Last week's Europa Cup opener in Landgraaf, Netherlands, was an eye-opener for me, providing an unparalleled experience unlike any other FIS race, that will help take my ski-racing to a new level.

The race was held indoors at SnowWorld in Landgraaf, Netherlands. The facility at SnowWorld was well-suited to hosting over a hundred elite athletes. The snow was specially prepared for training / racing and everything we needed was provided at the venue, including healthy meals, ski tuning facilities and a well-equipped fitness centre. The level of competition was - as you would expect in Europa Cup - very high, with several of the competitors going on to place in the top 30 in the Reiteralm World Cup, two days later.

In the training days leading up to the race I was in good form. Working with a serviceman from Elan, I made several adjustments to my equipment, which helped in adapting to the indoor conditions. Starting number 107 and 104 in the races, my performance was less than optimal on the first day, which I attribute to first-race nerves. On the second day I placed 63rd, which I'm happy with for my first Europa Cup race. I'm confident that I can improve on this performance in February, when I will return to the Europa Cup circuit for 8 more races. In the next two months, whilst in America, I plan to lower my FIS points, which will give me a better start number in the Europa Cups in February.

Matt Robertson
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