Like all good nordic combined trips this one ended with a good race, a hurry-up and pack your crap offense, a few beers and a sprint to the airport. Of course this was followed by 24 hrs of ceaseless traveling to arrive home with duffel bags full of wet clothes and no energy to do anything about it. Oslo, the Holmenkollen, the Kings Cup. The finale of the season, and due to warm weather and unstable conditions we almost cancelled the whole show! Saturday was a long day of warming up and waiting from 9 until 4pm when we finally gave in and called for the day. Sunday started out much better, a decent trial jump (first jump in a week), but the sun and warmth again wreaked havoc with the track, and after sending several athletes on some short and sketchy rides we were again delayed. Back to the hotel, lunch and a nap, and then back again to the venue. Now we were supposed to be finished by noon, and its going on 4 pm. Finally we get the go ahead and it starts snowing pure glue. As we rush to get a solo round off to have a sprint event, things start going downhill. Here we are jumping a HS 128, and the long ride after 30 jumpers is 106 meters. Now its my turn, decent conditions, I am ready. Sitting on the bar for 10 sec, now 30, now 45... Red light. Damn, now the track is filling up and the forejumper they are calling for is geriatric and taking his sweet time. They finally shove him off, and he gos 40 meters. Right, looks good lets send Demong. After nearly kissing my skis in the inrun I am officially in last place. Pretty much no chance to do anything besides save my butt on that one. I decide that either I am getting another shot or packing up. I start sprinting back up the enormous hill, and on the way coach Lasse informs me that the officials have decided to allow me another go. Great if I can make it back up the 500 vert ft in the next 5 min. Somehow I push the lactate well into the 10+ range and get to the summit just in time to see Magnus (the 2nd to last guy) push onto the bar. I am shaking like I just did max squats, luckily they pull him off and send a couple of forejumpers. Much needed recovery time, and now Hannu jumps 80 meters and its my turn to try again. Somehow I manage to actually have one, 98.5 meters, nothing awesome but good enough for 7th to start the race 56 sec back. All of a sudden I went from last place to a possible victory... crazy. 20 minutes later I sidle up to the start line, get the go, and I am off chasing the leaders. After 3 laps of skiing through ankle deep slush I am pulling into second place. It looks like the leader Jason Chappuis of France/Montana is going to hang onto this one, but now I have trouble from the back to worry about. Felix Gottwald is closing in and bringing a few guys with him. Its buckle down time. Legs searing, lungs burning, brain shutting down I tear out onto the last lap spending every last bit of energy I possess I manage to stay close to Felix as he charges by, and maintain some distance from my other pursuants. Finally sprinting in for 3rd! And for the first time falling straight onto my face fully dead, but fulfilled by the great finish to my best season! Thats all for now, maybe gonna go back to sleep for a few more hours to get over this jetlag.

First Test Run

Ok, so I just created a blog so I could comment on somebody elses... whoops! Anyway, guess this'll be the first entry.
So... I am sitting in another Hotel room this time in Oslo at the SAS in Fornebu. Pretty much a dump, but at least it says Business Class on the door. Smells like an ashtray, at least the AC works. Tomorrow is the 2nd to last race of the year. I am psyched to bring it, finally got some training this week without intercontinental travel and feelin' pretty good about it. And its Holmenkollen so there'll be a at least 10 or 20k drunk Norges out there cheering on the slushy painfest. Well, I suppose after tomorrow I'll have something to Blog about!