Kyle Tress

Now that team selection races are over I’ll be spending two weeks in Lake Placid testing sleds, runners, and speed suits as I finalize my racing setup for the season. Although I didn’t race my best this fall, I’m comfortable with my results. My pushes were competitive (4.65 in Utah, only .01 seconds from my best) and I have confidence going into this season as I represent the United States on the Intercontinental Cup circuit.

The first stop of the IC Tour is Winterberg, Germany. Winterberg is an interesting track with a fitting name. It’s prone to insane weather conditions which often have tremendous impact on races. Over the course of 16 runs in Winterberg, I’ve experienced hurricane-force winds and blinding snowstorms, to sunny blue skies. I’m curious to see what it gives us this season.

Following Winterberg, we’ll drive deep into east Germany to Altenberg, located near the Czech border. Altenberg is a challenging stop for us in many ways. The track is notoriously difficult, with some of the most demanding curves in the world (like the 360-degree Kriesel). There have been some spectacular crashes in Altenberg and I only have one run on the track dating back to the 2005 Europa Cup. A blizzard limited us to a single training day before the race was cancelled, much like my second World Cup in Cesana two years ago. There isn’t much to do in Altenberg besides visit Prague and practice German, but I’m eager to experience it once again.

FInally, we will finish the first half of the season in La Plagne, France which is a new location for many skeleton athletes. The track served as the Olympic venue for the Albertville Games in 1992 but hasn’t held an FIBT competition in years. Now it occasionally holds paid training weeks for select nations. We don’t know much about the track in La Plagne, save for the neck-breaking G-forces rumored to be the highest in the world.

The Intercontinental Cup is a challenging circuit every season, but especially this year given the tracks we’re facing. The competition is tough and the schedule is demanding, but it’s a perfect start to a new quad. I’ll be updating my website every stop of the way with video, photos, and articles. Thanks for reading, and remember to join my team on Facebook for more!