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Ben Ogden—professional nordic skier, Vermonter, and friend of Bivo— is a force to be reckoned with. He is a perfect blend of kindness, humility, sharp wit, and unrelenting passion. He embodies Bivo’s belief that fun comes first, with everything else naturally following. When Ben left for Europe in November, I was both excited for him and sad to see him go. His visits always bring smiles and great energy to the office, and on winter weekends, our family is glued toSki and Snowboard Live, cheering, “Go, Ben, Go!” (Tune in today to watch him race in a World Cup skate sprint in Engadin, Switzerland!)

Today, I’m thrilled to release the second edition of the Ben bottle. Last season, Ben hit a career-high with a Tour de Ski podium but faced setbacks with illness that caused him to cut his season short. True to form, he’s back stronger than ever, and his recent podium is proof of his resilience.

We’re so proud to welcome Ben to Quench’d with this special edition bottle. Thanks for inspiring us all, Ben—GO GO GO! - Carina

For those who aren’t fans of cold and snow, and who might be dreaming of dry trails and long summer days, it probably feels like winter should be about ready to come to a close. For ski fans and winter enthusiasts, on the other hand, mid January might feel like just beginning.

For me, having started the World Cup ski season in mid November and recently completing the Tour de Ski, I feel like many of the most challenging parts of the winter season are behind me. It’s all about perspective!

Currently, I’m enjoying a solid break from racing action, which feels like a perfect time to reflect on the season so far. I hope some of you will find my thoughts interesting. 

Around this time of year, I always seem to find myself thinking, "This year feels different." That’s the beauty of chasing something as complex as high level cross-country skiing, something is always different whether you make it so or not. This year, however, feels especially different, and it’s largely because of how I ended last season. Returning home in February after a season-ending illness (mono!) left me with many unknowns.

Fans at the Minneapolis World Cup which Ben missed last year due to illness

While I was disappointed with the circumstances, I forced myself to view this as an opportunity to dive into goals unrelated to skiing and revisit pursuits that had fallen by the wayside.

Since I was at home I had the opportunity to engage with my father’s wood shop for the first time in years. This is a space that holds mixed emotions for me. I grew up there, and I will never forget the things my father was able to do with those tools. Recently, however, I had become more and more conscious of my lack of abilities in that space which led me to avoid it in recent years. Faced with so much bonus time at home, I decided it was time to try a few projects and work on slowly increasing my skills. 

Even if it was one hour a day, this little side project helped me to get through day after day of no training and no racing with that same sense of accomplishment that I have become so addicted to as an athlete. I think that was probably my first time in over ten years going more than a month without any form of organized training or racing and that’s probably part of the reason why it felt so scary at first. 

A bread cutting board and cabinets - two of Ben's creations in the wood shop when he was home

Eventually this rest period came to a close and I was back training again. My main goal was to take things slowly and not overdo it. What had felt easy before all of a sudden felt hard and it seemed like I was working harder than I should be in workouts.  

Of course, the obvious response to this problem is to just go slower and shorter but that’s hindsight talking. I had to trust that things would eventually go back to normal. Here again, being patient was crucial. I was continually reminding myself that there was time before the next season and the worst thing I could do is make myself too tired. 

Image 1: Ben and his coach Patrick Weaver at the Bill Koch Festival - an event he cannot usually attend because he's usually away racing

Image 2: Ben getting back into the rhythm of regular training

The final piece of this series was the start of the season way back in mid-November in Ruka, Finland. In the first few races of the year I was again not feeling entirely myself. I had good energy but I was wobbly on my skis and oddly reluctant to push myself too hard. I didn't make the heats in the classic sprint for the first time ever and had a pretty mediocre 10K. These are two of my all time favorite disciplines, and they are events for which I had high goals for coming into the season. 

This time, patience felt easy, despite the slightly disappointing results. I knew that if I was patient, kept to the plan and stayed hungry things would turn around. Lo and behold, the very next week my results started to improve and since then I have had among the best season starts that I have ever had.  

Long story short, the overwhelming theme of these ramblings is patience. I would not describe myself as a particularly patient person on the whole. When I put my mind to something I usually fixate on it until I am able to go out and get it. I am so thankful, and proud, that in this instance I was able to trust my instincts, be patient and come out on the other side stronger than ever. I think that finding success this season has given me more confidence in my choices and my identity as an athlete than any result ever has. It’s a powerful feeling to believe that when adversity strikes you will be able to find a path through it.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my incredible sponsors, who all believed in me even more than I did, at times. Shoutout Bivo! :)