This is a story written by Greg Harkay about his experiences at the Vermont Academy Summer on Snow Camp in Vuokatti, Finland. This year it was the 10th annual European Summer on Snow Camp run by VA coach, Alexei Sotskov. Anyone interested in next year's trip can contact Alexei at asotskov@vermontacademy.org or (802)-869-6204.
Fish, potatoes, fatty sauces, gorgeous wood chip covered running trails, endless and wide rollerskiing/biking paths running along all major roads (covered with fit Finns), steamy saunas, and perfect skiing are what I found in Vuokatti, Finland. I traveled with four other skiers, Pavel Sotskov, Brendan Kiniry, Ian Tovell, and Kristen Harkay; and our coach, Alexei Sotskov. It took a plane (delayed because the pilot was sure that somebody was on the plane that should be staying in Stockholm after the layover), a bus, two trains, and one more bus to reach our destination: the Vuokatti Sports Center. I found the accommodations to be excellent with comfortable beds, a TV (the Tour de France is on Eurosport every day, after all), and a full bathroom in each of our three rooms.
Most days involved getting up at 7:30 (I cannot recite the old crack of dawn story here since it never actually gets dark 100 km from the Arctic Circle), going for a 15 minute run, jumping in the lake, eating copious quantities of food, skiing for 1.5 to 2 hours, eating more copious quantities of food, sleeping, running or roller skiing or snow skiing again, eating yet more copious quantities of food, gaining strength in the well-equipped weight room (machines with pneumatic resistance were new to me), ridding our bodies of toxins and fatigue in the sauna, and sleeping some more. Such a schedule might sound as though it could become boring or trite, but when you are skiing with some of the best Russian, Chinese, Austrian, and Finnish skiers in the world things remain quite interesting.
. We also completed a 10 km classic race, roller skied to the nearby town of Sotkamo, took a day trip to the larger city of Kajaani, and visited a spa that was essentially a huge building full of interconnected pools, whirlpools, water jets, steam rooms, and saunas. As if that wasn’t enough, we all decided to test our downhill driving skills at the Slalom Cart race track. Although I scored the fastest time for one lap, my first cautious roll down the hill cost me the overall podium in the end, leaving me in third behind Pavel and Ian.<br />
While all of these activities left the rest of us quite spent, Brendan, eager to reclaim some of the dignity he lost in the Slalom Cart race, introduced us all to the noble, if slightly obscure, sport of duck tackling. One particularly nice morning, we were all standing on the dock having just finished our regularly scheduled pre-breakfast swim. Our still bleary eyes were thrust open when Brendan, claiming earlier success in the duck tackling arena, dove into the water in the direction of the previously sighted foul. Upon regaining his vision Brendan reached for the bird only to retract his hand and announce that the duck had bitten him. At that point it was decided that the duck had won and we retreated to the comforts of the well-stocked cafeteria.<br />
Extraneous activities aside, we were all there for the skiing. And what skiing it was: perfect tracks and mid-winter conditions greeted us at the head of the 2.5 km ski tunnel. We skied classically on blue hard wax that yielded perfect kick and we skated on fast, hard packed snow. One might think that such an artificial tunnel full of snow would be flat, but after skiing a few loops that individual would learn that he or she was sadly mistaken. One might also think that such a tunnel would be underground, but I learned the truth the first time I skied past a door to the sunny woods outside and thought how strange it was to be getting ready to switch to warmer gloves due to the -6 C temperature while knowing full well that I would be sweating in a tee shirt later in the afternoon. I also found the tunnel to be a far less boring place to ski that I had imagined it would be. With all the hills, the skier traffic, the large dimensions of the tunnel, the American music playing on the overhead speakers, and the occasional skiing tip from the coach of the Russian National Team, my skiing experience was far from boring or repetitive. As a lover of snow and cooler temperatures I was sad to leave the tunnel as I finished my 65th kilometer of the day when Alexei said it was time to leave. Under his expert guidance I had greatly improved both my classic skiing and my skating, not to mention the fact that I had an excellent time doing so.<br />
After a nice ride on a sleeping train last night followed by several more buses and another extended layover in the minute building that Sweden calls their international airport, I am finally on the plane home. Well, Boston at least. So let’s see what this Princess Diaries 2 movie is all about…<br />
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