I am brining back the blog, this time on my NEW WEBSITE! I have been working on this new site and am excited to finally launch it, so take a tour after reading what I have been up to this summer and fall.

As I write this, I am flying to Europe to race on the World Cup circuit for the next 5 months. It feels weirdly normal, yet unprecedented, nerve wracking, and exciting all at the same time. In a way, 2020 has been quite normal for me in comparison to others, filled with lots of highs but also difficult and challenging times. If I had to sum up my summer and fall in 3 words it would be: Train, Work, Play.

This summer was the first summer in 4 years that I was not taking classes at Dartmouth. Instead, I was living and training in Stratton, VT with my SMS T2 team. I was really excited to be with the team for the full training season after spending the past few years bopping back and forth between school and being on the road. Naturally with no classes, I found a way to keep myself busy around training, working as a Project Manager for a new non-profit called Embolden, that fellow Dartmouth classmates founded this summer. Embolden partners small minority owned businesses with volunteer students who are specialized in marketing, consulting, and all things digital to help these businesses adapt and thrive in the face of Covid.  

By mid-summer, I hit a bit a low, struggling with various injuries while navigating compounding Covid stress and anxiety. I had to stop and figure what I could change because I realized I was stressed, anxious, and unhappy all the time. I took a 2-week hard reset from training to focus on physical therapy and to take a mental reset as well. As I worked back into training, I made sure to make time for “play”, getting out on local adventures because I forgot how important that is to me.

Before I knew it, summer had flown by, I was climbing out of my low, and I started 2 new jobs! Given that I often find myself battling with injuries and having to adapt my training, pursuing my passions outside of skiing has been key to keeping my happy balance! As the summer session with Embolden came to an end, I started working as a designer in the DALI (Digital Applied Learning and Innovation) Lab at Dartmouth. I was really excited to start working with this incredible group of students (project managers, designers, and developers) and faculty that partner with real organizations to implement digital solutions, ranging from websites, apps, AR/VR, and everything digital in between. At the same time, I started working for a new social app called Pastimes (just launched in the app store this week, wahooo, go check it out here). Pastimes makes it easy to find and connect with other outdoor enthusiasts for activities and adventures, allowing you to set your availability, discover local events, ad make new adventure buddies. As someone who absolutely loves getting out for adventures with friends and meeting new people, working with Pastimes has been a truly incredible experience and I can’t wait to see it grow!

In parallel to these 2 remote jobs, I was putting in the work with my SMS T2 team in Stratton, VT, training hard, day in and day out. We were fortunate that Vermont has had such low cases and strict Covid guidelines, allowing us to train safely as a team outside. This summer and fall reminded me how grateful I am to be a part of such an incredibly hard working, supportive, and fun team. I had by far the most consistent training year, despite the usual injuries here and there. Unlike previous years, we had no U.S. Ski Team training camps this year, training only within our team bubble in Vermont, making it difficult to measure improvements with no outside reference points. However, I am confident we all made big strides forward together since every person on our team brings difference strengths to the table and we have a team culture of learning from one another every day, taking the lead on the days where we feel strong, and getting pulled along by the team on the days we are struggling.

One of my highlights of the training year was doing a 3 day mini camp in Green Woodlands. Bob Green, the owner of the Green Woodlands Foundation generously allowed us to stay in his cabins and camp outside for one epic training camp. We mountain biked all of the amazing trails, swam and paddled in the lake, and went on great hike/runs. Not to mention the evening camp fires where we all just sat outside laughing under the stars. Thank you Bob Green for an incredible camp to break up our usual daily team routine!

The best part about the fall was that my sister came out to visit for 7 weeks and I filled up my tank with lots of family time before being on the road for 5 months! I rarely get to spend time with my sister, let alone with my parents and her finance (just engaged, yay) all at once! I always like to find the positives in things, and quality family time as a result of Covid is one of the positives.

The decision to fly to Europe was not an easy one for me to make, I worry about not only my health, but our team and staff members’ health , and mostly importantly the communities we are traveling to. After many Covid meetings and protocols developed by the USST “Covid Board” filled with medical experts, in addition to FIS and the organizing committees, I trust they have put proper measures in place to hold a safe event. I vow to protect myself and everyone around me by wearing masks and taking proper precautions.  

 As I head over the Europe, there are a lot of unknowns. Will next weekend’s races happen, how will we navigate Covid challenges as they come up, where does my fitness level stand, and the list goes on. Our second World Cup weekend in Norway has already been cancelled, but the first the third weekend are a green light. I think the rest of the season will be continuously changing and I plan to do what I know to do best, be flexible and ready to adapt to any situation! I am extremely excited to finally get on snow after 7 months of no snow!  

Check the blog for regular updates throughout the winter and take a tour of my new website! Follow along with me on my journey in Instagram @juliakernski or Facebook at Julia Kern. Let the snow start falling and happy skiing! :)

Freezing rain —> Skiing? Close enough!