Summer 2017

My European summer training has come to an end. Having spent a total of 10 weeks on snow this summer I’ve really been making the most of the conditions before heading down to Chile in 10 days time.
My skiing started in June with three weeks in Val d’Isere, France. The Val d’Isere glacier is definitely my favourite: you can drive all the way up to it, there are no queues for the lifts, it has a great speed piste and there are lots of summer activities in the afternoon. I even managed to tick the Col de L’Iseran and the Tignes climb off the bucket list on my road bike! Unfortunately, the hot weather in June took its toll on the glacier and it didn’t have as much snow as it usually would. The snow didn’t always refreeze overnight however this meant that the conditions were perfect for slow drills and working on my technique. Having not skied last summer due to my knee, it was exactly what I needed.
Next, I was off to Hintertux for two weeks of coaching for ATC with Iain Innes. I get a real sense of accomplishment when I see younger athletes improve and kids are great fun to work with. I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the two weeks but I’m so glad I took a little bit of time out of my own training. A huge thank you to ATC for being so accommodating and letting me join their coaching team.
After Hintertux it was straight back into my training with two weeks on the glaciers in Les Deux Alpes. It was insanely busy, I managed to get about 2 runs an hour as the queues were never ending. The snow conditions were great first thing but it started to get soft by about the third run of the day which made queueing even more frustrating! However, I managed some excellent days of GS training where I really felt that I made the next step forward in my skiing. I’ve been focusing on bringing 100% to my first run of the day and also understanding how to use my strength from all those hours in the gym, on my skis. When my skiing clicked into place my runs got almost 2 seconds faster!
Finally, it was time to head home to Varese, Italy for a week off snow. I spent the week in the lake every day, water skiing, wake boarding and attempting to kiteboard however there wasn’t enough wind! There was a heat wave at home and the temperature was above 40 degrees most days! It was just the little summer break I needed as the following week I was in the Manchester Snow Dome: Chill Factore for 4 days of representing Atomic UK and coaching Ambition racing. I was coaching the younger kids and I had such a brilliant time; they made me smile all day and had such great attitudes to racing. It was really nice to be able to represent Atomic skis in the UK and see kids testing them out and enjoying skiing on them as much as I do. A massive thank you to Atomic UK for their continued support and to Ambition for having me along as a coach.
After Manchester, it was time to get back to the snow in Les Deux Alpes. The glacier had actually been closed for the two weeks I hadn’t been there due to the scorching temperatures in an attempt to save the biggest glacier in Europe. It was half saved… The bottom part of the glacier was a mine field of rocks designed to rip apart your bases and the top part of the glacier had been stripped of snow and left with solid, skiddy, juddery glacial ice. On the plus side, the queues were gone! The training was still really good. I had no edges left after 2 runs and the conditions were really challenging but it should mean that when I’m next on snow and it’s not sheet ice then I should find it much easier.
The next time I’m back on snow will be in El Colorado, Chile in 10 days time! I’m so excited to get there and start racing; there are loads of speed races lined up which are going to be so much fun!
As you can see this summer I have been spending time coaching. Despite this cutting into my own training time, the money I earn is going towards helping me qualify for the Olympics this coming winter. I have also set up an Easyfundraising account, this site is brilliant as you can help me raise money without it costing you a penny! If you do any online shopping from groceries to holidays to clothes and electricals please go via my page and the shops will donate a percentage of money towards me with every purchase you make! You can check it out here: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/carabrown/