Let me know what you think. If you are a fan of the video blogs, I can keep them coming throughout the season. If you like the traditional blog, I can keep that going to. This is my place for fans, so let me know what you want! Also check out my Blog at www.fisalpineworldcup.com. Thanks, and enjoy. Stacey

Its been a long time since I last reported to you. In the last 5 weeks, I have been on 3 different continents, 3 different countries, and skied in some amazing conditions.

After my crazy hiking adventure that I wrote about last, I was battling an infected blister on my foot as I got on the plane to New Zealand. Thankfully I didn’t have any more problems with that as I arrived in the country. Out of the 4 different years I have been to New Zealand, this year welcomed us with the biggest snow base I had seen there which provided for some great training. New Zealand is always a starter camp for our team, in which we ease back into full speed training after a good 3 months of summer workouts under our belts. Our coaches set up a really good progression and I felt balanced and confident each step of the way. At the end of the camp, we were back in the start gate again when we participated in some “fun” races that did not have a whole lot of meaning other then getting back in a race situation. The first race I was first, the second race I was second, and the third race I was third! Racing in these races more importantly gave me the chance to work with the transition to my new technician, which is going great and I am very excited about.

After returning to home in Mammoth, California after New Zealand for a brief 10 days, it was out the door again, destination- Chile. Our annual trip to Chile always takes us to the amazing resort of Portillo. You may recognize Portillo as the name of the place that ATHLETA has previously done some photo shoots. We again were blessed with a ton of snow and absolutely fantastic training. We had one jump built into our course that was by far the biggest jump I have ever gone off. We were flying almost 60 Meters going about 100 KPH. It was huge, and a little scary at first but our whole team rose to the challenge, and we were reminded that anything we encounter on the World Cup will now seem simple and small compared to what we were training. It was also very cool to be fully up to speed training against our teammate Lindsey Vonn who is officially the number one ranked skier in the world right now.

I am now back in Mammoth again resting and getting in one more short block of dryland training before the season kicks off in October. Thanks for your patience with my update. Talk to you soon.

The adventurous spirit inside me just does not want to be put in a closet right now. Six days after completing my first triathlon, I set out on my first backpacking trip. While driving home to Mammoth, California from my triathlon in Utah, I stopped at the warehouse for Backcountry.com in Salt Lake City and picked up all of my gear for this new adventure I was about to set out on. Although I was a first time backpacker, they showed me everything that I needed to do the trip in style!

Two friends and myself set a very ambitious itinerary from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley of 60 miles in just 2 ½ days for this trip. Not knowing what exactly I was getting into, once again, I started out the trip in the highest of spirits. The first day had us tackling nearly half the distance and half of the vertical accent, and we needed to keep the pace up in order to fill this hearty task. From our starting elevation of 8,000 feet, we went up to 11,000 right away and then back down to 9,000 and covered 30 miles in 12 hours of hiking. The first 20 flew by like nothing, and I wish I could say the same about the next 10. The path on the decent to our camping location was brutal and super steep, and this is when I figured out I would much rather hike uphill then downhill. The endless pounding and jarring of going downhill made my feet hurt so bad and made me realize that what we set out to do was definitely not a stroll in the woods. Miles 28 and 29 was mostly me putting one foot in front of the other with the hope of reaching our first camp and eating dinner and most importantly going to bed. Going to bed was quite the adventure as well. I have never slept in a Bivy Bag before, and definitely not in the middle of bear and mountain lion country. I was slightly paranoid to say the least, and was expecting to wake up to a bear in my face at any point in time. We made it through the night without any bear encounters, thank goodness, and had a hearty meal of dehydrated eggs and bacon before we started off again.

