July 2023 Skimeister Summer

Skimeister Adventure Series 1 & 2

The Skimeister Summer Adventure Series kicked off on July 7th with Session #1 at Whiteface Mountain Despite some patches of inclement weather throughout the weekend, athletes were able to get outside and have a great time exploring Wilmington and the surrounding areas.

Day one began with some fun and games in the NYSEF Whiteface office as we waited out the passing thunderstorms. Athletes worked on mobility, strength, and balance while going through several body-weight circuits We also set goals for the weekend, and adopted new nicknames for one another! Athletes and coaches finished up the day with a scenic hike up the Stag Brook Falls trail, where we visited "the raging chocolate waterfall"

On day two, our cross country and biathlon athletes headed to Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake, where they joined NYSEF's XC Junior Race Team for a morning of rollerskiing and technique work before meeting Biathlon Head Coach and Olympian Maddie Phaneuf on the range for some shooting drills. Freeride and alpine athletes spent the morning hiking Cobble Lookout in Wilmington where they were joined by some special canine guests We kept our brains engaged during the hike by checking out the local flora and playing "the picnic game"!

Athletes reconvened in the afternoon for lunch before heading to the Wilmington Bike Park, where we took on the mountain bike skills course and pump track, before taking a cruise through the local neighborhood and the Three Sisters Preserve Congratulations to freeride athlete Eleanor (aka "Kit") who conquered her fear and rode the step-down feature on her hardtail mountain bike!

After mountain biking came the most anticipated activity of the weekend... ICE CREAM at the Whitebrook Dairy Bar! A great way to reload and replenish after a long day of adventuring!

On day three of session 1, athletes took on the infamous Hardy Road Mountain Bike Trails - one of the most prestigious trail systems in the Adirondacks. Congratulations to alpine athlete Owen (aka "Spaghettio) who rode all the way up the "Ante Up" trail for the first time ever - conquering some serious technical elements on the way up, and catching some awesome air on the way down! Not to be outdone, biathlete Will (aka "Just Will") made the climb up "All In" on flat pedalsa feat most seasoned mountain bikers struggle with! Great work Will!

Skimeister Session #2 took place the following weekend at venues in and around Lake Placid, and challenged athletes to take their training to new heights! Day one began at the Lake Placid Horse Show Grounds, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony and Cauldron Athletes warmed up together, jogging laps on the track below the cauldron, followed by stretching and active dynamic warm-up drills.