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Prepare for winter

It's about the time to start preparing for winter. Although you still have some time to get your gear checked or setup before the snow hits it is your body that needs some tuning. If you feel fit and confident that you will start the winter at your best you can stop reading now. But if you fear the suffering at your first trips then continue on. Also we believe that your physical condition can significantly affect your safety.

Facts

We believe (or assume) that all of you participated in activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, mountaineering, hiking or others over the summer yet we have experience that even that might be not enough for backcountry skiing, especially if you have some dream goals to achieve.

Why? Simply because backcountry skiing or telemarking trips by nature get somehow longer than almost any other activity. Plus there is a factor that it is cold and you probably experienced yourself things that are easy to do in the summer can become obstacles during the winter.

Long hours of climbing and skiing, low temperatures, or less sleeping comfort (on a multi day trip) are all factors that significantly drain your energy reserves. And energy reserves can be stored more efficiently if you are physically prepared. Even more, you will be much happier to climb a slope with fresher legs and much safer if you can climb some unstable snow areas in a shorter time.

So, how do I prepare?

To make a complex explanation short: start training. It doesn't have to be a structured training regime but a little focus will definitely help.

The experience says that during the fall we are likely to rest more since the summer is over. While a rest period is good for your body we should not forget what we live for. Thus by the end of October get of your sofa and start moving or you might end up hibernating for the rest of the year.

For first six to ten weeks try to do some endurance activity at least two times a week at a low to moderate intensity. Soccer, basketball, hiking, running, biking, swimming, all that is good. Also a gym workouts with weights will pay off once skiing but remember that your heart and lungs are the engine that will get you up the mountains.

After this 'building base' period there will be most likely enough snow to do some serious damage to your knees and skis. So, while still continuing in the same low intensity approach you will be spending more time on the skis. Make sure that your season's first trips aren't a day long odysseys and you will be fine. As you get more comfortable in climbing with skis and skins throw in some faster intervals from time to time. Five to fifteen minutes (depends on your fitness) of hard work every third trip will boost your ability to keep up with more trained fellows.

Alpine touring and randonee racing

If among your secret goals of ascending and descending unknown peaks are few racing ones then make sure you will be training more than mentioned above. The Life-Link racing series that is around for past few years in North America has to offer some tough fitness challenges. The race usually climbs around 1500 m (5000 feet) and can last about two to three hours. In Europe, ski mountaineering races (photo) enjoy great popularity for over 20 years already and the challenges are even tougher. With these specifications in hand you can plan your training accordingly.

Short summary and more tips

• don't hibernate
• consistency is the key in building a strong, fuel efficient engine
• practice your skills in skiing, navigation, rescue...
• find a training partner with similar goals
• inspect your gear before the winter
• eat well
• visit us again for more info and remember it is better to play safe than not at all :-)

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