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Happy Valentines Day!

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Staying warm in the winter chill

It’s February 14th! Happy Valentines Day! Arctic temperatures have blanketed the Alps these last 2 weeks, some mornings with the thermometer reading -19 C (-2 F)!  Growing up in Vermont and Maine  these frosty temps are quite common in January. Back then I grew tired of freezing my tail off at the top of a GS course. Not only did I soon switch over to a more aerobic sport , cross country skiing, to keep my engine warm  but also moved to a sunnier state, Colorado. Now I have switched over to another sport, ski mountaineering which keeps my heart and mind equally warm.

Sunshine warms the heart

I have had a little break in the World Cup calendar. Despite the Siberian temps, I have bundled up just like we did when we were kids,and headed for the mountains on my own, with friends and with my family, all heartwarming and important moments to stay balanced.

Enjoying warm winter moments as a Family

Perhaps it’s only in ski towns in France that when teachers strike and there is no school, kids go skiing! These two weeks I took advantage of having some more time to pump up the volume in my training but also get out find some new terrain that I had not skied before. I headed out with a friend Max one day  up the Col de la Floria, a good climb from the valley floor to the top (1440+meters) There was a nice long boot pack at the top and a great steep ski coming down. Another time I explored the, Aiguille de la Gliere Nord, once again a great varied climb, boot pack, with an impressive view to the other side. It is these kind of days in the mountains that bring me warmth and a smile.

Heading to the Hills

I managed to get in some good races as well in these 2 weeks. I squeezed in 2 Mountain Ski tour uphill victories ( Flaine and Les Contamines) Both excellent for my own uphill climbing but also really fun ambiance.  I did not have these on my calender but decided to go as there were not only good training opportunities but also a great chance to see another part of the Alps and go with other from my local Chamonix Ski Mountaineering club. The Tour de Grand Veymont in the Vercours region of France was also the CAF (Club Alpine Francais) national championships. This time artic temps prevailed. Mittens and hand warmers were the ticket. It was a gorgeous course, a great sunday out as a club and I came home with the win for the women and the CAF national champion title.

Tour de Grand Veymont & Trophee de Gastlosen

 The Trophee de Gastlosen is the 2nd largest race in Switzerland next to the famous Patrouille des Glaciers, with over 1200 participants. Two years ago this race was a world cup and I raced with my USA teammate and pal lyndsay. It was the first team race of the year for me and I raced in Chamonix Club mixed team with Yann, our coach from our club and an experienced skimo racer. We placed 23rd overall with a time of 2h53 reaching our goal of being the first mix team and also breaking three hours. It was probably the coldest temps I have ever raced in with the thermometer around -21 at the start but the great backdrop of the Gastlosen mountains and the technical climbs and descents kept me moving and made for an excellent day.

 

Warm moments together

Now it’s tapering time for the next world cup which will be held on the active volcano of Mt. Etna in Sicily, Italy. on February 24 and 25th. For our family, a great time to spend with the boys who are on vacation from their busy days at school. It is a time for everyone to slow down, breathe, and rejuvenate together.

Staying warm

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”—

Anne Bradstreet

 

 

 

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Winter Rainbow

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Grateful for the rainbow at the end of a long training day!

A fellow classmate from Dartmouth is doing amazing work with her  Raising Happiness project. Not only is she an amazing woman, but also an amazing mom and an inspiration to so many, myself included.

Weekly Thoughts

As the the French say, Grâce a Christine! 


“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-–Melody Beattie

Amazing afternoon light around Chamonix-Mont Blanc

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” –Buddha

A winter miracle

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

–Albert Einstein

Enjoy your miracle!

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Another 2nd for Nina in French National Championships in Sprint!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Nina- 1st place sprint in age category, 2nd place overall womens final

Just three years ago I helped found the section ski-alpinsime club with the Chamonix club des sports. This year we have reached the 60 member mark in our club. This is not only a result of the passion behind this sport but also the fact that the sport of ski mountaineering is growing exponentially worldwide, especially here in Chamonix, the heart of the Alps. The international ISMF is working hard with others to see that this sport will one day be in the Olympic Games.

