Story about GNA trip
to Austria. 2007.
Summertime: relaxing, sunbathing, BBQing,
skiing?!? Gunstock Nordic has just finished a two week training camp in Ramsau,
Austria. The main attraction of Ramsau is the Dachstein Glacier, offering skiers
two Nordic tracks, terrain parks and alpine trails. Everyday, minus a rest day,
we skied on the glacier in the morning where conditions were very good while the
snow was firm. The glacier is situated at an impressive 9000ft above sea level
(6000ft above the town of Ramsau) that can make breathing a little difficult.
Other team sightings included the Austrian Nordic Combined Team, the German
National Biathlon Team, and some seriously fast Swedish junior girls. Access to
the glacier is provided by a spectacular cable car that can, unfortunately,
become quite smelly and claustrophobic when 50 plus people are crammed in it. We
are very grateful to Rick Halling and all the folks at Atomic for generously
providing demo skis and boots for the camp's use. Thanks also to Ian Harvey and
Toko for providing hats and wax for the camp.
Trip members:
Sam Marshall,
Tristan Baldwin,
Alex Howe,
Perry Thomas,
Ted Kraus,
Martin Breu,
Rick Halling. (Coach:
Igor Badamshin)
Afternoon activities included rollerskiing on
the very hilly Nordic track, running around a nearby mountain, soccer games
and a local ropes course. Hiking in the spectacular mountains provided a fun
over-distance workout. A hard workout was to rollerski from town all the way
to the tram station at the base of the glacier (a good hour and a half
classic ski). In between workouts, when not eating or napping, the team
sampled the local flavor including Eurosport, volleyball and soccer games and
Austrian girl-watching. On our rest day, the team journeyed to Schladming for a
little touristing. Notable purchases include one samurai sword, a five pound
Zippo lighter and approximately two tons of chocolate, not all of which will
make it home. The trip ran smoothly thanks to our awesome coach Igor Badamshin;
the only minor casualties were some lost luggage, a forgotten toothbrush and a
misplaced phone card. The weather cooperated reasonably well with only a few
rainy workouts, and we even got eighteen inches of fresh snow on the glacier.
After two weeks, everyone is looking forward to home where girl friends and
American food are sorely missed. We hope to see you on the Dachstein next
summer!
Martin Breu.
