Today’s Sprint Interview is with Simi Hamilton. A graduate of Middlebury College, Simi has been on the U.S. Ski Team for two years, putting up two podium finishes in U.S. Championship competitions and finishing first in a 3.5k Freestyle SuperTour Finals in 2011.
FasterSkier: What are your goals for this camp?
Simi Hamilton: This time of year I like to get that good ski feeling back and really work on technique as well as focusing a lot on volume. We used the same mindset last year and I think it really paid off. Its a good time to use good conditions to put in a lot of hours, a lot of base stuff.
FS: What are your goals for the NZ winter games?
SH: No matter what time of year it is, if you’re putting a bib on, you need to be putting out as much effort as you can. Racing is racing. I want to go into the race with that kind of mindset. I also want to get refamiliarized with a warm up and cooling down; refamiliarize with race strategy. And fun: you just go as hard as you can, its not the most ideal time of the year performance, but there are good skiers down here and it should be fun.
FS: Do you have any technique goals for this camp?
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/Hamilton-2.jpg" "Hamilton 2")
SH: Mostly just being more efficient, figuring out how my body can be more efficient, and using what I learn about my body. It mostly comes from experimentation. Technique varies so much for each person. Finding what works for you doesn’t take a set equation you can just apply. Technique is such a unique thing.
FS: At this point in the season, do you have any goals for the World Cup? What are they?
SH: You want some pretty specific goals set at the very beginning of the year, the specifics change as your training changes. I want to post top 10 in a skate sprint, and more broadly, ski better, more consistently. I want to start making the rounds every sprint I ski and go top 40, top 30 every distance race. I also want to get some starts in the Tour de Ski and stay over in Europe over Christmas, feeling out those multiday races.
FS: What kind of volume are you looking to do at this camp?
SH: Personally, between 22 and 24 hours each week for all three weeks. Its not a huge amount, but I’m just gradually working up volume to where I want to be in a couple of year. I had a similar break down [of hours] last year and got a lot out of the camp.
FS: What is your favorite workout?
SH: I love the long skis. You can just go out for three hours, and you’re not thinking about keeping your heart rate in a two beat range. It gets back to the real roots of why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re just going out, enjoying the sunshine with your buddies and skiing the Kirsty Burn route.
FS: What’s your favorite road food, you know, food while traveling?
SH: Really good ravioli. You get the whole package with ravioli, a pasta and cream sauce, and then really good cheese. It hits everything.
FS: Do you a particular venue that you really like to race at? Why there?
SH: Internationally I would have to say Oslo. The trails are really cool, especially with the atmosphere and the excitement of all those people turning out to watch. It’s a pretty special experience racing there. Domestically I would have to say Soldier’s Hollow, though I like Oak Hill a lot, when there’s snow.
FS: What do you do in your free time here?
SH: Everyone finds their niche of something to do up here. This year I’ve been trying to read a lot. I’ve been really immersed in a couple of books.
FS: Favorite icecream?
SH: Cherry Garcia, sometimes I get a little fancy and go Half Baked but it always comes back to Cherry Garcia, you can’t get better than that.
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