Preseason Fitness II

OK, so I did a Google search for ski specific exercise programs, and found one that I really like. It's called FitSkiing by Andrew Hooge.

What I really like about it is that not only does it give you a specific program to follow for a 12-week period (just in time for the season!) but also has over 70 ski specific exercises.

I just got the book and have been following the plan for just a few days, and I like what I see so far.

Check it out...

Preseason Fitness

OK, so it's the middle of August, and the start of our ski season is really only 2 or 3 months away. It's time for me to start taking off the extra pounds I always seem to put on in the summer.

I try to be as consistent as possible, and workout 3 - 4 times a week. This year, I plan on working on three major areas: cardio, flexibility and strengthing the core muscles used in skiing. I'll probably do 30 - 45 minutes of cardio, and do weight training 3 times per week. I'll do abdominal work every workout.

Anybody out there have a favorite routine or program that's effective? Let me know...

PSIA Exam Success!!

I just thought I'd write a quick post to tout the successes of our ski school in this year's PSIA exams. We had 16 new instructors pass their Level I skiing or snowboarding exams (including my 14 year old son Spencer), 3 people pass their Level II skiing exams, and two other instructors pass parts of their Level II or Level III exams.

Not bad for a small independent ski school with all part-time instructors!

A Week at Mt. Bachelor

Whew!

After about 30 days of skiing, it's easy to think you're in shape. It's only when you ski for 6 days in a row that you realize you need to keep working!

My son, his friend Jake and I just got back from a great week at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. The trip was memorable for two reasons: first, the Summit chair was open nearly every day (it's often closed due to wind) and we were able to ski all over the mountain, and secondly, I got a good introduction to snowboarding.

Spencer and Jake teach snowboarding at the ski school where I teach skiing and they were great. In one run on the beginner chair, they were able to get me turning in both directions and I was able to spend the rest of the day practicing.

It's interesting how similar (and yet so different) the required skills are for skiing and riding. The main thing I struggled with was balancing properly on the board and executing the toe side turn. At first, I found myself leaning back, making it hard to turn, and as I got a little more comfortable sometimes found myself using too much inclination and putting too much edge onto the toe side.

I just need to keep practicing!

Ski thoughts

Finally, a year with a lot of snow! In fact, last weekend the road to our ski area was closed because of the amount of snow that fell (about 48" in three days)!

I've been working with a couple of my fellow instructors on our skiing tasks for passing our PSIA exams, and our former technical director had a couple of suggestions that really hit home.

First, he likened the "extension phase" of the turn as a relaxing of the legs, allowing them to naturally extend in the direction of the new turn, rather than some "forced" movement.

Secondly, he drew a parallel between skiing and ice skating. When you watch an Olympic caliber ice skater, they have very efficient movement patterns without wasted motion. In skiing, the skier should simply flow down the mountain, only using those movements that are required for the maneuver, and nothing more.

Makes a lot of sense, huh? I've been trying to incorporate these ideas into my own skiing and I think it helps.

What do you think?

I Love Corduroy!

Every time it happens, I cannot believe how much fun it is to ski on perfectly groomed corduroy. Check this out:


The local area where we teach had nearly the perfect day. The weather was cold and crisp and the the snow was groomed to near perfection (I must admit that the grooming at Deer Valley is supreme however...). Corduroy is the perfect snow to get back on skis, and I took advantage.

It was also the perfect day for getting used to my newest pair of skis (Volkl Supersport Allstar, 168 cm). I bought a pair of Fischer RX9's last year and really like them (their quickness is fantastic) but missed the solidity and edge grip of the Volkl. What was interesting was how very similar skis felt different from a balance perspective.

I noticed the difference when I was showing some other instructors some of the PSIA Level II tasks, particularly when doing turns on one ski. It was really good to have to adjust.

Anyway, can't wait till the weekend!

A Great Ski Getaway!

All I can say is after a great weekend at Mt. Baker is: I'm pooped!

As they've been advertising, Mt. Baker was open with more snow than any other area in North America, and while it didn't snow, the sun was out, the lifts were running and we skied the entire mountain.

A bunch of our ski school's clinic staff and I skied together on Saturday, and it's really a great way to get the season started, as the camaraderie makes it fun, and the competitiveness that I think almost everybody has keeps you going hard.

On Sunday (same beautiful weather), a smaller number of us skied with my son Spencer and his friend Jake. We had a great time, including watching them catch some air in the terrain park (I thought, albeit briefly, about trying to pull off a 360 like I used to 30 years ago... OK, I thought very briefly).

With the warmer weather, the snowpack was starting to look a little thin. The forecast for the week is to have reasonably cold weather but no precipitation until later in the week.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

2005/2006 First Day on Snow

Yahoo! Even though I've only been on snow one day, it already feels like a better season than last year.

