I was only in Park City for 48 hours and then drove back to Aspen with Adam and Ben Loomis for the annual hut trip. It was a three night excursion and we made the most of it. The fist day Adam, Ben and I skied into the hut and then went on a long tour in the afternoon. I was worried that the snow wasn't going to be great due to the warm and summer-like weather Aspen had the past two weeks, however it was some of the best spring skiing I have done. The following day we trekked over to another hut and spent the next two nights there. Again we had some very long, but good, days of touring. The snow at the new hut wasn't quite as good as the first one but we made due and had a blast! On the last day we skied out of the hut to our cars and went our separate ways. Adam and Ben returned to Park City and I stayed in Aspen for several days before heading to Maui for a little R&R with the family and good friend Riley.
I hope everyone is enjoying their spring! It has been a great few months so I will catch you up on what I have been up to. As you know I returned home to Aspen at the beginning of March. While at home I worked at the Snowmass ski resort to try and make a little extra money. It was a great experience and I hope I can do it again next spring. After the ski areas closed, I drove back to Park City, for a few days of physical testing at the Center of Excellence. The testing went better than expected and I was really happy with my results. I was only in Park City for 48 hours and then drove back to Aspen with Adam and Ben Loomis for the annual hut trip. It was a three night excursion and we made the most of it. The fist day Adam, Ben and I skied into the hut and then went on a long tour in the afternoon. I was worried that the snow wasn't going to be great due to the warm and summer-like weather Aspen had the past two weeks, however it was some of the best spring skiing I have done. The following day we trekked over to another hut and spent the next two nights there. Again we had some very long, but good, days of touring. The snow at the new hut wasn't quite as good as the first one but we made due and had a blast! On the last day we skied out of the hut to our cars and went our separate ways. Adam and Ben returned to Park City and I stayed in Aspen for several days before heading to Maui for a little R&R with the family and good friend Riley. Hawaii was a blast. We stayed on the South shore in Wailea. Since there is so much to do there our days were packed with adventures. We snorkeled with turtles, hiked around Haleakala Crater(10,023ft volcano), went deep sea fishing, and of course went surfing. One of the days Riley and I met up with some of my friends on the U.S. Alpine team who coincidentally were on Maui. We drove up to the North shore and went surfing and boogie boarding for the day. All in all, we had a great week in Hawaii and I hope to return again one of these years. After Hawaii, I returned to Aspen, had a few days to pack, and then drove to Park City. I have now been in Park City for about two weeks and the team is in full training mode. After just three days back on a road bike I decided to do a 50 mile road bike race down in Salt Lake City. I ended up doing well, finishing 19th out of 60 riders and 4th in the Category 4 division. Needless to say, I was really happy to have rode so well. This past week the weather took a turn for the worse and rained almost everyday and ended the week with quite the snow storm. Typical spring weather in the mountains! As for me, I am doing really well. I feel healthy and like I am already in better shape then I was this past winter. I am in the gym everyday focusing on ski jump training and weights and outside everyday riding bikes, running, or roller skiing. On top of training, I have started two new online classes, and I am working about 3 nights a week. I am very busy but I am enjoying every minute. Lastly, I wanted to share that I picked up a new nordic pole sponsor for the upcoming season. One Way Sport is a high end company and I am very excited to ski on their poles this year! If you would like to take a look, please go to my sponsorship page, click on their logo on the left of the screen, and it will take you right to their website! Again I hope all of you are having a great spring and have had a great Mother's Day weekend!
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Michael WardHi! My name is Michael Ward. I am a 23 year old from Aspen, CO now living in Park City, UT to continue my career as a Nordic Combined athlete. I am on the 2015-16 US Nordic Combined Team and am honored to live and train with the best in the world. Archives
February 2016
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