Top 3 Women at the finish of the French national Sprints: Laetitia Roux 1, Nina 2, Emile Favre 3

Sunday evening, under the lights of the Les Planards ski area, volunteers from my ski alpinisme club joined forces with the Chamonix Sports Club and the FFME (French Federation Montagne Escalade- the governing body for ski-alpinsime) to host the 1st ever national championships in sprint.

The sprint race is a fairly new format that encompasses many variables of ski mountaineering. This format includes: skinning, to kick-turns-to a boot pack- more skiing, a descent with giant slalom gates and a finish in skating, all of this in an area of around 80m of elevation gain and under at time of 3.5-4.5 minutes.

The sprint event has already taken place in ski mountaineering world cup and in the World Championship in the past 2 years. This is an event that I personally really love and also have had good results with a 5thplace last year in Gavarnie World Cup. This was the first time the sprint has been part of the French national championship series. The cool thing about the sprint event is that it is very exciting to watch from a spectator standpoint. It is similar to the Cross Country Sprint where there is a qualification round, followed by ¼ finals, ½ finals and then finals.

The start line for the womens finals. I had first choice my lane with fastest qualifying time

The race was my second big objective of this season. I am really happy about how I felt in the qualifications and in the final. I had the fastest qualification time, trying not to go out too fast.  In the final I had the lead above Laetitia Roux, the current world champion in this discipline, until the kick turns and then she gained on me in the boot pack.

Warming up before the finals!- It was a cold night! I had Michael and Birken in the pit crew! Thanks!

I placed 2nd overall behind Laetitia Roux, who holds the World Champion title in the Sprint, and I placed 1st in my new age category, with elite athlete Corrine Favre in 2nd.

For me I really love the sprint race because it encompasses so many variables in such a short time. It requires clarity and grace both equally  important in our daily lives. For me, it is easy to get caught up in all of the million things I feel like I need to do at home, with my children, and family. There is a lot going on in our household with lots of transitions, and it often feels like a sprint race: school, ski-club, hockey practice, meal time, bedtime, piano practice and more. It is important for me to be graceful, compassionate and swift in day to day transitions, and at the same time keep a clear vision of what is important.

Some things that really help me stay focused are yoga,  meditation, getting plenty of sleep. I like aromatherapy too. Thanks to my friend Valerie of Ciel et Terre in Chamonix I have discovered Altearah’s wonderful scented oils that work hand in hand with the senses and the mind. Indigo is a favorite of mine.

Purple cornflower a.k.a Bachelor's Button- Color- Indigo -symbolizing Clarity

 

My next big objective, 1st world cup in Andorra this coming weekend. Thursday I will hop on a plane and head to the Pyrenees.

 May all your daily transitions be graceful and swift.

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Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 31st, 2011
20111231-220443.jpg

May all your dreams come true in 2012

May 2012 be filled with happiness and grace, Adventures in the mountains and with those you love. May you reach for your stars and keep chasing your dreams.

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An Attitude of Gratitude

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

I am writing this post on the heals of Thanksgiving day, with much to be thankful for. Buzzwords around Thanksgiving are plentiful.

Gratitude is a continuous creative activity

One I like in particular is to practice gratitude in each and every moment  and sharing this practice with out children. When coming to the yoga mat, it’s easy to take the time to be grateful and be in the moment, but taking this practice to our daily lives, the real moment is the next step. There is a great Jimmy Buffet song called 05 An Attitude of Gratitude  on a children’s album called Thanks and Giving all Year Long.  Christine Carter, a colleague of mine from Dartmouth and head of UC Berkley’s Greater Good Science Center has a wonderful website and book called Raising Happiness. I feel very grateful for discovering her work and reading her book. Much to be mused upon.

 

Even though we are not living in America, we celebrated Thanksgiving in our own way, with friends from near and far.  This year my children joined me in helping me  whip up a Thanksgiving meal in a couple hours, with the few ingredients I could find overseas.

Chief Puree-er

One was chief peeler of the sweet potatoes and the other chief puree-er! Even though they were not wild about the meal itself and preferred the left over tortolinis, it was the process that was most precious and that I was most thankful for.

