a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/Seqn4pe6gTI/AAAAAAAAAec/F9_7PpUfW8c/s1600-h/Crust.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/Seqn4pe6gTI/AAAAAAAAAec/F9_7PpUfW8c/s400/Crust.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326254100969062706″ border=”0″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/Seqn4pBWdMI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ASmv399na18/s1600-h/climbing+in+bruks.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/Seqn4pBWdMI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ASmv399na18/s400/climbing+in+bruks.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326254100845065410″ border=”0″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/SeqnyolrWfI/AAAAAAAAAeM/M44yqfpJLp8/s1600-h/alpine+area+in+the+26+k.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3c1Nv5NLyNg/SeqnyolrWfI/AAAAAAAAAeM/M44yqfpJLp8/s400/alpine+area+in+the+26+k.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326253997649779186″ border=”0″ //abr /ttspan style=”font-size:85%;”Bruksvallarnabr /br /Greetings from Bruksvallarna, a resort town in the mountains of western Sweden. It was a thirteen hour drive from above the Arctic Circle in Finland to Bruksvallarna, but we were able to see a large portion of Sweden, including Ostersund, a beautiful city on the east side of a large lake, where most of the elite skiers in Sweden live and train. I believe this is also Dennis Donahue’s favorite ski site. Bruksvallarna is one of the coolest places in the world. Many treeless mountains dot the area; we’re staying at a nice hotel/ hostel up the hill from the village of Bruksvallarna that has a beautiful dining area with big windows that provide a panoramic view of the mountains. This area is a popular vacation spot for Swedes and Norwegians who want to cross-country ski, hike, or alpine ski. There are many huts and waffle houses scattered out on the hundreds of kilometers of groomed trails. For the most part, it has been warm during the day and cold at night, creating excellent crust skiing. I’ve had some great long adventures through the mountains.br / There are three races this weekend that serve as the end-of-the-year races for the Swedes and some Norwegians. Many of the elite skiers are here, such as Petter Northug, who won the sprint today. Today was a sprint down in the village of Bruksvallarna. They closed the course an hour before the start, so I didn’t ski one of the tricky downhill corners. In the qualifier, I came in with too much speed and fell in the sugary mess, crossed my skis, and lost more than 10 seconds. I was still three seconds out of qualifying in the junior category. It was frustrating and disappointing, especially because I felt great and I would’ve done super well. It was the first time I fell in a race this year and the first time I didn’t make any heats this year.br / Tomorrow is a 26 km skate that includes a climb up a local alpine area. It’ll be tough.br //span/ttdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1847564486460994594-2115593280085686061?l=gmvsxc.blogspot.com’//div
