Jit's Journal: Tech racers ready for Are

I’ll keep it short and sweet for all you readers out there. Right now I am in Sweden training at a resort about an hour and a half away from Are whose name I can’t pronounce because I’d just sound like a fool trying to say it, so we’ll leave it at that.
I'LL KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET for all you readers out there. Right now I am in Sweden training at a resort about an hour and a half away from Are whose name I can’t pronounce because I’d just sound like a fool trying to say it, so we’ll leave it at that.
    For the last three days, Jimmy Cochran, Ted Ligety and myself have been doing some last-minute training in preparation for the GS and slalom at the Are alpine World Championships. Besides the cold weather on the first day, it seems to be the opposite of what I am seeing on television at Are. The atmosphere is relaxed, the sun is showing its face and we are putting down some great runs.    
    We have been training with the Swedish team and to be honest with you, the quality of the training is the best I have had in a long time — mainly because the snow is rock-hard. The coaches have definitely been putting in some hard work to make sure we get good quality snow to train on. The landscape is similar to training on the moon at times and I still wonder how people can bear it up here in the winter. The roads are pretty much all ice and driving the cargo van to the store the other night I almost “deep-sixed” it into the woods more than a few times. I bet that would have gone over well with the higher-ups.
    The daylight is in short supply up here (dark at 5 p.m.) and the sun is constantly on the horizon — interesting to say the least. I am sure, however, that in the summer Sweden must be an unbelievable place and I think one day when I am long retired from skiing I’ll have to make a return visit.
    Today we are making are way over to Are to gear up for the races that are coming in a couple days and, I can assure you, the group is fired up and ready to do its part. It should be fun for me because this is my first World Championships and an unexpected one at that. The good news is that no one has any idea who I am and what I’m capable of, so it’s a pressure-free ride. I am looking forward to telling about next time, so till then …

— Jit