You planned your ski trip months ago; penned it into your calendar and swore you would start that pre-season ski conditioning back in August to be ready for five days of five+ hours on the hill. Where did the time go? You’re here already and it’s too late…
or is it?
Ski Conditioning
For those who show up to the mountain sans uber fit, although this isn’t ideal, you’re not a lost cause or prime candidate for soreness and injuries.
According to certified fitness coach and two-time Olympic mogul athlete Jillian Vogtli, if the fluffy flakes are already flying and you haven’t made the time to make your fitness a priority, don’t punish yourself – emotionally and physically. And don’t “hit it hard” assuming you’ll just have to ski yourself into shape, muscle tweaks be damned. You can do things to ease your way into your winter folly.
Hydration
It starts with water. More important than that first gym workout, consider hydration. Water helps you adjust to the altitude and dry mountain clime so you won’t miss that first ski day nursing a pounding headache.
BTW, if you would rather not ski around with a large plastic water bottle, scope out the snack shacks and restaurants on the mountain at the start of your day so you know exactly where to grab a sip.
Prep For Altitude
Steer away from or cut down on the caffeine, alcohol and hot tubs. Instead, take a brisk hike or snowshoe to get the blood flowing or hop on a gym bike before suiting up for the day. When you pedal, use the full stroke so as to target both quads and hamstrings.
If you have more time, take a total body conditioning or Pilates class for core, hip and glute strength. “Many people see skiing as a lower body sport and think of it being all quadriceps,” says Vogtli. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of core (abdominals, obliques and back strength), strong glutes (butt) and abductors/adductors (inner and outer thigh).”
Don’t look at it is as “exercise”. Look out the windows and take in the beautiful Park City views; enjoy the moment. Appreciate the sense of doing as the locals do.
Next, make sure you stretch in your hotel room or gym before your first run and after your last. It will keep you from stiffening up.
DIY Ski Workout
Do these tried-and-true exercises throughout your season if you hate gyms or don’t have one handy-
Lunge variations. Straight out, straight back, to the sides. Focus on a tall upper body with your knee tracking above your toes.
Photo by Rance Costa/Global Fitness Media
Plank variations. Balance on forearms, straight arms, lifting arm and leg together (i.e., right arm/left leg), side planks.
And don’t forget to stretch!
Jillian Vogtli is a Two Time Olympian in the sport of skiing and a Certified Fitness & Wellness Coach. For additional information and coaching, contact her at www.jillianvfitness.com
I have a secret. It’s more like a confession. I always wanted to be a ski model. I began taking ski lessons when I was 6 and because my family had a condo in Mammoth Mountain, Calif., we skied at least 20 days a season. I grew up idolizing those iconic skiers of the 90s and wishing I too had a cover shot in Powder or Skiing.
One day, while living and working in Aspen, Colo., I spied a group of one-piece clad chicks waiting on top of a mound of snow for a photographer below to signal to them. I watched them turn. They all sucked. So I skied up to the shooter and introduced myself. Soon I was hiking in a one-piece at 7 a.m. to get that perfect shot.
And I actually did it; convinced professional photographers to take my picture skiing; for a little bit. I did everything I could to meet the top sports action photographers in Utah and convince them to shoot me. After all, they didn’t have to pay me (it’s rare that a photographer pays their ski models) and I was willing to show up at first light and hike my butt off for that one turn wonder. I had a fun attitude, a decent sense of humor and a flexible schedule. Plus I was reliable. All I asked for were copies of the shoot (which most of the time I didn’t get). Some refused to even return my calls but a handful were terrific humans.
Back in the day… photo by Mark Maziarz
I was able to work with some amazing brands like Head and Obermeyer. But there was a little voice that made me feel like I was chasing a cab that didn’t notice my wave. Who was I kidding? I am a “pretty skier” but every time I had to step up for a blind launch off a cornice or wiggle through tight, steep trees, my stomach turned over. I feared that those around me would notice and that those not-so pretty skiers next to me took better pictures than I because they had bigger ugly balls. Still, I kept at it. I even wound up on a cover on #SnowcountryMagazine that my mom had permaplaqued. I got free gear, made great friends (Rich Cheski, Sherri Harkin, Rachael Hodson) but after 10 years, it was still me hustling and hucking for no pay and no workers comp. I would wake up at 6 in the morning, check to see if the skies were blue and call down my list of photographers to see if they were going out to shoot. I would head out before the lifts opened, suit up in the clothes and gear that were given to me, hike (a lot), make a turn or two for the camera, then hike back to the spot and do it again. Be done by lunch. I had routinely given up epic powder days for this.
Photo by Ryan Freitas
Dreams Change
Then one day a light bulb went on. How could I be depressed about skiing every sunny day? I had begun to doubt my talent. I needed a photog to want to shoot me to prove to myself that I was a good skier! If I heard that other people were shooting but no one called me, it hurt my feelings. Fomo would set in.
