Connected: Preparing For Your Winter Season

Many sports share the same fundamental skills and require the same sorts of attributes to perform at a high level. Balance, timing, coordination, speed, agility and core strength are examples. Skiing, in particular, shares skills with numerous other sports and, as a result, you can 'train' your skiing in the off-season by connecting these sports, such as mountain biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, and surfing. Many of today's pro riders excel in multiple other action sports that share common skills and have natural cross overs.

Ali Powell, a guest on the Ready to Heli camp this past March in Fernie, sent me a note back in June highlighting a connection from her ski experience in Fernie with a challenging situation she encountered mountain biking. In Ali's case, skiing some tight lines in trees and chutes and identifying the exit, connected to seeing the line and exit on the mountain bike trail she was riding, enabling her to take the "plunge".

I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to ski with Ali and that she shared her insights. Through Ali's experience she has exposed how for her, skiing supported her mountain biking. And it's a two-way street, with the reverse being true also. Tom Gibson, one of our seasoned Nonstop coaches and competitive mountain bike racer, echoes Ali's experience. For Tom skiing a line in the trees or riding his bike down a forested trail shares a common approach: "look ahead and aim for the gaps". Tom also relates how riding a bike around a corner with speed allows him to work with natural forces and "lean" the bike into the turn. Similar principals are in effect when performing a fast carving turn, especially if the outside leg is "extended" (think Ted Ligety at the GS panel). Aside from the obvious physical benefits of mountain biking, skiing and even snowboarding may also benefit from mountain bike technique (outside leg extended through a corner), tactics (looking for gaps in the trees) and even mental aspects (increasing confidence in one sport can transfer to all sport and life).

Take Georgia Simmerling of Canada, who won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in track cycling team pursuit. Georgia also ski raced in the Vancouver Winter Olympics and is currently on the Canadian skier cross team and competed in the Sochi Olympics. As noted in the Huffington post: Georgia believes those experiences have prepared her for a stage that is both different and the same.

As the early days of Autumn are settling in and I'm counting down the days to get back on the snow, I'm seeking out activities that can enhance the upcoming winter. Here's a few more quick examples.

Activities that connect balance for snow sliding sports include: SUP (stand up paddling), biking, cross country running, skate boarding, surfing, slack line, Indo board, and yoga.

Activities that may connect technique and tactics to winter sliding sports include: mountain biking, skate boarding, surfing, and cross country running.

Activities that may connect mental aspects of winter sliding sports include: all of the above, as well as watching videos of your sport, practicing mindfulness or meditation, golf, stepping out side your comfort zone, learning something new, enjoying the moment and just having fun with what ever you are doing.

There's never a time not to be out playing, but unfortunately reality can get in the way! Now is the time to get out and connect to the upcoming season so you are ready to charge. Hope to see you on the snow soon!

Get Ready

If you want to start your season off the right way, consider joining our early-season ski camp in Cervinia, Italy. This four day camp is designed to kick your season off like the pros and get you ready to hit the winter with a bang.

Early-Season Camp