{"id":1346,"date":"2021-10-28T00:50:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T00:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oliviagiaccio.com\/blog\/?p=1346"},"modified":"2021-10-28T14:57:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T14:57:13","slug":"the-final-zermatt-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oliviagiaccio.com\/blog\/training\/the-final-zermatt-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"The Final Zermatt Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back! I\u2019ve just returned from a two-week camp on snow in Zermatt, Switzerland, one of my very favorite places I train at on an annual basis. It was absolutely incredible to be back on snow and to ski a full mogul course \u2014 for the first time in over 6 months! Plus, the one-year break (the US Team didn’t go to this camp last year due to COVID restrictions) from Zermatt certainly made me appreciate the incomparable beauty of the place even more than normal. Needless to say, the past two weeks abroad served as a fantastic reintroduction to mogul skiing on a full course and camp life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maddie and Kasey (two of my teammates) and I in front of the Matterhorn at the end of camp!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our first five planned ski days in Zermatt were unfortunately cancelled due to severe winds and a snowstorm that had rolled through the glacier just prior to our arrival. Along with the amazing training that Switzerland offers, unfortunately comes a few downfalls \u2014 the most notorious of which being weather days. Inevitably, my teammates, coaches, and I were frustrated that we couldn\u2019t make it up to the glacier (and eventually became a little delirious while playing the waiting game!). While we weren\u2019t allowed to ski, we were in one of the most fantastically stunning places in the entire world, so we made the absolute most of it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During a hike to Zmutt, a nearby village, on a weather day! <\/strong>Photo: Morgan Schild.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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One of the lil sheep that we encountered on one of our hikes!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My team and I did some of my favorite hikes, and were able to complete the last two items on my personal bucket list for Zermatt: the Gornergrat train, which serves up spectacular views, and the Via Ferrata, a Euro-style ropes course where we essentially climbed up the cliffs at the side of the valley. The latter provided more than enough adrenaline to make up for what many of us were craving without a daily dose of mogul skiing in our lives!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The absolutely absurd view from the top of the Gornergrat train at sunrise. This was such a cool experience and one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Landon, one of my teammates (from Steamboat!), getting the heebie-jeebies looking down from the Via Ferrata.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When we did finally make it up to the glacier, I set to work making the absolute most of my time on the hill. This camp, I prioritized working on my speed, completing a few touch-ups on the technical aspects of my skiing, and bringing my tricks to consistent competition-ready runs! With the limited number of days on the glacier, I felt like I was super concentrated on bringing my best focus and qualitative training to the table (by implementing a couple new mental practices), which was great practice for the competition mindset I\u2019ll use in the coming months. Plus, the venue was phenomenal with plenty of new snow as the base for the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m super stoked with my progress and can\u2019t wait for the next time we\u2019ll be on snow again, this time in Ruka, Finland!! Much of my coming training days next camp will be focused on continuing to improve my speed and making some final adjustments on my competition runs before World Cup season starts on December 4th in Ruka! Some of my favorite runs from this past camp in Zermatt are below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n