Morse Code: The 700 lbs. Club

Photo: former SRD athlete Ben Morse and Current SRD athlete Sam Morse at Fenway Park. 

Last week I reach a goal which I have been shooting for several years, this goal was the 700 lbs. club. This is a form of  Physical Testing when you have to bench 200 lbs., power clean 200 lbs. and squat 300 lbs. This was some thing that I have been working really hard for. It is a long standing tradition at C.V.A. for the top athletes to achieve this test, many have tried and failed but some have succeeded in completing the test like Bode Miller, others who were close but not quite, like Forest Carry.

My coach Chip Cochran is the official judge of this test and has been here for all of the years it has been offered at C.V.A. he makes sure that you really go deep enough in the squats and such. He also is the motivator behind the event, he said that no one had gotten the award in the last eight years. I am honored to receive the an outrageous looking muscle shirt which is the proof that you really did it. As fall progresses at C.V.A. I continue to get stronger in all areas not only strength but in also running for I scored my highest ever in the beep test. I am so excited to take all of this hard dry land work and put it into the slopes. 

Just the other day the Sugarloaf area got 6 inches of snow which was pretty exciting for the East Coast. A neighboring mountain, Sunday River is open for skiing which is really cool. I am now out in Colorado getting some early season training in at A-basin, and Loveland. The snow and the weather have been awesome we have spent a couple of days on SL and GS. It is a really cool experience because at this camp I am acting as an assistant coach to Chip Cochran. I am getting to work with some awesome athletes such; Megan McCormack, Drew West, RJ Sarka and many others. It feels so good to get my skis back under me and I look forward to an awesome up coming season.

.)) Sam Morse

Loveland Bound!

So it is almost on top of us. The season is finger’s length away and with it comes excitement and nerves. The World Cup season opened in Sölden (congrats to Lindsey Vonn and Ted Ligety) and soon after that follows everybody else’s season. So Rowmark heads out to Colorado for a jump-start to the season we leave tomorrow and I could not be more excited. I just finished my two tests today and so I am finally ready to get out of this town!

This is the time where people realize how much work they have put into the coming season. It has been 30 weeks of training since Rowmark started preparing for the season and this camp is the culmination of that. Our second Loveland camp is my favorite of the entire year. First of all it is the most “winteresque” of any of our camps and takes place on a resort with real runs on it (sorry Hood). We also start to do a ramp up for our first races (mine will be Panorama) in December or November. This ramping occurs on the Loveland training hill, which is quite nice, and I enjoy a lot. The third and last thing is that it is Colorado, which is one of my favorite places on earth.

But with every great thing comes a but, and that but comes in the form of finals. Finals follow our camp less than a week from when we get back. The only drawback to camp is that—we have to go into finals trying just to catch up from when we were gone.

So in conclusion,s off to Loveland for my favorite camp and I am sooo excited. What is hard to believe is that after that comes the season, YIKES! But it is going to be a blast. And I cannot wait for camp and then Thanksgiving (not finals) and then my Beaver Creek speed Camp and then my first FIS race. Did I mention I was excited?

.)) Breezy Johnson

SRD's new catalog is out!

SRD's new catalog is out! Version 6.0!

Six years ago SRD introduced its first catalog to the ski racing community. Since that small and humble beginning, we have developed a core of loyal customers in the USA and over 50 countries around the world. SRD gear is regularly shipped to places from Sakhalin Island Russia to Wanaka New Zealand!

This year we are beginning our transition to focusing on SRD products as a stand-alone brand! Yes, we are still stocking the World Cup brands you crave, but we are taking the years of feedback and R&D and building better, faster products. We have had many requests from retailers to offer SRD gear and it may soon be making possible to find SRD at a shop near you.

In the mean time, we are still here to serve you, both through our on-line web store, and through our authorized retail store, a Culture of Speed.

SRD is excited to announce that its products will be represented at the new Race Center, a Culture of Speed, in Dumont, Colorado. a Culture of Speed is located on I-70 just off Exits 234/235. In fact, it is on the westbound 235 exit ramp, easy off/easy on. This new location will offer tremendous convenience to our customers, both new and old and feature World-Class ski tuning and repair with our partner Alpine Base and Edge in Boulder.

If you are visiting Colorado from out of state, and would like to arrange for a special store opening for you or your team, please give us a call. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 800.321.1749 or by email: info@skiracingdevelopment.com.

We are based in Edwards, CO, just minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek, home of the World Cup’s “Birds of Prey” race events and the 2015 FIS World Alpine Championships! Have a fast race season.

In the Swing: Off to Colorado!

Hey Blog readers! I have been looking forward for my Colorado trip since I came back from Chile. My last month has been very busy with school work and also working out. This past week has been brutal in terms of training. My group first did the beep test. For all of you who don't know what it is, it is when you run from one line to the other as many times as possible. I set my personal record with 12:9. I am starting to pack for Colorado and am departing in three days. It first snowed here in Vermont a couple days ago and this got me excited and realized skiing is just around the corner. I finished getting my skis all set up and ready to hit the snow. When we go to Colorado we will be going to Loveland Basin and Vail for a couple of days. Finally going to be skiing again very soon! .)) Eli Swing