Nina finished the World Cup ski mountaineering season totally psyched. Last year, she was burnt out by the end, but this year she wants to keep on going.
7th place overall in the final World Cup rankings and winning World Cup prize money probably helps a bit. Nina was strong throughout the season, and although wanted to peak better for World Championships, right in the middle of the season, felt a little flat then. However, she did make 10th place in the Team Race in Worlds. Some other highlights were finishing the Pierra Menta, with her teammate, Lyndsay Meyer, for the third year in a row. While this year, it wasn’t a world cup event, it still had the same world cup crowd, so 9th overall and one day in 7th felt pretty good. Nina posted an 8th place in the French National Championships, individual race. Considering France, Italy and Switzerland are at the tip top of the sport, I say “chapeau” or hats off to my wife.
In the end she had 26 race days for the 2010 season and in her 3 year World Cup career has racked up 17 World Cup starts and 7 World Cup top tens and two World Championships selections with a top ten in Andorra Worlds 2010.
Her favorite win of the season was a regional race, the Cenise Bargy which is essentionally a ski mo/xc biathlon, starting with a leg of ski mountaineering racing (800 meters of climbing then a 500 m descent), then you switch to nordic skating equipment for a 3 km skate, then finishing with a skimo (500 m up and 500m down). The start was right through the narrow main street of the little village.
Her last race of the season was a pretty good one too. The Patrouille des Glaciers starts in the middle of the night on mainstreet Zermatt and after crossing numerous passes and valleys, finishes in Verbier, some 4000 meters of climbing later and over 54 horizontal kms (that’s well over 125 kms if you had a bicycle computer). She and her two teammates, Monique Merril of adventure racing fame, and long time race partner, Lyndsay Meyer finished 4 th overall in the World Cup division and stopped the clock at 9 hours 52 minutes!
Another great memory of the season was starting a ski mountaineering race club here in Chamonix, France. Can you believe Chamonix didn’t have a ski mo club? We couldn’t and approached the town and Chamonix Sports Club. They whole heartedly supported the idea, and with Nina as vice president, we forged ahead. Check us out at: www.chamonixskialpinisme.com
Nina is already eager to keep training for next year and is taking an “easy” month, without structured training, but still some, ski tours, mountain bike races, running, swimming and strength. June will be back to the sceduled training and then getting specific (roller skiing, glacier skiing and specific strength). Thanks for following us this season. If you have any questions on ski mountaineering racing, please feel free to email.
All the best for a fun summer of training! michael@high-alpine.com
And a big thanks to all her sponsors! Especially the nordic ones, such as SWIX poles!!!!!