Every November, eastern ski racers do the same thing: we look north. For the University of New Hampshire ski team, that meant piling into vans, pointing them toward Canada, and finally clicking into bindings while most of our friends back home were still raking leaves. Ten days, eight of them on snow, sub-zero temps, and a whole lot of Burgeon layers. Here’s how the road north kicked off my first season in a UNH uniform.
The Journey North
The trip started with a five-hour van ride to Montreal, a delayed flight to Calgary (thank you, de-iced wings), and a final hour-and-a-half drive into the Canadian Rockies. We rolled into Canmore just as the peaks were putting on their first real snowcaps.
Canmore felt like someone dropped Vail into the Austrian Alps—jagged teeth glowing through the giant windows of our Airbnb every morning.
Packing for Preseason Camp
Packing for a preseason camp is an art. I traveled with four bags: ski bag, boot bag (always carry-on—custom boots don’t grow on trees), big duffel, and backpack.
The heroes of the trip were definitely my Burgeon Flume Base Layers (top and bottom) and the Lincoln Beanie that never came off.
Training in Real Cold
Nakiska is cold. Like, really cold. The last two training days we showed up to –4°F and wind that cuts right through you.
Thankfully Burgeon had me covered. I wore Flume mid-weight layers under my GS suit every day—they’re warm but super flexible, which meant I could actually train gates without a jacket and still stay toasty on the lift. Huge for a racer who hates bundling up and stripping layers every run.
Eight Days on Snow
Eight straight days on snow is brutal. We had fresh snow that delayed training and forced a million slip laps, flat light so bad you couldn’t see the rolls, and cold that made you question life choices.
Mentally you just have to go with the flow. Check the weather the night before, pack what you need, show up ready for whatever. Sure, maybe I skied two fewer runs than I wanted because of a delay, but I still got three more laps than every racer who didn’t make the trip north.
The sun came out eventually, the mountains sparkled, and there was always something to feel stoked about.
Heading Into Race Season
Nakiska threw everything at us, but we left sharper and stronger. Huge thanks to Burgeon for keeping me warm enough to actually train instead of just survive.
Eastern Cups are coming fast. Let’s go UNH.
—Abishai
More from the road (and the racecourse) all season.
