Lake Placid to VT to PC

Pete, my newest second cousin and his mom Kate and One-Way bear!

Pete!!!!!

Racing the annual Climb to the Castle race up Whiteface. This year was the best weather we have ever had, for sure. No winds, no snow, and sun!

Men's Climb to the Castle podium. Left to right: Noah Hoffman, Kris Freeman, Tim Burke

I gave a quick bounding clinic and slideshow to the Ford Sayre Ski Club which is always really fun because of what an awesome group of kids they are. They are always excited to learn and improve and their excitement is infectious. I always leave with more energy than I came with. Thanks for hosting me!

Dinner with good friends following the clinic.

Hello everyone! Been a while since I touched base, eh? My travels have been continuous, but in the best way, as I have been in all my favorite places in the last 6 weeks. I spent a good 3 weeks in Park City after returning from Alaska and then hit the road to Lake Placid, New York for our annual camp there. This year was the first year it has been in September instead of October, and we benefited from incredibly nice weather, both warmer and dryer than in past years. Lake Placid serves as one of our first real intensity blocks of the summer, doing 2 speed sessions and 2 hard interval sessions and 3 time trials in 12 days, so needless to say, I needed a bit of a break all after the camp. So, I headed to my favorite place in the world to do a little R and R; home to Vermont! My parents took great care of me, though we were all disappointed that my brother, who had planned to come home as well was unable to make it at the last minute, so it was a bit quieter than we had all hoped, but nice all the same. For someone who spends so much of the time on the road, being able to spend a few weeks a year in the house and community you grew up in is really special. I can’t emphasize enough how incredible it is to be supported by the Central Vermont community. It’s remarkable how much people care in this community. Businesses are interested in doing whatever they can to support me athletically and I can’t walk down the street without seeing someone who knows me and asks how skiing is going. It’s something that’s impossible to take for granted, as it is made so obvious by so many. So, I just want to say thank you to everyone who supports me and what I’m trying to accomplish, but also how much the community does for one another too. It is the strongest community I have ever been a part of and I feel extremely lucky, so thank you.

I am now on a plane on my way back to Park City after spending the afternoon in the North End of Boston yesterday with my parents. I am pretty sure if I lived anywhere near there I would have to work out twice as much just to be able to eat twice as much. What incredible food everywhere you go. Coffee shops, pastry shops, bread shops, tea shops, Italian restaurants on ever side street, gelato, specialty food shops, it’s amazing and delicious and I can’t wait to go back. I am firing myself up to do an off-road half marathon at Snowbasin tomorrow, so that should be fun, mostly because I get to see Morgan Arritola, who I haven’t seen all summer. Then I will have a week in Utah before our camp starts on October 1^st. I have been busy for the last 6 weeks setting up a Fast and Female event (for those of you who don’t know what this organization is, check it out at www.Fastandfemale.com) on October 8^th, for hopefully 150 girls ages 9-19. They will get a chance to meet over 20 Female National Team members and Olympians from 7 different sports and will be playing all afternoon with these women. It should be an amazing day, so I am really looking forward to the event.

I will be home again on October 29^th and staying until November 6^th, when I will leave for the entire winter in Europe! For people who may be interested in coming to a dinner to support an organization called the National Nordic Foundation (NNF), Gus Kaeding and his family will be hosting a dinner on October 30^th, where all proceeds will go to NNF. For more information see the poster below. Until next time….

Fundraising Dinner

with

Olympians Andy Newell and Liz Stephen plus NNF Director Dave Knoop

in support of the

National Nordic Foundation

Oct 30, 2011 4 P.M.

Meet, listen to, and share a gourmet meal with

Andy, Liz and Dave as they share their life enriching lessons of the trail.

“For the Lessons of the Trail Are the Lessons of Life”

Dinner at

The Kaeding Household

55 Kaeding Road

Worcester, VT

$50.00

Suggested Minimum Donation

Benefits the NNF

Dinner Limited to 30 Lucky Guests

RSVP to 802-249-8345 or gus.kaeding@cxcskiing.org

Support Tomorrow’s Stars Today

The National Nordic Foundation exists to help America’s young, dedicated, and driven Nordic talent realize their, and America’s, long term potential in sport and in life. The biggest hurdle facing American Nordic racers is gaining consistent access to international quality coaching, training, and racing experiences from ages 15 through 25. Providing future generations of U.S. Nordic athletes earned access to a progression of international quality competitive experiences, and there life enriching lessons, represents this nation’s greatest Nordic development opportunity and funding need. The National Nordic Foundation exists to fulfill this need. Please donate to the National Nordic Foundation and support tomorrow’s stars today as their quest for athletic accomplishment on the trails prepares them to achieve their potential in life while inspiring others to do the same.