I’ve been back in Europe for a little over a week, getting adjusted to the time zone again and getting back into the World Cup racing state of mind. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to skip the Tour de Ski and spend Christmas in Montana since it gave me a full three weeks to hang out with Erika, experience the joys of Christmas in Bozeman, and get in a ton of real winter skiing. Three weeks was the perfect amount of time to build back up some training in order to hit the bulk of the ski season full steam and with full energy.  There is a lot of ski racing left this season and after a tough start with injuries and sickness the rebuilding process was really important. Now I feel like I’ve traveled over to Europe with a fresh start to the World Cup, and with a great base built up to maintain fitness throughout the whole season.