Once upon a time in 2016 we held the very first Mountain Camp…it was quite a big deal, as MNC has never put on any sort of training camp or trip aside from Thanksgiving Camp.
That camp took place Thursday through Sunday and included three quintessential workouts that over the years grew to “legendary” status for a variety of ways…
Classic skiing up the Kancamagus Highway became a staple for it’s amazing views, beautiful riverside setting, and questions from intrigued tourists along the way.
Bounding at Attitash became significant for it’s brutal challenge of all-out efforts and intense coach speeches intended to motivate and inspire like sports films of old.
Mount Washington became significant less for the endeavor of climbing it, but moreso because there always seemed to be some obstacle (whether literal or metaphorical) for the team to overcome en route to the summit.
This fall, we returned to the North Conway area for a different type of training camp. Mountain Camp had already happened, the third iteration of Mini Mountain Camp had already happened…so what was left? With a group of skiers eager to take their training up a notch and match programs of higher and higher levels, we headed to the White Mountains in mid-October for Fall Camp 2021.
Coinciding with the US Ski Team fall camp, as well as long weekend training camps by teams such as Middlebury, Bates, and Colby, this trip allowed us to maximize a volume week and split the long wait between the end of summer and the start of Thanksgiving Camp. It was so rewarding to see this camp come to fruition because it represents another step forward in what MNC can provide for athletes in any season…5 of the 7 athletes signed up for camp were not running XC in the fall, and instead focused fully on Nordic.
Whether through MNC Academy or just flexible athlete schedules, we’ve had ski-specific groups of this size in past autumn seasons, but I’m not sure we’ve ever had the kind of motivation to put together a whole training camp. And just like Mountain Camp, there is a strong possibility for this camp to become a regular part of our yearly adventures.
There is something even more significant in terms of showing where this club has come. Despite camp only taking place from Friday to Sunday, we still fit in all three of the infamous NH workouts. They definitely all had some October elements: The Kanc was foggy and offered zero views, and the Attitash bounding was a little less extreme based on our training goals for the camp.
The Kanc doesn’t disappoint, even when the only view is the climb ahead
Attitash bounding
Mount Washington lived up to it’s reputation with our team as providing challenges, this time both mental and physical. Despite warm comfy temps at the bottom, we spent an hour or more fighting through brutal gusts, zero visibility, and a wind chill of 14F before being rewarded with a lot of interested stares and questions from the tourists who had driven or taken the train to the summit restaurant. Luckily, we went down a more secluded route and could literally feel the weather (and our bodies) warm up with every successive step downhill.
A worthy reward: the only true “view” we got all weekend was after surviving the crazy Mt Washington fog and wind
Every time training camp happens, growth happens. It doesn’t just happen from the hours trained or the summits reached. It happens through teammates spending time together, whether it’s during a rollerski, an interval, or making prank phone calls to a Petsmart in Minnesota. I’m so impressed with the athletes of this club for putting their energy into all types of group experiences (this trip was largely the concept of the athletes, not the coach) and much like the skiers I can’t wait for Thanksgiving Camp and all the other journeys that lay ahead.