No snow yet in Chamonix, in fact it is bone dry and quite chilly. We are all in fact looking for snow in the horizon!

The boys doing their own dry-land training in the back yard

It is pretty essential to get on skis to work on the ski technique. At Dartmouth we spend most of our autumn training on roller skis. To this day, I can’t believe some of the hills we skied down without brakes!

Looking for snow! A roller ski tecnnique workout in Chamonix

It’s hard to believe but I did managed to get on my bike one more time to my favorite ride.

Once I got climbing it was quite warm, only the descent was frosty and  was well worthy of a nice cup of Swiss Suchard Express hot cocoa to warm up!

Staying warm in the chilly temps on the bike up to Emosson Dam

It is hard to believe the first race on the ski mo calendar is less than a week! No snow yet in the forecast but soon enough heading to find some snow! Stay tuned! And let’s start to do the snow dance!

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The Amazing Outdoor Playground

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

The outdoor playground

” Mommy, I just want to stay outside the whole time we are here!” These were the words of my 7 year old as we arrived to the hotel on holiday.

 

Anders enjoying this outdoor playground

“I have never met two boys who are not only active but want to be outside all the time. Most boys these days want to just stay inside and play video games.” These were the words of a young friend who helps out with the boys from time to time.

Anders first hike at the Plan Midi

These were refreshing words to hear. Sure, it is no picnic raising children, and there is never really a dull moment or minute for that matter as parents, especially with two active young boys. One thing for sure is that  it is an active adventure, and most certainly one that I would never miss for a minute.

 

Below are a few photos from our autumn outdoor adventures around Chamonix. 

 

Cross-Ecoliers, an all inclusive, all schools event that brings together students, teachers and parents.

The All School Cross Country Race-Birki at his first Cross/ trail race pushed his stride to the end for a podium

Making Tarte aux Pommes with friends

Outdoor Cooking Class

Playing cards outdoors

 

Playgrounds

by Laurence Alma-Tadema

In summer I am very glad

We children are so small,

For we can see a thousand things

That men can’t see at all.

 They don’t know much about the moss

And all the stones they pass:

They never lie and play among

The forests in the grass:

 They walk about a long way off; 

And, when we’re at the sea,

Let father stoop as best he can

He can’t find things like me.

 But, when the snow is on the ground

And all the puddles freeze,

I wish that I were very tall,

High up above the trees.

Anders at point Signal

Each day I wake up and make the most of this amazing outdoor playground we live in.  I am so glad to share it with our boys and see them enjoy this amazing playground as much as we do!

Enjoying the last of the autumn light


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Smile Together

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

If you smile at me, I will understand
‘Cause that is something everybody everywhere does
in the same land.- Crosby, Stills and Nash

Summer Smiles

It seems like the rest of life can take off at an even a faster pace than when the training and racing comes to a full stop. It always take some time to re-adjust.

Keeping up the pace

For me, I caught up with the things that had been put on hold all winter, notably laudry, officework, housework, and catching up with friends.  I have had more time to for my own practice of Yoga, working on the power of the breath and how it can be applied to daily life and sport with grace.

Finding time *

Most importantly I have had even more time with my family and smiling together.

Sourire Ensemble- Birki's class art project won a prize for the Fete de Sourire

For me, celebrating mother’s day with my boys

Happy Mother's Day!

and sharing a gorgeous day in the mountains

Mother's Day together

was just what I needed to jump start into summer!

Grimpée Ruisseau 2011- Birki- 2nd 7km marche/ Nina- 3rd- 15km trail

 

Please note on June 1st- It snowed in Chamonix!

* Photo credit patitucciphoto

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Breathe & Believe

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Smile, breathe and go slowly (except when racing) ~Thich Nhat Hanh

There are many things that go into a season of racing. The ski mountaineering season is long, beginning in early december and ending in the 1st of May. There are moments in the season that are low points and high points, races to try to peak for and others to recover from. Juggling and balancing it all is never easy but for me two things help a lot:

Breathe and Believe

When one window closes another opens

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing yoga daily is not always possible but remembering to keep the breath  even both on and off the race course really helps, especially when the going gets tough.

