Dryland Training

I find dryland training to be one of the best ways to get in shape for the approaching ski season. Liberty Mountain Racing Team (LMRT) has a nice dryland program that I enjoy participatng in.  We use lot of high impact plyometric exercises involving jumps, sprints, etc, as well as some yoga. It's lots of work, lots of fun, but most of all it pays off.  I highly
recommend it.  Here are some pictures.  They were taken the day after the pre-Halloween snowfall (it all melted).

Re: Staying Active During the Warmer Months

Here is my sister-in-law, Leah Pope.  She is pictured here competing in a YWCA triathlon held in Minnesota.  She is one tough customer and keeps herself in excellent condition for those types of events.  Yeah, training for triathlons require lots of time and commitment.  Go Leah!

Staying Active During the Warmer Months

I try to stay active during the off-season.  Surf kayaking is a sport that I've enjoyed for the past several years.  Some of the same basic principles, such as core balance, center-of-gravity, etc. also apply with this sport.  Storm swells from offshore tropical storms can also help too.  How do you keep active during the summer?  

Gate Impact Injury

I haven't posted in awhile as taking care of a 1-year-old boy has gotten time-consuming, but no complaints so far.  Anyway, in late February during a night of slalom training, I ended up with an injury to my left index finger.  The area between the medial and proximal phalanges had swollen significantly causing me to eventually lose much of the range of motion in that finger.  I was using the above Leki pole guard during the training event.   A doctor visit and x-ray in March yielded no evidence of broken bone but a significant sprain.  I was prescribed physical therapy through the end of April to get back my range of motion and help reduce the swelling.  I'm happy to report that my range of motion as of this post is back to approximately 95% and the swelling is down over 50%.  I still exercise it on my own now.  If you notice the top part of the pole guard shaft begins to narrow leaving leaving part of the hand unprotected from gate impact.  I strongly believe that this was the culprit of the impact injury.  As a result, I cannot recommend this particular kind of SL pole guard.  I am investing in a pair that provides coverage of the entire hand.  Beware!      

Skiing Fast, Skiing in Control

Here are 6 tips for staying in control while skiing fast: (1) Keep the skis parallel- This creates a stable platform.  If necessary, you can balance on both of them instead of one. (2) Keep the stance wide- This can work to help enable the skier to increase angulation and have better balance. (3) Drive the hands forward- This keeps your weight centered over the skis.  Make sure you can see your hands or their probably in the wrong place.  (4) Weight the downhill ski- The majority of the pressure is on the downhill ski; although their should be some weight on the uphill ski to keep it tracking efficiently.  (5) Keep the upper body or torso aimed in the fall line- This will help eliminate upper body rotation that would cause skidding or make it difficult to absorb terrain changes.  (6) Always look ahead- Keep your eyes two turns (or gates) ahead scanning for terrain or course changes (especially critical for SL).  Now get down that hill!

Always Face Downhill

When skiing, it's always important for the body to be pointing down the hill and traveling in the fall line as much as possible, even though the skis may be turning left or right.  This concept emphasizes the break in rotation between the upper and lower body at the waist.  Practice this drill- pivot-slips: The skis are turned 180 degrees from right to left and left to right with leg rotation primarily from the hip socket.  Stay in the fall line and release the edges in one movement.  The legs turn before the hips start to turn.  The path of the feet is down the fall line even though the skis turn 180 degrees left or right.  Skis should remain parallel at all times.  The upper body should be facing down the hill at all times.