I went to a local area, Stevens Pass. On the first run, we had beautiful cordouroy to get warmed up, and then had a day that was fantastic for the second day of the season. What a difference a year makes!

My skiing thought for the season? Fore/Aft balance... what's yours?

A common theme mentioned by PSIA examiners I've skiied with, as well as a CSIA (Canada) Level 4 examiner suggested that a lot of skiers tend to put too much pressure on the front of the boot, effectively locking up the ankle. I concentrated on maintaining a light pressure on the front of the boot, and reacting to changes in the terrain by flexing from the ankles "up".

Anyway, it felt very balanced... we'll keep working on it!

Time to get fit!

All right...

It's only July 24th, but the early season will be here in no time, so it's time to start thinking about starting my preseason workout routine.

This year's going to be really tough, because my work has had me travelling out-of-town nearly every week, so I haven't worked out much and had way too many dinners out and quick meals.

Here's what I plan to do:

1. Start an aerobics and "core" conditioning program right now!
2. Pay more attention to my diet on the road.

Are you ready? If not, it's time to start!

See you on the slopes!

Season's Over?

Yikes!

It looks like our season might be over here in the Pacific Northwest. The local area where I ski (fairly low elevation) has been closed for over a month, and I've only been up this season a day or so.

The only area around with any snow whatsoever is Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, and that is a good six hour drive... not exactly close enough for too many weekend trips.

Since I can't ski, I guess I'll have to concentrate on work ... bummer!

An interesting book on technique

I just ran across a very interesting book (Anyone Can Be An Expert Skier 2) by Harald Harb.

If you're interested in learning some new thoughts about ski technique, check it out... Harald has some unique ideas and some drills that I am going to try.

Yikes... the season might be over!

The Pacific Northwest continues to be plagued by a lack of snow. None of the local areas are open, and the weather continues to be too warm to build any kind of base.

I had planned on taking further PSIA exams this season, but all events have been cancelled by the local PSIA division.

I guess I'll have to find a couple of weekends to travel somewhere to find snow, and work on getting in shape for next season.

Still No Snow!

It's been a while since I posted something... it's because the local areas still have no snow!

It looks like I will have to cram in a few weekends outside the area to get some miles in. I'm thinking I'll probably go to Mt. Bachelor. It's a six hour drive, but it has good terrain and over 4 feet of snow.

I'll keep doing my snow dance!

A Boarding Clinic!

Well, we had our first on-snow clinic and it was a great day even though our area was still closed and we were hiking to find good terrain.

One of my school's objectives is to have the returning staff like me be cross-trained and able to teach a snowboard lession if a skier, and vice versa for a snowboarder.

It was really fun... not only did we go through about what a new student would do their first two lessons (by the end we were trying to link skidded turns), we got to practice as well. The only thing I had a problem with were the toe-side turns, as I would get too much edge.

We also did some practice teaching, focusing on our own personal weaknesses. I built a brief lesson on trying to lead with the hips (moving downhill) to initiate the turn and get on an early edge.

Can't wait till our next day on snow!

First Day on Snow!

Yahoo! My first day on snow!!

The season finally got underway here in the Northwest. Mt. Baker is an area north of Seattle that always gets a lot of snow and they opened today. My thoughts for the first day:

Wow! I've forgotten what new ski boots feel like. After a run or two, my toes were numb, and I had to unbuckle after every run. I worked on trying to get a feel for how much I need to get the left boot canted, and by working with duct tape (4 pieces of duct tape equal 1mm by the way), I need to have my left boot canted about 1.5 mm.

It's funny how your body uses muscles. Even though I work out consistently, I can feel that comfortable ache in the skiing-specific muscles. Unfortunately, at age 50, I can also feel the ache in the old knees.

Another strange thought: as a skier, I was truly in the minority today. I bet 90% of the people up there were boarders... don't skiers get excited anymore?

Now I can't wait until next week!

Focusing on Skills Versus Tasks

Last night was the first dryland clinic for my ski school. My group discussed the idea of understanding and teaching skills and movement patterns, rather than teaching a rigid progression.

If you really think about it, the objective of any skier or rider is to learn how to use movement patterns to control direction and speed. As an instructor, my job is to help you get there, not by using a straight line (the progression) but through guided discovery.

By focusing on developing skills rather than focusing on tasks, I have improved my own skiing. Try it for yourself.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This journal starts with my usual anticipation of the upcoming season. My new skis are waxed and ready, my new boots have been fitted with foot beds, and the ski areas just need more snow.

Why these equipment choices?

As an "old-timer", I have spent the last 5 or 6 years breaking old habits. Skiing requires a much more two-footed, centered and upright stance than in years past, and both my new skis and boots optimized for today's skiing techniques. My skis are shorter (170 cm) than my past pair (183 cm), and my new boots have a lower ramp angle to promote a more upright stance.

I can't wait!!!