As I reflect back on my 2010/2011 season I want to graciously thank all of my supporters and sponsors who have helped me believe in this dream. Above all I would like to thank my family; my husband  Michael of High-Alpine Mountain Guides who continues to  support  me to follow this dream and all that comes with it, and my two amazing boys who keep me smiling when the going gets tough. I just counted it up and I had 26 races this past season between Dec 5th and May 1st.

 

Training "En Famille"

 

It  is the journey that counts….


2010/2011 Season Stats:

9th overall in the World Cup with 5 individual World Cup starts in multiple countries- Italy, Poland, France,

Best world cup result: 5th Sprint World Cup Gavarnie

2011 World Championships- 8th place Team Race, 12th sprint, 17th individual

3rd French National Championships

3rd Overall French Ranking

2nd in the French Cup

6th Trofeo Mezzalama

7th Pierra Menta

8th Adamello Ski Raid

1st place Run/Skate mix

1st Transvanoise Mix Team

Other Podiums:

Mt Saxonnex- 2nd

Verte a L’envers- 2nd

Combloux-2nd

A big thanks goes out to Wild Roses for their support as I follow my own dream of racing on the World Cup Ski Mountaineering circuit. I am proud to be an ambassador for Wild Roses.  So much about Wild Roses as a company is encouraging woman to follow their dreams and believe in their dreams. I feel very lucky to be a part of such an amazing team of woman who are following their dreams.

I hope through my own dreams I can help empower others to follow their own and BELIEVE!

Just Believe

To check out the Wild Roses Dream Book click here

photo credits to Patitucci Photo and Brava Bella

 

 

 

 

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World Cup Dreams

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

As an ambassador for Wild Roses, it seems very fitting that my own philosophy in life goes hand in hand with that of Wild Roses.

Nina taking a pause to day-dream

A women‘s life is not about climbing the highest mountain or being the first on the top. It is about the passion of doing things for a greater reason. Life can be an adventure, but the greatest adventure is giving life a meaning. What are you up to next?

Wild Lily Rose- by Nina

Are you already working on a dream?

I have lots of dreams, and always have ever since I was a little girl. Many times people said, and they still do, “Nina you want to do too many things! You can’t do it all!” Hey, we only live once, so why not make the most of it, and go for a dream! One of my favorite teachers and mentors at Holderness, Norm Walker, often said to us and his football team before going into a game, “play this game like it were your last!“

Still Dreaming....

Dreaming

The dream I am working on at the moment is my ski mountaineering World Cup dream. I fell in love with this sport not too many years ago when I moved to the Alps. I have always loved the mountains, sports and skiing, and ski alpinisme harmonizes those three passions.  I have not devoted my energy and commitment to one sport since I was a young girl when I rode horses competitively. To see more about how this dream evolved, check out my about and first tracks pages. Like any dream, this one does not go without challenges and sacrifices, but hand in hand it has its rewards.

Birki and Nina chasing dreams together

So far this 2011 season we have had 2 World Cup races both in France. The first was in Pelvoux on the 12-13 of January and the 2nd, in Gavarnie, Pyranees. Both of these races had sprint races on Saturday similar to the style of sprint racing in cross country skiing with a qualifying round, 1/4 finals, 1/2 finals and finals. This event gives the spectators a chance to see a little about skimo racing in the span of 3-4 minutes. This event is totally different than a race of 1:45 hr-3 hrs and takes a different sort of focus and training. For more info on the sport and results you can check out the International Ski Mountaineering Website.

Chamonix Ski Alpinisme Team

Pelvoux was a fun weekend of racing as we went to the race as a club from Chamonix.

All smiles in the sunshine!

It is great to the sport growing and even better to see our chamonix ski alpinisme club membership growing exponentially (as we only started last year), with even more women this year!  The ambiance at Pelvoux was also exciting at the sprint race, with crowds cheering on the sideline. I finished up the weekend in 11th place, with some equipment troubles in the race on sunday. This race in particular saw many equipment troubles due to snow conditions or lack there of. It is important to keep your gear in good condition and check it regularly but sometimes you can’t avoid unfortunate mishaps that happen on course, and it is the nature of the sport.

