Dave Murray Camp Reports

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Last three weeks have been hectic, hence my tardiness with this report. We have had three camps since my last report and we also had the Peak to Valley race. Both the Ski Camps and the Peak To Valley Race are Dave Murray legacies, so it is only fitting that I write about both.

In a sense, the race is the product of the camps. As people found their new technique and skiing prowess in the Dave Murray Ski Camps, they needed to test themselves and a race was born. The key thing is that this race is like none other - 170 plus GS gates and 5000' of vertical spells "SURVIVAL"! Most people do this race as a personal challenge or perhaps to race their buddy for a beer. Very few race purely for the win. It is also a team race, so it is important to be consistent. You want to be buying rounds of glory at Dusty's, rather than rounds of shame 'cause you experienced sudden loss of leg power and crashed. Team mates can be so unforgiving!

I have never seen the ski conditions so good for this race - sunny and rock hard for Friday and a bit cloudy, yet still hard for Saturday. Usually, we are battling storms and deep ruts, but not this year. As usual, everybody decided to train a week before the race, taking a page out of the Homer Simpson Book of Ski Training. If you are planning to do this race in the future, do a Dave Murray Camp at least a month ahead. That way you will have something to work on prior to the big event, possibly saving some time as well as minimizing the inevitable leg pain. The key is to ski well balanced and to be very efficient in every turn. Forget any fancy stuff, just keep it simple.

Now that I think of it - that is exactly what we teach at the Camps. A lot of people use the Camps as their early tune up, but there are some that work their butts off in the summer to spend the winters in Whistler and they take EVERY Camp. Yes, EVERY Camp! And have done so for a few years now. It has been a pleasure to watch these people progress their skiing from low intermediate a few years ago to a solid expert level now.

As a couple of team spots unexpectedly opened up for the race, three of these Camp veterans, Sian, David and Steve, anchored by a local ski pro, Meesh, threw their hats in and became part of the classic race. I know that they were excited yet very nervous. They have heard the horror stories of survival that will send a shiver up anyone's spine, let alone an unwitting Peak To Valley rookie's. We tried to help with a bit of coaching, but ultimately these hapless "victims" had only their Camp acquired knowledge to fall back on. Once you leave the start, there is no one to help and hold your hand. The key is to stick to your plan, which is not always easy, as I found out last year.

Last year I raced too hard out of the gate, ran out of steam early, folded like a cheap suit in the middle and suffered rest of the way to a miserable finish. This year I stuck to my plan of "resting" between each turn and having a pretty good run in the end (for an old guy). Sian, David and Steve did all of us at the Camps proud by skiing well in the Peak To Valley and having a good time doing it. Sian went back to England the next day and what a memory to take with her. David and Steve are staying for the rest of the season and more Camp coaching.

One thing is for sure - Dave Murray would be ecstatic to see these rookies from England, products of the Camps, participating in the Peak To Valley. Not everyone who does a Dave Murray Camp will race the Peak To Valley, but at the end of the three days, everyone will be able to ski faster, longer, steeper and with more confidence than ever before. For most people, the goal is to be able to ski hard all day and still have dancing legs left for the night. Come to think of it, that is a good training plan for the Peak To Valley.

Remember - good training plan must include frequent repetition, so get out there and ski! And dance! As I'm pecking at the keyboard, it is snowing outside and the forecast is for more of the "White Gold". It could be time to put away the race skis and dust off the "fatties". The buffed groomers were fun for the last three weeks, but now I'm ready for some fresh "pow".

See you at a Dave Murray Ski Camp