Greetings from snowy New Zealand

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Fun with fitness

The Canadian alpine team has had several training camps this summer — two in Calgary and one in Whistler, B.C., that totaled well over a month of training together as a group.

We've done some great work this summer and I certainly enjoyed the program. There was a lot of creativity in our programs that kept it interesting and challenging. It was fun to switch it up a bit with things like log rolls, bungee jumping, mountain biking and paddling. There was still the base work in the gym and on the bike, but switching things up now and then has kept it interesting.

Speaking up

Two weeks ago I had the honour of speaking at an event in the Vancouver Olympic Village. What an amazing site, and one that is leaving an incredible legacy as it sets the bar in sustainability. A crowd of 1,400 workers attended the event, which was put together to recognize their hard work. On stage with me were B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, among many other distinguished guests. It was an electric moment for me, and likely one of my favourite speaking engagements that I've done.

Media madness

Media requests have been flowing in as Olympic fever starts taking hold of Canada. Although a lot of the work I'm doing this summer will show up sporadically over the next six months, we're getting requests almost daily for all kinds of events. I'm not able to do everything, but it's been great to see Olympians getting more attention.

Good causes

I've been busy with charity work when I can fit it in between all the training and traveling. My husband, David Ford, and I helped run a boot camp for kids age 13-18. We both really enjoyed the challenge of adapting to a variety of skill levels while also getting the opportunity to connect with kids. It was great fun as we saw them open up, push themselves, and laugh while doing it.

I'm am also helping Canadian Athletes Now Fund get a nationwide snowball fight happening! This is a new initiative they are doing to raise money for amateur athletes across Canada. You can buy snowballs and "throw" them at anyone you like. To see what I mean, check out the website.

Back on the hill

Our training camp in New Zealand has started up in Tekapo, and our first five days of skiing are at Round Hill ski club. It's literally a round hill and their slogan is, "Round Hill, for the newlywed and nearly dead!" I guess I fit in here since I'm a newlywed!

It's a great hill with a fast turnaround on a t-bar, and the hill is just the right level of difficulty. We jumped right into training with two days of slalom and now we're into giant slalom. I even got into the slalom gates yesterday and did full-length courses. Slalom isn't my specialty, but it was fun to be back on that kind of course.

Besides all that, I'm healthy and looking forward to a long training camp.

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