Here is a video of the sprint race and main race at pelvoux to give you an idea of the event.  Here is a cool video of  a young American woman who is on fire right now in the sprint world of cross country, Kikkan Randal, She helped start a non profit group called Fast and Female- empowerment through sport, helping young women in the sport of cross country skiing.  Be sure to Check her site out and this video of her winning the gold in the last sprint.

Gavarnie World Cup

This weekend I made a trek to the Pyrenees…a mere 10 hrs from my home. NPR podcasts, new ipod playlists, audio books, and lest we forget, Madame GPS helped me get to my destination. One of the great things about the Ski Mo world cup is the international ambiance of people from so many nations. It is also the chance to get to see other parts of the world. The Pyrenees are really a beautiful part of Europe, a mecca for cyclists and ski alpinists as well as pilgrims. My dad speaks highly of this area as he followed the Camino de Santiago and the route passes very near this area. He will complete the last section of the camino this spring.

Gavarnie….A very small town

The sprint race was won of my best world cup results so far. I really enjoy the sprint races, the energy and the focus it takes.  I made it to the finals and finished up 5th overall. The big race was pretty good for me, but there is always room for improvement and things to work on. Overall I was happy with my own result of 9th place, another personal best, and look forward to the next World Cup in Transcavallo in 2 weeks in Tambre Italy.

I am forever impressed with the high level of athletes in the world of ski mountaineering, world cup level or not. They come from all types of backgrounds, often juggling jobs and family with training and they all deserve kudos to for their strong efforts.  One in particular who impresses me is Nathalie Etzenberger of Switzerland, mother of 3 children, over 40, on the podium 2 x this weekend with the other two women under 25. Brava mama!

Sprint Race Day
Looking out towards the main course
Nina in the lead in front of Mireia Miró in the Sprint Finals
Sprint Downhill- The last time I ran gates was at CVA when I was 14! Wow!

Here are two excellent videos of the last two world cups that really give you an idea of what this ski mo racing is all about, especially the sprints

Click on the links to see:

Pelvoux World Cup Video

Gavarnie World Cup Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VxxFhU-z_8

With my result from these 2 World Cups I have qualified  for the World Championships for the 3rd time.  The 2011 World Champs will be held in Claut, Italy and there  I will be joined by fellow USA teammates. Based on qualifying results, the US 2011 ski mountaineering worlds team is:  Men: Brandon French, Travis Scheefer, Pete Swenson, Scott Simmons, Luke Nelson, Bryan Wickenhauser, Max Taam and Greg Ruckman; Women:  Sari Anderson, Monique Merrill, Janelle Smiley, Nina Silitch, Jari Kirkland, Amy Fulwyler, Jessica Philips and Jaime Falcon. I am really looking forward to hanging with the team very soon!

Toasty Warm in my Wild Roses Reversible Puff Jacket
This side is warm too!

This weekend it was cold – 14. Thank god for hand-warmers (I do not really know what the ingredients are in these but they sure do the trick!) and down mittens, they were lifesavors between sprint rounds.

For more photos of the weekend click on the picassa link

Gavarnie World Cup

Yogi Tea also kept me warm and healthy! They really should have a daily Yogi Tea twitter message. Yesterday my Yogi Tea message was “The smile you give comes back to you” and today’s was “to be calm is the greatest state of mind“. I thought both of these messages were very appropriate as two of my mottos to live by are:

Give it your best with a smile

and

Calm Peaceful Mind

and

Lastly

Never give up!

(you can go to my About page to see more of these words to live by)

Just to remind you, as I have to remind myself  when the going gets tough, on or off course, “Never give up!”

Never give up your dream, what ever it may be.


Keep working on your dream!

What is playing on your ipod right now? One of mine happens to be  ”  Raise Your Glass by Pink, no less…and Just a dream   Just a Dream by Nelly

So, Raise your Glass to your DREAM!

Sante!

Namaste

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