The second day had us set to cover 16 miles climbing right away back up to 11,000 feet over the Sierra Crest, and then dropping down to 7,000 feet to stay for our second night. I bandaged up my feet and took off once again in the highest of spirits knowing that we only had to cover about half of the distance as the day before. The climb was no problem, once again; almost just a hop, a skip, and a jump to the top of the pass. But then the decent of 4,000 feet took its toll. We hardly covered any distance during this time, but it was definetly the majority of the day as the trail was once again very steep and brutal on my feet and knees. I have to say that at this point was probably one of the most trying times in the journey. We knew that the more ground we could cover on this day, the better the 3rd day was going to be for us as we descended down into Yosemite Valley. After 9 hours of hiking on our second day, we reached our next camp. It felt just as hard as the day before even though it was half the distance. If I could do the trip again, I might have taken a day off here, as our camp was very cool. We were on a huge granite dome, on a small platform that fit the three of us perfectly. I choose to sleep in the middle of the two guys, as once again, I was certain a bear was going to come eat me. Just below us was a river that cut through the granite that had a lot of really nice little pools that would have been fun to explore, but my sleeping bag was the only thing that I wanted anything to do with.

We had only left 11 miles for the last day of our trip, and we were able to cover the first 9 by about 10:00 in the morning. That might sound great, but the only problem was we still had 3,000 feet we had to drop in the last two miles. After 58 miles of hiking in 53 hours, I thought I was going to need lower extremity replacements and was not real sure on how I was going to make it down 3, 000 more vertical feet. The worst part was, that this path is one of the main hiking paths in Yosemite, so it is crowded with day hikers donning attire deserving of the city. As I was limping my way down the final two miles, I got passed my ladies in flip flop sandals and jean shorts like it was nothing, and of course they have no idea why we might be so beat up from this small hike they were on! That is a true test of patients and mental ability to keep going.

When we finally reached our beautiful destination, my shoes came off even before my backpack. All that I wanted for a reward was a milkshake, but while we were hiking a fire had started that cut off the power to the valley. Ice cream was hard to keep without power, and I never got my milkshake, but the satisfaction of making it was enough to keep me happy. As I am writing this two days later, my feet still hurt, but the rest of my body feels stronger then ever, including my brain. I had no idea this trip would be more of a test of mental ability then physical, but I am so glad I had that test before the winter which is sure to bring its own ups and downs. I take off on August 1st to New Zealand to get back on snow after a wonderful summer. I can’t wait. Talk to you soon.

To not keep you waiting any longer, I made it to the finish line in my first triathlon!  The play by play is coming, but first, I just have to say that it was one of the coolest things I have done in my life.  That was the first time I competed in anything individually other then skiing, and I loved it.   

So, the nerves were running on the morning of the race, as I woke up and looked out my tent door to the swimming portion of the course, and it sure did look long.  It was a very different type of nervous then my skiing nerves, this was more like nerves of the complete unknown, where in skiing I at least know what I am getting into.  But to say the least, I was really excited and could not wait for my time to start.  I took a small practice swim before which helped calm some nerves and remind me that I could stay on the surface of the water.  The men took off 5 minutes before the ladies and watching them really got me fired up to go.  Then when it was my turn, I strategically placed myself on the outside of everyone due to the fear of getting swam over.  The count down and the whistle came and I was off, probably a little too energized and fast.  I was doing great for the first 100 meters or so, avoiding getting trampled over and head pushed under like I had envisioned, when I looked up to make sure I was going in the right direction.  Surprise, surprise, I was going in the right direction, but the brief pause in my breathing pattern messed everything up.  The race was at 7,800 feet, and for some reason, I was not able to calm my breathing back down enough to continue putting my head in the water.  So I rolled over and tried to back stroke to calm myself down.  When I was about half way done with the swim, I realized I was not going to be able to calm down and decided to give everything I had on the backstroke where I could at least continue breathing!  It may have been the fastest (or slowest) back stroke ever, but unfortunately I zigged and zagged and swam probably twice the distance I had to, but I made it to the end of the swim and to my surprise ran out of the water with a guy, who had started 5 minutes before us.  I knew my swimming portion was not so stellar, but I was feeling really good about making it and ready for what was ahead. 

