Home from Chile- Camp report

Summer and Fall seem to go by so fast, it is hard to keep up on this blog!  I have a little time right now, as I am sitting in the Toyota Dealership in Reno because a rabbit decided to snack on the wires of my car while I was away in Chile.  Life at my parents ranch is always interesting.  You initially think they live a quite life, but withing 24 hours of flying in I had brake failure in my car (thanks to the rabbit), Attended one of my best friends weddings in the next barn over which was BEAUTIFUL, had to herd a stray cow back into her grazing ground, and was rudely awakened this morning by the smell of a skunk that wandered by my open window.  Can't say that is a pleasant alarm, but it was nice to be awake to see the sunrise over the beautiful Sierra Valley.  
Camp in Chile was one of the more interesting ones I have had over my career.  We were blessed with some amazing weather and snow conditions and were very lucky to get to train next to the Norwegian and Canadian men everyday.  I have been trying to switch boot to the newer model of Rossignols.  Many athletes have had great success on this newer model, and well... I was the last athlete in the world still on the old model, so I decided to try to make the switch this summer.  It has proved to be a very difficult switch for me, both mentally and physically.  
I am not a big fan of testing equipment.  I spent a few years trying to play the testing game when Lindsey and I shared a technician. She loves testing, and was very successful at finding the absolute fastest set up, so I went along her path and it caused me a bunch of confusion and a lack of confidence in what I was skiing on each day.  Part of getting older is knowing to take your own path and it took me awhile to figure out my path is through "just skiing".  I would rather pick a set up and adjust myself to it, rather then try to find "needle in a haystack" equipment that adjusts to me.  Unfortunately, there is a reality in the skiing world that some testing needs to happen, so my new technician Miha and I have found ways to test without causing confusion.... until now.  The first 3/4 of the camp I was utterly confused about what I should have on my feet.  My old boots fit well, my new boots hurt so bad I had to take them off every run.  My new boots ripped in GS, my old boots ripped in DH.  Super-G was a lost cause in all boots for the moment.  And to top it off, this whole time I was dealing with the emotions of my Grandpa passing away right before the trip.
I have to say I have never seen a group of coaches (we have 6) show so much support and patience so many days in a row, and I am so thankful to them for seeing that is what I needed.  I got some great information out of the last block of the camp, and finally feel like the I will be a better, faster skier at the end of the tunnel.  Our last day of training was with the German men, and it was really fun to be "chick-ing" them in SG.  What a great way to end the camp!  I have to say that a lot of good was taken out of the "bad days" at camp, and I hope this new change will help me reach some of my goals this year and in the years to follow.  A big thanks to Rossignol for all the work they have put in this year to make this switch possible.