Lorin Lives and Trains in Switzerland

Knowing that all the World Cup races this year were in Europe, I packed up to train and live in Switzerland. Not only was I trying to override some bad habits in my skiing technique, but I was trying to override those bad habits with a team that spoke only French. The first three weeks were filled with a lot of hand gestures and wild gesticulation. After the tenth week, I didn’t need to say “pardon” and was fairly fluent in Francais.

Afraid I might forget my English, I booked a flight to visit some family friends in Ireland. The only problem with that plan was that the English language is a wee bit different in Ireland. What’s the crack means what’s up; to have a good crack means to have a good conversation/time; bogon means gross; dead on doesn’t mean anything but you say it if you agree.

As I sat down for the Christmas “feed” (Irish) with a plate of food too big to eat, I realized that by signing up for a full year of training in a foreign country, I’ve done the same thing. Now if you don’t mind, I have some serious eating to do so I can swallow all these experiences I’ve bit off. Visit my website, www.lorinpaley.com to see the stories. Who knows, maybe by the end of the season, I’ll know the staple of food of every town on the World Cup tour. I think I’ll start with Hilltown, Ireland!