by Max Durtschi, Team Crosscut and US Biathlon Athlete
*Written on Dec. 24, 2020
Greetings from Ramsau, Austria, the home of US Biathlon for the holiday break. Having just finished the first four World Cups in Kantiolahti, Finland and Hochfilzen, Austria we are looking forward to some recharging before heading to Oberhof, Germany for World Cup 5!
US Biathlon's season began with a pre-season World Cup camp in Vuokatti, Finland. We spent two weeks in Vuokatti skiing on their tracks and taking advantage of their ski tunnel and other World-Class facilities. I personally enjoyed getting on snow and practicing technique in some softer conditions. Because much of the World Cup season takes place in central Europe, being confident in wet, soft snow is very important.
We finished off our camp with some training races against national team biathletes from Ukraine, Finland, and Bulgaria. These races were a great way to wake up the body as I had not raced on snow since last March in Minsk, Belarus. I felt good on skis and solid in the range, cleaning the sprint race and shooting well in the individual.
After our training camp, we traveled to the site of World Cups 1 and 2 in Kantiolahti, Finland. This venue was fantastic with some challenging hills and a range that often sees strong wind. The conditions were pretty soft which made the steep hills even more challenging. The range conditions oscillated daily and this gave us a great chance to practice wind shooting!
In Hochfilzen, we finally experienced consistent sunshine which was wonderful after spending nearly a month in the darkness of northern scandinavia. Snow conditions were good as well with a little more natural snow mixed into the track.
So far, the biggest change to this season has been the COVID-19 protocols. Overall, I have been very impressed with the efforts made by both US Biathlon as well as the International Biathlon Union (IBU). Using protocols put together by our medical staff, we travelled overseas and have done our best to mitigate risk while in hotels. As a team we have made some sacrifices including subdividing into pods in order to prevent potential spread within our team, but have found ways to enjoy each other's company nonetheless!
In addition, the IBU has done a great job keeping us athletes safe! These measures include: frequent testing (roughly every 4-5 days), restricted hotels, charter flights, and (unfortunately) prohibiting fans at the venues. For our time at the venue our sponsors Maloja and Sunlight have provided us a team RV which we can use to safely relax, while maintaining strict protocols.
I wish everyone safe and healthy holidays! We hope that Crosscut has some great conditions!