In my first transition ever, I fell trying to get my wetsuit off, and probably took way too much time trying to tie my laces, but I hopped on the bike and felt as home as ever.  A lot of my training this summer has been on my bike, so this was my strong point.  I passed two people just getting out of the transition area, and knowing this is where I had to make everything up, I charged hard.  I kept looking for the next person ahead and loved the feeling of passing them and knowing I was making up time.  Of course, I think I could have used a few more miles on the bike to continue making up for my less then stellar swim, but it ended too quickly and before I knew it my running shoes were on.  The run started on this gnarly uphill, which just about did me in, but I had to keep going for all the kids that I was raising money for.  Mentally the swim was the toughest, but physically the run got the best of me.  I pushed really hard though and held my spot I had earned on the bike.  The finish line was very welcome at this point, and I cannot explain the feeling of crossing it! It felt so good.   

I have less then 24 hours to the start of my triathlon!  I am definitely very excited, a little nervous, and slightly clueless about what I am getting into.  Instead of being the professional at a race, I am a complete newcomer– and I kind of like it!  I am very pleased with the response I have received to my charity efforts so far, but keep them coming.  These kids can use any help you can give.  Wish me luck, and I will let you know how it goes very soon.   

Sorry to everyone for the recent break I have taken from blogging, but I have had a lot going on and I am ready to share it with everyone.  Picking up from the last entry, I shared how I was planning on doing a triathlon for charity.  Well, it is no longer planning, and just a lot of “doing”!  Everything is ready to go, and now all I need is your help to support my efforts.  I have a month long campaign planned to help raise awareness and money for children in sports.  It is very creatively called “Stacey’s Month for Children in Sports.”  I will be raising money for two charities, both which work to help improve children’s lives.  The Far West Masters Junior Scholarship Fund has a mouthful of a name, but very simply gives an incredible amount of money to support junior ski racers.  They supported me growing up, and it has been amazing to see their foundation from the other side and see how generous they really are.  The amount of support that they are able to give allows many kids the opportunity to continue in this sport, and really find a love and passion for it.  The other charity is the 49’ers Foundation.  They support extends from everything from creating its own school in the Bay Area, to family violence prevention programs.  Everything they do though, is to better the lives of children.  Also as part of my “month” is the second year I will be rewarding four sponsorships to junior racers in conjunction with Sun Valley Ski Tools. You can read much more about this project and donate at my website, www.staceycook.net.   On to now what I have been up to for the last month.  I decided this year to forgo my annual month long training in Maui that I have done the last two years and stay in the altitude.  I have stayed this summer in Mammoth Lakes for a number of reasons.  This year is the most important in the four-year Olympic cycle to build physical strength and cardio bases.  A lot of people question this, knowing that I have all summer next year before the Olympics, but next summer is more about maintaining and refining then building.  So in order to maximize my building time, I have added to element of no oxygen!  While I felt like my training got off to a slower start then normal because of the time it takes to completely adjust to the elevation, I really am feeling now like my decision is paying off.  Another reason I have stayed here in Mammoth is to help out with the Mammoth Junior Team’s dryland training.  I have taken 3 girls under my wing, and forced them to be my training partners!  Not only does it give me a chance to workout with other athletes, but also I am exposing them to the level of commitment and hard work it takes to move up that they have never seen before.  I love seeing how they raise up to every challenge I give them, and the improvements they have made in just a very short time.  Lastly, my stay here has given me more time then ever to get to know the company better, and be better able to represent them when I am off skiing all over the world with their logo on my head.  I think that is really important to gain that bond with a sponsor.   While most of my days are filled with hard work and lots of sweat, I have had some time to explore and have fun too.  One of the coolest things I have done is hiked to some natural water slides in the area.  You have to check out these photos, it is one of the coolest places I have ever been.  I had so much fun, and I went down the slides probably about 25 times before my friends were able to pull me off!  What a cool world we have at our fingertips.  Next up is a quick trip to Park City, Utah to spend some time with my awesome trainers, and most importantly to participate in my Triathlon.  That will be on the 19^th of July, so I will keep you up to date before and after.  In the mean time, please donate what you can.

