Courtesy Meryetao/Instagram
Peace on the Slopes

Snowy slopes bring peace of mind for Prince George Olympian

Dec 10, 2020 | 5:57 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Prince George Olympian Meryeta O’Dine is back home.

Back into a two week quarantine following her second trip to Switzerland for training camp. The snowboarder admits her first trip to Switzerland went smoothly, with empty airports, slow glaciers, and strict rules around the camp.

“That changed for the other camp we just did. We were just getting ready for our first World Cups before Christmas,” explained O’Dine. “Unfortunately both of those have been postponed until first week of January and somewhere in February. But the second trip around was a little bit more nerve wracking. We started to see some outbreaks in some fo the other teams on the tour.”

O’Dine admits it brought on more personal interactions with the reality and impact that COVID-19 has been making on our world, adding some stress to her second training camp ahead of the anticipated World Cups.

“The first few days were a little bit nerve wracking to be over there, but once you kind of remember everyone up there is doing what they can to remain as safe as possible,” said the 23-year-old.

“We are super lucky to be able to go over to these insane places and act like things are normal. It’s a very different look on the glaciers as well, and just the whole general vibe within the team because we’re all doing the best we can but you just don’t really know when it’s going to come in.”

With the chaos and uncertainty still putting a shadow on so much, especially in the sporting world, O’Dine says its been snowboarding that has actually helped in taking a mental break from the reality caused by the pandemic.

“There are days where it might get to you a little bit more – what’s going on in the outside world – than you would like it to. But I honestly think it’s been the most healthiest outlet to be able to strap in like you normally would and be in a place that you normally would after a summer of insane unsocialness, and kind of being tucked away for a while. It was really kind of a feeling of freedom once you got out on the glacier and doing what feels the most normal to you.”

Still in quarantine for the next week and a bit, O’Dine says she’ll be focusing on keeping fit in her home gym that she constructed over the summer, as well as focusing on her own mental well-being, admitting that with the uncertainty of whether these World Cups will even take place, she’ll be needing to be prepared for any possibility.