No love in Wengen

It felt great to to be racing in Wengen again today. With the sharp
terrain and very steep pitches, twisting in and out of the old hay barns
on the side of the hill, it is my favorite hill on the World Cup.

Unfortunately though, it wasn't very kind to me today. I had difficulty rolling my ski up on edge at the top part of the course and then shot myself
wide of a gate as I crested the big knoll, all of which cost me 1.65
seconds at the split timer. From that point down I was able to let my skis
run more and minimized my deficit, but I was still 2.22 seconds out at
the finish, which ended up being 17 hundredths and four places too slow
for a second run.

My feelings were ambivalent following the run. I was bitterly disappointed
that I failed to perform to my abilities, especially on a hill that I
absolutely love skiing on. And all of that following the momentum I had
created for myself in Adelboden. However, I felt positive and
encouraged about my 16th-fastest bottom split, and the fact that even on
a disjointed and uninspired run I was still very close to making the
cut. I'd like to focus on the latter as I move forward because there's
nothing I can do to take back the performance itself.

Tomorrow we're driving over to Kitzbühel for the week. We'll do some
training in the area and compete in the FIS races in Kirchberg and
Westendorf. It will be a good chance to dial my skiing in further so
that I will be prepared to fully attack the Hahnenkahm and rise to the
occasion there.