And just like that I stopped making those phone calls, hunting for outside validation, and trying to stroke my ego. Instead, I focused on sharing my passion with others through writing and teaching; I nailed my PSIA level 3 cert. Bluebird days were for skiing not shooting. I didn’t go home deflated or sore. I went home knowing that I had a little money in the bank and had turned more people into skiers. I loved skiing again.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/-HWrTnBr8tM”]
Ski Model FOMO Still Exists
I wish I could say that I don’t care if I ever shoot. But the truth is, I enjoy being in front of the camera whether it’s on the hill or on set. I’m sure I’ll throw a mini pity party for myself if I miss out. Operative word being ‘mini’. I don’t have to have it all. Or at least I remind myself of that. LOL.
When something you love starts twisting you up inside and the long game doesn’t exist, you evolve. You aren’t quitting on a dream, you’re just realizing that your dream was flawed and needs tweaking.
Yesterday, while wrapping up a lesson at the base of Park City Mountain, a woman skied past me and said, “I just loved watching you in the bumps off Thaynes.” The irony was that I didn’t know anyone was watching me. I was just doing my thing and loving every minute of it.
Skiers don’t have time for big breakfasts. It’s not that we don’t want the eggs-bacon-potatoes spread, it’s just that if we want to beat traffic off and on the hill, we need to get going. That means, a quick pour into the double-walled travel coffee mug and a slice of coffeecake.
You could really go “mcmeal” by picking up the pastry at the gas station along the way but, ewwww. Instead bake up this tried and true coffeecake.
(To make the coffeecake even faster to prepare in the morning, prepare the streusel and measure out the dry ingredients for the cake the night before.)
This cake will also freeze well. So pull it out when you know you’re ready for a quick bite on the way to the slopes.
Serves 8
Streusel
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup pecans, almonds, or walnuts, chopped coarse
Cake
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk or whole plain yogurt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. For the streusel: Mix sugars, cinnamon, and melted butter together in medium bowl until mixture resembles wet sand; stir in nuts and set aside.
2. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat 13×9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, sugars, eggs, and melted butter in separate bowl until smooth. Using rubber spatula, gently fold egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until batter looks smooth and well combined.
4. Using rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle streusel evely over batter. Bake until streusel is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool cake on wire rack for 15 minutes before slicing and serving
If you live in the west, you might think that Louisiana is immune to winter but the folks of Shreveport beg to differ. Starting November 30, 2019, the first floor of Sci-Port Discovery Center will transform into a winter oasis.
A new exhibit called Sno-Port: The Science and Wonders of Snowflakes blankets the first floor of the 92,000-square-foot Discovery Center, and will include interactive exhibitions and activities. The installation includes a blizzard tunnel, “Make-a-Flake,” ice fishing, and a chair lift ride, to bring winter to visitors of the Pelican State. The interactive displays will run for 10 weeks.
Why Winter in Lousiana?
“Sno-Port is a perfect example of how Sci-Port serves as an anchor to bring the resources of our community together to provide unique educational opportunities,” said Dianne Clark, executive director of Sci-Port Discovery Center. “We’re so excited to be included in this year’s holiday activities in Shreveport-Bossier.”
Throughout the month of December, Sci-Port Discovery Center will collaborate with local organizations and businesses to host pop-up shops and restaurants. Learning Express Toys will set up a gift shop near Sno-Port that will feature a variety of snow-related toys and games. Shreveport’s Milam Street Kitchen Incubator and Community Kitchen will curate a series of pop-up restaurants during the month of December. A different pop-up being featured each week during Sci-Port’s regular hours of operation on Thursdays through Sundays.
Each immersive, interactive exhibit incorporates different fields of science, including geoscience, biology, physics, mathematics, architecture, engineering, computer science, and chemistry. Educational aspects of this exhibit directly relate to the emphasis on S.T.E.M. learning in American education.
What Does Winter in Louisiana Look Like?
Morph into a snowflake in the Blizzard Tunnel. Make a snowflake as individual as you are to hang in the sky with hundreds of other snowflakes. Grab a pole and go ice fishing in the digital ice pond. Toss a “snowball” into the snow castle windows to make the bells ring. Hang out in an over-sized igloo where you can “chill” and use your imagination to create your own objects made from foam ice blocks.
End your snowflake journey in the Sci-Port Planetarium on the Red River Rocket. Feel the excitement of take-off with the sensation of cool wind on your face as you trek your way through a virtual reality snow blizzard in downtown Shreveport and Bossier City.
The Details
Winter continues through Jan. 30, 2020, but throughout the month of December, Sci-Port Discovery Center will collaborate with local organizations and businesses to host pop-up shops and restaurants.
