Ascent of Mt Blanc on skis in a Day

Monday morning at 2am we gathered at the parking of the tunnel du mt blanc for an Ascent of Mt Blanc in a day. Here is a little video of what it was like- a beautiful day!

VIDEOS: Here are a few videos that I took while climbing Mt Blanc where you can get a sense of the beautiful day we had and what the route was like. You can click on the Picassa Photo link below to take you to them. (pardon mon francais!)

Videos Ascent Mt Blanc

Mt Biking Intro

We managed to escape the rain in Chamonix and head over to Valais, Switzerland for the boys and my first mt bike race in the vinyards of Saillon. Here is a little video about the adventure- subtitled- Learning to Fall- as I took at good fall on the last corner of the course- very flat, not technical at all- Michael said, just don't fall, but I did. Funnily enough I ended up in the ER in Martigny later that evening with 3 stitches in my calf. (I had it on YouTube but they pulled it for the music)

Click on the picassa photo below to see the video with music.

From Mt Biking-Learning to Fall

Michael and Birki riding up to Emosson

A Huge Thanks to my Team

How do you measure success? It is a question we all ask ourselves at the end of something we have worked long and hard on. One year ago if you asked me if I was going to race at the World Cup level this year I would have probably said no. But somewhere inside of me I found the motivation and desire to reach for the stars this season and I did.

What I mean by going for it, is to take my ski mountaineering to a new level. To take my training more seriously and my goals for the season. I had two main goals: to compete in the World Cup circuit in Europe- to do almost if not all the races in the series and to also compete in the World Championships in Andorra. I realized both of these goals. I finished 7th overall in the women's world cup category, 5 individual and 2 team races. I completed in 22 races total.

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That is probably more than I have ever done in my life. You may be thinking, wow that is a lot, crazy! It is a lot. How did she manage to do that and have a family and train etc?

I am an artist at heart....

For me it is not the final result that is the most important but the process in getting there. In a nutshell, that is how I approach my ski mountaineering racing. Sure, to get good results in nice, and to create a beautiful piece of art is satisfying, but to me it about the process.

]pen and ink-by Nina

How do you get there? How do you balance everything in your life? Training, racing? Family? Staying on track, calm and disciplined. Lots of yoga..
a little Yoga for balance

There are days that are easier than others that is for sure. Some days you don't want to get up early and take the kids to school or go out and train in a blizzard, or cook dinner for that matter. Stay positive and upbeat even in tough moments. All these emotions can arise. I can relate this to our recent PDG team race.
] Lynds, Nina and Mona- finishing the PDG

We were a team, working together. Everyone had moments when they felt at their worst and they felt their best. As a team, we got to the finish, but again it was about the process of getting their together and remembering the power of the mind. Mental toughness....

Working together as a team

For me, I could not have had such a successful season without my "team" surrounding me: my loved ones, my family, my friends, my sponsors and other supporters that have really enabled me to make this dream possible. I am sending a huge "thank you" to all of you out there who have been part of my team! Thank you for helping me reach for the stars!

Grazie! Merci! Thank You!

Thank you! From the artist at heart!