The last few weeks I have been hard at work making a great plan for this summer.  My team has actually officially started next season with our first camp in my hometown of Mammoth, California.  This camp is all about going back to the basics, and for us that means slowing down, I mean way down.  We are taken through many of the most important elements of skiing back at snails pace, and forced to do everything correctly before we are allowed to go faster again.  For me, I was focusing on the fundamentals of going over terrain (like bumps and jumps that can cause you to be off balanced).  One of the most effective and consequently most entertaining methods of this was to put us on cross-country skis and send us down the mountain.  These skis are probably about a quarter of the width of alpine skis, and have no edges and no heal attachment.  If you are even slightly out of place on these skis, they will immediately let you know by sending you on your butt.  To say the least, these skis are not made for going downhill, and therefore are a very effective training tool with quick feedback about body position.  If you are confused about why I mentioned this was the most entertaining part of the camp, picture this.  A group of athletes considered to be the nations best at skiing, hardly able to stand up, let alone make turns on a beginner run.  We had a lot of people worrying about the future of US Skiing!   After completion of the on snow camp, I was off to Park City, Ut where the team is based to have a physical testing and “dryland” camp.  Being the adventurous and sometime oblivious person that I am, I decided that I wanted to brave the outdoors and camp during my camp instead of being put up at a hotel.  And braving the wild outdoors was exactly what it was.  Out of the 4 days I was there, my tent only actually stood up for about 3 hours.  Hurricane force winds and downpours of rain and snow had me hiding in my car and rethinking my idea of camping in a winter destination in the beginning of May.  This might actually be a story for another time though, cause it is actually pretty funny.  My time in Utah besides the camping was actually very productive and worthwhile.  I learned the entire new summer program from the trainers and am very happy with it and excited to share bits a pieces of it with you as the summer moves on.  One quick thing about the program is that it really is focusing on being completely balanced as an athlete and eliminating weaknesses.  Sometimes it is easier to just ignore what you are not necessarily good at and try to get better at what you are, but this program doesn’t allow that.  For instance, I am generally considered more of a power athlete, so every time I have a lift in the gym, I spend more then an hour with a warm up that has an explosive biased theme.  It is actually pretty cool, and I can’t wait to see what kind of effect it will have on me as an athlete.   One more thing that is kind of cool.  I have made plans to participate in a triathlon in July.  I have never done anything of the sort, and to be perfectly honest I am a little scared of the swimming part.  But I am going to train hard for it, and am sure I will enjoy a little competition in the summer months.  I am also trying to figure out a way to raise money for charity as part of my experience, so please check back here often, as this will be the first way to know how to donate.  I am definitely stepping out of my comfort zone to do this, and I think it is a great way to try to get others to step out of their comfort zone and donate to a great cause.     

I was on the chair lift yesterday thinking this is one of those days that I need to think back on whenever I think I have it rough.  Days like yesterday are the days that make my job so cool, and make me think I am the luckiest person in the world.  I got to ski and film a commercial with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The CEO of Mammoth introduced me as the “National Champion” to Arnold and the Governor’s reply was (insert best Austrian accent) “Yes, I could tell.  She looks like a racer!”  Not sure if that is a compliment or not but it made me laugh.  We then took four or five runs to film the commercial. Arnold led, and then the rest of us were to ski behind him.  Everyone who has asked me about it so far has asked if he is a good skier or not, and the answer is that I was surprised how good he is.  Of course, if you consider he grew up in Austria, you soon realize it is in his blood.  He skis with an ‘old school’ style, with his skis together and very upright, but he is graceful!  Of course security around him was really tight, actually tighter then when the Olympic team went to the White House to meet the president.  We were briefed to only address him as Governor, and absolute no cameras (sorry I coulnt share any pictures with you) or cell phone of any type at any time.  When I was at the white house, we had to go through a metal detector, but there were no rules about addressing the president, and I have a picture with one arm over the shoulder of him, and the other holding the camera to take a picture of us!  Some of the things I noticed about him that interested me was he had a pretty quiet personality, he was shorter then I expected, and he travels with a make-up artist.  Those are 3 things I never would have guessed!  It was a really cool experience, and I was able to restrain my urge to talk with an Austrian accent around him!  I will keep you up to date on any other cool experience I get, but I bet this will top of the spring as one of the coolest.  Check back often!

