Jumping in at the DEEP end!

On Wednesday, finally Zermatt opened its arms and let us ski its fabulous summer terrain.

The last few days have been non-starters with huge anti-climaxes 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 slip 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 knew 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 new equipment... most racers have a long come back to a 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 it 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!

Today was so monumental and I will keep you posted on any news...