Homebrewing for Skiers

Rachael Burks and Julian Carr have their mean faces on. They're grunting, gasping, making expressions that are usually unwanted when taking ski photos. In this case, they can’t help it.  Burks and Carr are at Boxing is For Girls, a Salt Lake City gym geared toward beating the snot out of people—and not just ladies—in the name of fitness. They’re going through trainer Eliza James’ specially designed Chance workout, an ass-kicker that combines strength, endurance, and pushing your pain threshold. Ironmen and marathoners can’t even get through it, not even close. But Burks and Carr are definitely trying—and as some of the most badass skiers out there, they are doing a solid job.  “Work hard for your break, come on!” James yells. “You want all your hard work to pay off.”

Rachael Burks and Julian Carr get put through a brutal boxing workout to see if they’ve got what it takes. Turns out skiers are good athletes.

Start small and work your way into feeling comfortable on the board. Try paddling on your knees before you stand up. Once you can stand, keep your eyes up and look straight ahead. If you look down, you will probably fall. Go with other people and create a SUP posse. You will motivate each other to progress faster.

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We talked to skier and stand up paddle board racer Caroline Gleich to learn more about how to pick the gear, where to SUP, and why it’s a great off-season sport for skiers. Here’s what she had to say.

Step aside Nutella, your time on a pedestal is over. Justin is here. Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter is not only decadent, but also nutritious, free of artificial flavors and processed dairy, plus it comes in an ultra-convenient squeeze pack size. These can be stashed in pockets and easily scarfed on the lift, minus the melted chocolate mess factor.  Hazelnuts, often overshadowed by the nutritional content of nut-brothers almonds and walnuts, are packin’ when it comes to nutrient-density. These chestnut relatives are a good source of vitamin B1, which is imperative for energy production, and copper, a mineral that is needed for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase which disarms free radicals. The best part is Justin uses palm fruit oil rather than inflammation-promoting hydrogenated vegetables oils like most commercial nut butters do. This is worth going nuts over. Cost: $0.55 cents per squeeze pack. Calories: 80www.justinsnutbutter.com

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This question just might be one of the seven wonders of the food world: What is the optimal snack to pack so I don’t have to stop for lunch on a powder day, that doesn’t weigh me down, smooch, or melt in my pocket? The answer is that just as skis have gotten wider, on-slope snacks have also improved, moving past dry protein bars and sweaty string cheese. If you’ve upgraded your gear in the last year, then it’s also time to upgrade the snack selection. Start with these five snacks, each available for under $2 per serving.

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These are the skiers we've had our eyes on this winter, from X Games gold medalists, and the queen of big mountain skiing, to the two-million-foot man.

Jeremy Benson mountain biking. Photo by Eric Asistan.

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Not that you needed an excuse to go ride. But it turns out, mountain biking counts as ski conditioning too. Pro skier Jeremy Benson tells us why and suggests a few good trails to check out.

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I can already grumbling from you locals on this one, but listen up. Locals avoid the hill on weekends like Aretha Franklin avoids the salad bar. They whine about the ineptitude of all the tourists, and every region seems to have a different vernacular for them. In Tahoe, they’re gapers. In Colorado, they’re Texans (no matter where they’re from). Back East, Joeys. Whatever we’re calling them, let’s take a deep breath, let go of the hatred, and see these folks for what they are. First and foremost, they keep our mountain economies healthy and churning. If tourists didn’t come to our towns and drop exorbitant amounts of cash on lodging, food, and equipment, many of us would be out of a job and back in some city jockeying a cubicle Monday to Friday. Secondly, they want to be like us. They come skiing because they want to be a part of the life we live every day. Sure, many of them are downright comical in their attempts to be a part of that culture, but the fact remains, they want to be here. So keep laughing when that you see that Texan, barreling down the hill in his power-wedge of doom, with Wrangler’s tucked into his rental boots with a belt buckle like a Thanksgiving turkey platter. But have some respect at the same time. Most non-locals are ultra-friendly and don’t want to cause you any trouble, so let it go and smile.

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So there I was, standing in line at the local six-pack, silently fuming at the masses of gapers who couldn’t manage to count in even numbers, and the lackadaisical lift ops offering as much help as a bucket of hot water at an Igloo commune, when I got to thinking about some things that we skiers could do this year to strengthen our snow-worshipping community and make skiing even more fun. Here are some New Years resolutions for skiers.