Mid-season pics

Sorry I haven't been posting... I've been too busy playing in the snow :)

Just wanted to post a few photos/videos. Videos are raw cuts right now, I plan on editing all the clips into some kind of glorious season-review at, well, the end of the season. Click on the pics to see larger size.

Snow!

AhhhYeah. The first winter storm of the year just blew through the state leaving a nice dusting of snow in Summit County, though apparently not enough to register a reading as Loveland and A-Basin still report "zeroes" in their current conditions snowfall posting. I'll likely be driving up tomorrow to snag some photos so check back soon.

Preparing for the season.

So, you and I are waiting and waiting for that fresh powder to start falling. You've got all our gear ready; maybe some new clothes, socks, coats, maybe a new board you're just dying to try out. You're probably plenty mentally prepared: like you, I've been going through my favorite runs in my head 24 hours a day, shoving your head in the freezer, and having your friends throw their snowcones in your face to simulate the white spray of fresh powder stinging your face. You're still trying to convince your girlfriend that thrashing snow is the greatest thing ever and your co-workers are trying to convince you to give them lessons, but you know as well as I that neither of these things will end well and the only thing you need is yourself and your board. So, what else can you do to prepare yourself to make this snow season even better than the last? Here's a few ideas and exercises to help you get in the right state of mind and physicality so the mountain doesn't kick your ass and send you home hurting.

• Exercise! Some advocate extensive and rigorous training regiments, like Ron McConnell, who outline pre- and in-season training in strength, cardio, flexibility, and injury prevention. I'm not enlisted to any rigorous training regimes, but I've been doing some simple exercises on a daily basis to prevent myself from spending all winter recovering from my first day of powder. Keep in mind that for these exercises you don't need to go to a gym, you can do them in your house or at work while no one is looking. (I'm sure there's actual names for these exercises but I have no idea what they are. Also remember that I am in no way certified or trained in medicine or personal training and I take no responsibility for you overextending, overexerting, straining, or physically damaging yourself in any way. Use common sense.)
  
• Step-ups: step up onto a step and then step back down. Repeat.
• Foot push-ups: hold one foot next to your butt and with the other foot, roll up onto the ball of your foot and then come back down. Repeat. Then do it with the other foot.
• Jump-ups: crouch down, keeping your back straight and your arms at your side. Jump up as you raise your arms over your head, as you come down return to your initial crouching position. Repeat.
• Football pose: I call it that because I first learned this exercise in 6th grade football practice. Crouch halfways down until your upper leg is paralell to the ground and put your arms out in front of you with your palms at 90° to the rest of your arm and the ground. Stay in this position until you can't stay there anymore.
• Lunges: Hopefully you all know this one. Take a huge step, drop your rear knee to the gound, and come back up on your front foot. Repeat.
• Leg lifts: Lay on your back and lift your legs till they're 45° to the ground, then put them back down. Repeat.
• Stretching! It's probably a good idea to stretch before and after exercising (Duh!) so be sure to stretch any muscles you might be working or any that are sore.
  
• Calf muscle/lower leg: face a wall and put your heel 3-4 inches away from the wall with your toes resting on the wall. Lean forward into the wall, feel the burn, and hold for a few seconds.
• Thigh/upper leg: While standing put one foot next to your butt like you did in the foot push-ups. Pull up on your toes till you feel the burn and hold for a few seconds.
• Hamstring/upper leg: Stand with your legs apart so there's slightly less than a 90° angle between your legs. First, bend straight down and touch the ground till you feel the burn and hold for several seconds. Then move to the right and hold your right lower leg for a while. Then move to the left, then back to the center, and come up slowly.
• Abs/core: While standing and with your arms bent in front of you twist to the right and then to the left till you feel the burn.
• Balance! After you learn to avoid your leading edge you need to improve your balance to avoid a face full of snow. Here's a few ideas:
  
• Slacklining: Tie a piece of climbing webbing between two trees or any other sturdy objects a foot or two off the ground and try to stand on it. Once you can, try doing other things while standing on the slack line.
• Yoga: Yoga will help with balance as well as flexibility and strength. yogatoday.com offers free daily online yoga sessions and occasionally does routines specific to snowboarders and surfers.
• One-foot-tasks: Stand on one foot and try to do anything without falling.
• Balance boards: You may have tried one of these in the past and ate it hard. Try it again.
• Cross-training!: Doing any physical activity is going to keep you in shape and make your snow season even better. Riding your bike is probably the best cross training: it uses many of the same muscles as boarding, it's aerobic like boarding, and if you ride really fast in a cold rain it almost feels like powder biting your skin. Check out this site at about.com for more details about biking and snowboarding.

These should get you started for a great season. Of course, if you're super hardcore, do more, and if you're super lazy, do less, but doing anything physically active is going to help you out. Also, you might want to consider quitting smoking. I've found that preparing for the season is pretty good motivation: a cigarette might be nice on the drive to the slopes and relaxing on the lifts, but it'll hold you back more than you may think when you're tearing down your favorite run. If you don't smoke, then congratulations for not starting.
Above all, keep waiting on the edge of your seat. The snow will fall soon enough, and once your board hits the snow it'll feel better than you remember.

Opening Days

Sniagrab was last weekend. New coat and new pants, not that cheap Wal-Mart "snow" garb this year. Now, after such an enticing event, what seems like an endless wait for an ambiguous opening day looms in front of me. I can only hope that this year will resemble the record breaking 2007/8 season with Arapahoe Basin opening earlier than ever on October 10th, and Loveland opening October 16th. That puts me about 30 days away, at best.
Here's what I know so far for opening days, 2008:

Arapahoe Basin - October, 2008. Let's hope it's early. Loveland - TBD. Snowmaking starts September 25th, 2008. Copper Mtn. - November 2nd, 2008 Breckenridge - November 7th, 2008 Keystone - November 7th, 2008 Winter Park - November 19th, 2008 Vail - November 21st, 2008 Monarch - November 21st, 2008 Ski Cooper - November 27th (weekends only), December 19th (7 days/week)

I'm sure the other places will be opening at some point, but I've never been to them and don't really care what they think because I don't have a pass to go there. Also, I'm sure other states besides Colorado have snow seasons as well, but why would you go to those states in the first place?