DUFFEL USA

KETCHUM - It is week 18 of 52, according to the average skier’s calendar (May 1st being the start of the new training year). Week 18 does not seem that far along but in reality, it is almost fall. Snow is around the corner!

I took it easy this past week after a 2-week volume block. My family was in town for the lull before the travel storm. Matt, my brother, and I joke about where we are from - Duffel bag, USA for me during the ski season and Duffel International for him.

Matt, Dad, me, Jake & Mom

Ski season means time spent on the road, living out of a Duffel bag. You pack for a race and wear the same things day after day for two weeks. You come home, empty the duffel into the laundry machine, take it out of the dryer and put it directly back in for another two-week racing adventure.

This year, I am REALLY excited to have a new house (aka, a new duffel bag). It is the Patagonia Stormfront 100, which is waterproof up to 6 feet! Why, you might ask, would a skier want a waterproof bag? Well, I will tell you, that we travel in a van with our skis and bags on top, open to the elements. I am hoping that the Stormfront 100 will not only be waterproof up to 6-feet, but also up to 90mph! Stay tuned for results and thank you George and Patagonia for the bag - It will be glorious to have dry clothing without having to worry about the tarp flying off the van roof… again.

Tomorrow I pack for the first chapter of this year’s Adventures in Duffel, USA. The Sun Valley ODT leaves for a Whistler training camp (Aug 26) - then home to Idaho for a bit before heading off to sea level camp at the OTC in Lake Placid (Sept 26). After the New York chapter, it is just a turn of the page before the first race in West Yellowstone (Nov. 25).

It is every day’s mission to better prepare me for the next. This is week 18. It is 14 weeks from West, 6 months from Vancouver… Today, I made myself stronger for tomorrow and tomorrow I will do the same.

Living the dream and giving my all, Kate