Jumping in at the DEEP end

Today finally Zermatt opened its arms and let us ski its fabulous summer terrain.

The last few days have been non-starters with huge anti-climax as i reached the last station only to be held there due to either mechanical problems or adverse weather conditions.

But today no human, nor godly problem could stop us.

Being back with the Canadians was one of the best decisions I have made since i broke my leg. I slit seamlessly back into the team, both with my fellow racers and the coaches.

I am delaying the moment where i try to describe how good it felt to go at speed and trust my leg and body and technique again because i know no english language can do justice to the joy i felt.

Having dabbled in Kaprun on slalom skis with no intensity in soft conditions a few weeks ago I wasn't worried about easy skiing. It was the demand of the new FIS regulation GS skis, the need to commit to turns when a huge G Force is pulling at you, the hard bumpy glacier ice and most of all, my ever present expectation to ski perfectly.

Despite the huge time i had off I know that the first thing i needed to test on this camp was my guts. DO I have what it takes to be fast, really fast again? To be prepared to put my body on the limit and takes risks?? Well those fears were answered in my first run as i powered down the first pitch carrying speed and diving into a steep having to trust the huge years of experience I have, to adjust to the knew equipment.... most racers have a long come back to racing programme with days, and months spent on the basics, going slow.... for me i felt through my experience on Dancing on Ice I have fast tracked this - I know the control and strength in my leg is there. Now I need to test is specifically - by going hard and fast and not overthinking those first vital turns...

Well some said MISSION IMPOSSIBLE -
I say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

In fact none of the group of orange clad Canadian coaches even mentioned my time off or my injury - straight away they treated me like all the others - slightly rusty after the spring physical training!

BOOM!!

So yes the new equipment means i need to adapt my skiing but the potential to be fast is now no longer a dream, it is there and i am so happy to say right now i am living and breathing it!

I will keep you posted on any news - this was supposed to be one liners of blogs but today was so monumental I had to go on and on and on......

Nuff said.

Look on the bright side Chemmy, it should be easier to adjust to the new equipment, as you have had such a gap from the previous skis.

Wish I had been there to see the huge grin you must have had on your face

Enjoy your training and let those crazy canucks know they are now going to have someone else to try to beat, as well as Lindsey and Jules

One of positives of my ACL incident was reading plenty of books how people have come back from injury. If someone can go on to win an olympic gold, gives you a lot of confidence that you can become a decent recreational again. 7 months 12 days and counting down fast.

Good luck with the comeback. I assume saying "Come back Queen" came from somewhere. 2014 is the big one and still a year to warm up.

Go get um Gal

really pleased it's going well, you having any issues with the injury? Did you have any issues with your boot fittings for example?

Splendid news - I can see your smiles just from the words that you have written!

Serious enthusiasm!

Re the new equipment, I am guessing that the changed ski radius takes the skis to a point that pre-dates your start of ski racing?

Like many others, I think it is a retrograde move, but it has happened, and I guess the racers just have to get on with it.

Just musing, I wonder how far down the race scale will the new regs apply ~ to national level, regional, local leagues....