Hi everyone!  Here’s an update on what I have been up to lately!  Alongside my focused training for the rapidly approaching race season, I have been finding time to pursue my personal interests to bring balance to my life as an elite athlete.  The two big ones for me are photography and bikes.

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I am a pretty detail-oriented person and all the aspects of photography are a great outlet for that.  I have several film cameras and a digital camera, and usually at least one of them is following me around at all times.  I love the whole photography process.  I particularly enjoy landscape photography because it brings me to some really cool places and trains me to appreciate them in a unique way.  My latest photos have been of the beautiful fall landscape around Bozeman.

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Another one of my favorite things outside of skiing is bikes.  Building, riding, and maintaining bikes are detail-packed activities that form another important personal outlet for me.  This outlet is especially great because it ties into training in a productive way as well as being something to do outside of training.  I have built several bikes that I now ride and take care of.  Whether it is getting out for a big gravel ride as an overdistance workout, a quick evening trip to the dirt jumps, or working on my bikes in the evening, it is a fulfilling hobby for me.  My bikes give me plenty of work, but I also love it when my teammates come to me with bike tech needs.

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One of the things that helps me find success as an athlete is having other interests outside of skiing.  I feel like my hobbies and activities outside of training allow me to find a balance that allows me to give skiing my 100 percent without ever feeling burned out or tired of training or racing.  As my teammates and I prepare for our upcoming race season, we are all sharpening our fitness and technique, but we are also fueling other dimensions of our lives that keep us happy, fulfilled, and ready to crush it!

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