3 races, two downhills and a super-g. I hadn’t planned to do the races as I didn’t expect to be in good enough form but in the end I decided I would. I’m glad I did as I made a FIS point result in my first race back in 18 months improving my world ranking! The second race was a big disappointment as the condition didn’t really allow a fair race with the first few guys down the course winning by a long way. The super-g race was a long frustrating day as there were course holds almost every racer. When I eventually got my shot I blew it! I made 3 silly mistakes and finished down the field despite skiing some great sections.

Overall the camp and the races were really positive as I feel my skiing is going in the right direction and the race results were reasonable and could have been so much better if I can cut out key mistakes.

I started skiing sections of GS gates on a pretty easy piste on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised how well I coped. The next day I skied the whole course with no trouble and was making some good technical changes and progress. I feel like I know what I need to work on and have a clear plan how to improve.

The last two days I have skied super-g, starting with sections yesterday and skiing the whole course, including a decent jump, today! It feels so good to be back on the long skis and skiing fast! The feeling hitting the jump first run was amazing, a cocktail of nerves, excitement and adrenaline, such a buzz!

Tomorrow I am skiing downhill! It has been a long time but I feel totally comfortable on the skis already and am excited to get out and train every day.

I have uploaded a video to my facebook page as I haven’t been able to upload to my website very easily. I will try to keep posting videos and pictures over the next few weeks.

Here’s a pic of TJ Baldwin dropping into the powder after the snow storm!

Arriving in La Parva we couldn’t see a thing! The fog was so thick that the organising staff couldn’t find the house! Fortunately by the following morning the skies had cleared and we had a fantastic view from our apartment over Santiago and the pistes.

The mountains were a little bare of snow but the snow on the pistes was fantastic, solid but not icy and perfect to get back in the groove of skiing. I followed our return to ski progression, building up the intensity of drills and then free skiing. It felt so great to be back on skis, I didn’t realise how much I have missed it! It was also fun and helpful to have our physio James there to ski with and make sure I was keeping things moving at the right pace.

We have now had four days skiing, three in perfect sunshine, before the storm and then one day in some serious fog and snow. We need the snow though so we can’t complain! After a day off hopefully the skies will have cleared and I can get back to the skiing.

The view from the apartment. Not bad!!

Our physio James.

There are a few races at the end of the trip and my goal is to be confident enough and skiing fast enough in training to race those. But the most important thing is getting miles on skis again and finding my balance and making technical improvements.

It’s a new season and a new beginning with a new coach and only a small group of guys going on this first camp. TJ, Ed and I all get on well and push each other well in training and I think this is going to be a great season.

Time to get back to winter!

My family rented a house in Lacanau, France for six weeks and with no skiing planned until August I was able to go out there for most of the time and enjoy some warm weather training and some fun activities. The cycling was incredible around the area and with good weather it was easy to get out and put in some great sessions. The land is mostly really flat around there so it was perfect for sticking to heart rates and following the sessions.

The gym was tought to find- a small room above the local cinema. It had pretty basic kit but just about everything we needed, was cheap and full of friendly people.

Heres some pictures from the trip you can click on the pics to enlarge them and theres a couple more in the gallery.

Finally getting to push my body waterskiing-it held up to the test!

Family photo Crawford style

Showing off….

Punished!

Chem and I on one our bike rides along the coast.

Learning new sports- the locals made us very nervous to try their toy ‘La Chaise’…it was absolutely terrifying, hilarious and mindblowing! The hydrofoil baffled us all…but also made us laugh-a lot!

Slalom waterskiing! Love it!!

Our daily table tennis fix…with my usual concentration face-the tongue in the cheek…I’m still trying to deny I do it though!

Next up for the rest of the team is the British Champs in Meribel. A race I’ve often skied well at and was this year hoping to have the chance to defend my titles from last season. Sadly I won’t get that chance and instead I will be checking the results online and seeing how my friends and team mates get on.

While the past few months have been a massive disappointment and incredibly frustrating, there have been some positives. I have made some good fitness gains in areas that are often neglected, I have improved my core stability hugely, my flexibility is much better and my body is now working as it should. Hopefully with these improvements I should make some great gains in my strength and aerobic fitness over summer as well as being in better shape to make good technical improvements and come back to some great results next year.

I will be back next season, stronger, fitter and hungrier than ever. I can’t wait.