Tickets and times to Sno-Port: The Science and Wonders of Snowflakes are here. For more information on Sci-Port Discovery Center or Sno-Port: The Science and Wonders of Snowflakes, visit http://www.sci-port.org.
It may feel like September in the west but the east is already under the white siege and thinking, “If only we had a few more weeks to prepare.” We’re never ready for winter; and we’re not just talking about physically. It’s a mechanical issue too. Is your car winterized? Your roof reinforced? Your snowblower armed for action? Here’s your Snowthrower Prep 101.
I got this message from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) that reminded me to double check the Honda snowblower I picked up at a yard sale this summer. I unloaded my Ariens at the same time. My boyfriend chastised me for making the switch because he planned to “drive it into the ground” and I was “wasting my money.” I got the Honda for $800 and sold the Ariens for $450.
But here’s the thing. You don’t want to be left out in the cold when you realize your trusty blower crapped out in the middle of January. My Ariens rocked for us but bolts and cables were now disintegrating. I had a Honda trackdrive (my Ariens had wheels) first and loved it but Honda came and took it away from me after two seasons of testing.
When I saw this same beast in the neighborhood, I pounced. Luckily I guess, we still have another week of 50-degree sun in Park City. Snow is forecast for late next week.
“If you’re anticipating bad weather or snow, start the machine and make sure it operates before you need it and before repair shops are busy,” says OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser. “Gas stations also can close and roads can be treacherous during a winter storm. You want to protect your power by having the right and fresh fuel on hand for your equipment. And, remember, gasoline-powered snow throwers should use E10 or less.” Huh? 🙂
Lessons from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
GETTING READY Have you read your owner’s manual? Read up on safe handling procedures. Review how to operate the controls. You should be able to shut off your equipment quickly. If you lost your manual, you can look it up online, and store a copy on your computer so you have the manual available to reference in the future.
Have you checked your equipment since storing it? Make sure all equipment is completely powered off when checking it over. If you forgot to drain the fuel last winter before storing your snow thrower, drain the gas tank now. Adjust any cables and check the auger when the equipment is powered off.
Is your equipment where you can get to it easily? Move your equipment to a convenient and accessible location, so you can get to it quickly when you need it.
Have you purchased the right fuel? Be sure to use the correct fuel, as recommended by your equipment’s manufacturer. Place gasoline in a fuel container and label it with the date purchased and the ethanol content of the fuel. Use fresh fuel in your snow thrower as fuel that is more than 30 days old can phase separate and cause operating problems. Make sure fuel is stored safely and out of the reach of children. For more information on fueling properly see www.LookBeforeYouPump.com.
Are you fueling safely? Before you start the engine, fill up the fuel tank on your snow thrower while the engine is cold and outside your home or garage. Never add fuel to a running or hot engine.
Are batteries charged? If using a battery/electric-powered snow-thrower, make sure batteries are fully charged, in case electricity goes out during a winter storm.
Is the area you intend to clear free of obstructions or hidden obstacles? Snow can hide objects. Doormats, hoses, balls, toys, boards, wires, and other debris should be removed from the areas you intend to clear. When run over by a snow thrower, these objects may harm the machine or people.
Are you dressed properly for winter weather? Locate your safety gear now, and place it in an accessible closet or location in your home. Plan to wear safety glasses, gloves and footwear that can handle cold and slippery surfaces.
OPERATING SNOW THROWERS SAFELY
Do you have a clean out tool or stick? NEVER put your hands inside the auger or chute. Use a clean out tool (or stick) to unclog snow or debris from your snow thrower.
Do you turn off your snow thrower if you need to clear a clog? Always turn off your snow thrower and wait for all moving parts to come to a complete stop before clearing any clogs or debris.
Do you use your snow thrower in visible conditions? Never operate the snow thrower without good visibility or light.
Do you know where your cord is? Use an extension cord that is weather-resistant and designed for outdoor use. If you have an electric-powered snow thrower, be aware of where the power cord is at all times. Avoid tripping. Do not run over the power cord.
Can you aim your snow thrower with care? Not only could you piss off your neighbors by piling snow onto their driveway but that dogs jumping at your fans of snow could get run over. Never throw snow toward people or cars. Do not allow anyone to stand in front of your snow thrower. Keep children or pets away from your snow thrower when it is operating.
Speaking of which-
Are pets and children inside while the snow thrower is operating? Kids and pets may love to play in the white stuff, but it’s best to keep them inside your home and supervised (by someone else) while you are using your snow thrower to clear a path or driveway. Do not allow them to play in the snow as it is tossed out of the snow thrower’s chute. I fail at this one but I have a smart dog. He gets his exercise this way and I don’t have to take him for a walk after 30 minutes of blowing.
Good luck this winter! I seriously hope you don’t have a driveway like mine but if you do, a trackdrive on your thrower and Blizzak snowtires on your car are the only way to go.
