U.S. alpine women camps transition from New Zealand to Chile

In early August, the U.S. women’s alpine Ski Team headed to New Zealand for the first on-snow training camp of the 2011 season. After a two-week break the team is now preparing to travel to Chile on Sept. 4 to begin another three-week camp focused primarily on speed disciplines.

In the early goings of his first season as U.S. women’s alpine head coach, Alex Hoedlmoser is happy with how the team is looking heading into a World Championship season.

“We found some really good conditions in New Zealand, which was awesome,” said Hoedlmoser of the first fall camp. “We were luck with weather and able to water the hills and got some fantastic training in.”

The New Zealand camp marked the first time the team had assembled in one location since the end of the 2010 season in mid-March. Goals of the camp included: equipment testing, skills training, conditioning, team dynamics building and staff training.

“The whole camp went really, really well and we saw some different progress from the girls with their individual goals and a lot of testing by the top guns with Lindsay (Vonn) and Julia (Mancuso),” said Hoedlmoser. “All of the goals we had going in were accomplished so I was really happy with the whole camp.”

With a hand full of athletes switching equipment over the summer, dialing in their new gear was a big priority. Mancuso traded in her Rossignols for Volkls, Chelsea Marshall went from Dynastar to Head and Megan McJames switched from Dynastar to Fischer.

“We’ve seen some really good stuff and positive changes from Megan McJames, she switched to Fishcer skis and she is doing a great job,” said Hoedlmoser. “Chelsea Marshall loves her new skis and made some huge progress. Alice McKennis is making a huge step in the right direction in her technical skiing, she is one of those young promising dowhillers we have and she was laying down some sweet GS turns down there.”  

The fall camps are also a chance for the reorganized coaching staff to learn their new responsibilities and make strategic plans for the coming winter.  

“As a coaching staff, we work on getting things accomplished day to day and get things going instead of focusing too much ahead,” said Hoedlmoser. “We have goals for the winter but in order to get there we have to achieve daily goals.”

With the men’s team on the same hill most days, coaches and athletes were able to collaborate to get each athletes the training they needed. “We we’re training side by side with them a lot, sharing a slope and working with physios,” said Hoedlmoser. “We always had quite a few programs going on and individually we were able to choose the best out of it.”

With reports of low snow conditions in Chile, the U.S. men’s team has decided to return to New Zealand for speed-focused camps but the women’s team will proceed as planned with their regular South American camp in Portillo and Valle Nevado starting Sept. 4. 

“I’ve been in daily contact with the Austrian men’s team which is down there (Chile) now. They say they are getting great training even with the thin snow conditions,” said Hoedlmoser, an Austrian native. “Portillo is the best downhill training you can get.” – EW

Image: Hailey Duke, USA, competes in the Australia New Zealand Cup Slalom Women FIS race at Coronet Peak, August 17, 2010. (Michael Thomas_)