All I can say is, it is soooooo nice to be back in California.  Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, and Mother Nature is giving us beautiful spring in this part of the world.  After a season of the insane world that the World Cup is, there is no better place to go home to then Mammoth!  After returning from Nationals, I made a surprise appearance at a race for 9-12 year olds to see all the up-and-comers, and cheer on my home squad of Mammoth Ski Team who brought a huge posse of little rippers.  It was really cool to see the enthusiasm they brought as well as some good skiing! Then a few days later, I participated in the Celebrity Ski and Wine Fest for the 49er’s Foundation.  This was the second year I participated in this event in Squaw Valley, California, and there will be many more visits in the years to come.  I had so much fun skiing with some of the supporters of this great charity, and having a “Celebrity Dual Race” in which my team was definitely the best looking and close to being the fastest.  Just a little more training and I think we will win next year!  There was one 10-year-old girl I worked with, who had the fastest improvement curve of anyone I had ever seen.  She went from Snowplowing in the morning to taking on black diamonds and trails in the trees by the afternoon.  Most of my life is spent being coached, so to have the chance to coach someone else and see that kind of improvement was really satisfying and rewarding.   

And now the best part!  After taking part in the 49er’s Foundation event, I headed back down to Mammoth to take part in some season ending races.  The races were in every event, and to keep a long story short, I won two of the races and one was a Slalom.  I know, I know, you think I am kidding (and for those who don’t know alpine skiing that well, It would be like a long-distance runner winning a sprint) but I actually did win, and there were 120 people and some actual nationally ranked slalom skiers in the race.  Granted, I did have a home hill advantage, but I don’t ever remember winning a slalom race in the past, and I will keep that one in the memory bank.  I was just out skiing to have a good time and go fast with no pressure, and it seemed to work.  I will try to remember that approach for next year.  Hope you are enjoying the spring as much as I am, and I am still hoping for one more good snowfall to have a powder day.  That would be the ultimate end to the year.   

Mammoth Athletes on Top 

 Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for the Mammoth Mountain team skiers and snowboarders who are taking winter sports to a new level. Mammoth-sponsored athletes have been setting foot on podiums in 2008. Congratulations to:

Stacey Cook 23-year-old US Ski Team member and Mammoth-sponsored racer Stacey Cook had a breakout ski performance at the 2008 US Alpine Championships March 23-24, winning two titles in two days: Super G and Downhill. “I think the downhill title is the big one to win at U.S. Championships,” she said in a news feature on USSkiTeam.com. “It’s the event that people strive most to be best at.”

Greg Bretz Five podiums (three World Cup, two Grand Prix) and an appointment to the US Snowboarding halfpipe pro team is not bad for a 17-year-old. Greg is a homegrown Mammoth shredder and has been demanding attention all season. “It’s so exciting to see one of our junior team athletes make it to the next level,” said Oren Tanzer, director of Youth Action Sports at Mammoth. Greg took his first career World Cup win at Stoneham, Quebec on March 9.

Danny Kass Rarely failing to impress in the halfpipe, Danny Kass won the top prize shiny cup (and $20,000) at the Vans Cup Superpipe March 1-2. This was a repeat win for the Mammoth team rider who brought seven styley first place tricks to Northstar’s pipe.

Mason Aguirre Mason was also at the Vans Cup, but more notable were his big wins this season: battling against snowy weather at the World Superpipe Championships (second place) March 8 in Park City and at the Burton US Open Halfpipe in Vermont (also second place) March 23.

Molly Aguirre Molly has been a busy lady with pipe and slopestyle contests. She proved her spot among the best at the Vans Cup at Tahoe Rail Jam March 1-2, where she won first place for riding the on-snow multi-feature rail set-up.

Trevor Jacob And a mention for one of the flying snowboarding chickens at the Roxy Chicken Jam, 15-year-old Trevor Jacob. “Trevor has been competing all over the place, from Vermont to Colorado, and brining home good results,” said Tanzer