A week in Chamonix... This is a big month of Downhill for me with 4 stops. I am feeling more and more comfortable on these new tracks and results are improving. After the Kitzbuhel Combi, I have a well established ranking in the Top 30 and my start number will be much better for the rest of the year. With some interesting training runs under my belt, the DH section of the Super Combined was not what I had hoped for. Not making the top 30 gave me a tough starting position in the Slalom. However, I came from the back and had a great Slalom run, moving me in to the points in 26th position. Every point counts and I am happy with my week. Val D’Isere is next week and we will be running the old DH track from the 92 Olympics. Can’t wait. 2008-02-01 - 10:58:32 EST Kitzbuhel Combined – First Top 10 World Cup Result With a 50th place finish in the Downhill on Saturday, I headed in to the Slalom section of the Combined knowing that the hardest part was over. I needed two solid Slalom runs and did my job with a 25th place in the Slalom race. Combined times earned me a 7th place finish, a great end to an exciting week. I am very confident in my skiing and my progression is going very well. The Combined discipline suits me perfectly and I know there is much more to come. 2008-01-29 The Hahnenkamn... I knew at some point in my ski career, I wanted to push out of the gate in the Kitzbuhel Downhill, and this year was my first opportunity. Being the only Slalom skier to have the guts to do it earned me some respect I think. After my first inspection, I knew exactly why this was known as the toughest DH in the world. Finishing my first training run was a great experience. The Mausefalle and the Steilhang were intimidating but my legs were still fresh so I made it through. The Hausberg and the sidehill before the Zeilshuss were very demanding and was pretty happy to look back up at it from the finish. This course demands a lot of respect and more than lives up to the hype. This is as tough as ski racing gets, and I can now say that I’ve skied the Streif 2008-02-01 - 10:59:12 EST Wengen, Switzerland I was lucky to have a great Christmas at home with my friends and family. I even had an opportunity to ski a day at Norquay with the Banff Alpine Racers and Quikies. Then I was back over to Europe for some amazing training in St. Anton, and I might have snuck in a couple runs of powder. This year was my first time down the Lauberhorn. The Wengen Downhill is the longest on the circuit and was excited to ski it. After learning the track and starting the Super Combined, I tested out the nets coming off the road in the narrow section before the tunnel. That crash definitely left me a little sore but was all good for the Slalom on Sunday. Tough conditions in the Slalom and some mistakes didn’t get me the result I wanted but looking forward to Kitzbuhel next week. I did get to show off my new plaid helmet though (yes, plaid). It has definitely captured some attention and has everyone asking about President’s Choice. 2008-02-01 - 11:05:27 EST Bad Kleinkirchheim The WC Slalom at Bad Kleinkirchheim was definitely an emotional one. Finishing the 1st run in 19th place (my best 1st run ever) put me in a great position heading into the second. With a lot of confidence in my skiing, I had an awesome second run until I fell on my hip 4 gates from the finish. I was 0.14 of a second off the fastest 2nd run time at the intermediate and fell 4 gates short of a Top 10 result. This was one of the most disappointing moments in my ski career but it was a great lesson in “what not to do.” I know that I can ski with the best in the world, and I can’t wait to prove it. 2008-01-29 - 12:31:58 EST