FitSugar

Cross-Country Skiing Tips For Newbies

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:51:18 PST

Downhill skiing is a blast, but if you're not in the mood to race against frigid winds or deal with crazy crowded lift lines, try cross-country skiing this Winter. It may not be speedy, but cross-country skiing will tone your upper and lower body, give you a great cardio workout, and burn almost 500 calories in one hour!

Like snowshoeing, cross-country is more social than downhill skiing since conversations aren't limited to just time riding the lift. You get to slush along snow-covered trails and gab while taking in the breathtaking scenery. Plus, there is no expensive lift ticket needed. Some find cross-country more comfortable than downhill skiing because the boots are more flexible and the skis lightweight. Ready to get started? Here are some tips for newbies.

First, find some cross-country trails. Some downhill-ski resorts have groomed trails, but also check out nature centers or parks where you hike in the Summer. You might have to pay a fee (around $15 to $30) to use the grounds. Don't be shy about asking the staff to point you toward the easier trails.
Rent boots, skis, and poles at the place where you're skiing, but if this isn't possible, rent equipment the day before from a gear store; rentals are about $15 a day.
Definitely head out with someone who has some cross-country skiing experience or take a lesson to learn the basic techniques for moving, slowing down, stopping, and getting up hills.

Keep reading for more beginner cross-country ski tips.

Guess Who

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:36:40 PST

Can you guess which actress hit the slopes with Jon Hamm?

You Hit the Snow but Are You in the Know?

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:00:53 PST

East Coasters who ski and ride are loving all the snow that's been dumping this Winter. Whatever you hit the powder on, let's see what you know about skiing and snowboarding terms.

Source: Tyler Cohen

Take the Quiz

Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn on Life and Love With Her Coach

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:15:38 PST

Just in time for Valentine's Day is Fitness Magazine's interview with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. Besides talking about what her diet and workout schedule is, Lindsey gave the mag a peek at what it's like to be married to fellow Olympian and former US Ski Team athlete Thomas Vonn. If you watched the Winter Olympics last year, then you already know that Thomas was by Lindsey's side the entire way - not only is Thomas Lindsey's husband, but he also serves as her coach and adviser - in more ways than one.

On having any rivalry: "No! We're each other's biggest cheerleaders. He supports me 100 percent. We're opposites that attract; every cliche you can think of is true when it comes to us. I'm the emotional, spontaneous one who listens to my heart, and he's logical and focuses on the details."
On going to Thomas for advice: "I ask his opinion about everything. On the mountain, I ask, 'Am I doing this correctly? Was that run good?' I'll also ask him, 'Do you like this dress for the red-carpet event? Do you like my hair?' He's always right. Even if there's something I think is supertrendy and cute, he'll say, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' He's a pretty good stylist."
On working out together: "Thomas doesn't want to work out with me ever. We're too competitive. If we're side by side on the treadmill, I'll be checking his speed. I can't help myself. He's like, 'What are you doing?' I say, 'I'm going faster than you!'"

Life Lesson Learned From My First Day on the Slopes: Confidence

Kristen Hawley — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:05:36 PST

Last weekend, I headed up to Lake Tahoe with a group of friends in an attempt to finally, once and for all, learn to ski. I signed up for a beginner lesson (highly recommended!), strapped one ski on, and slid around in a circle with my five co-students. By the end of the afternoon we had graduated to the second-highest beginner hill, and I learned how to ride a chair lift, pizza/french fry my way down the hill, and even almost do a proper turn. Luckily, I took more away from the slopes that day than skiing skills. Namely: confidence. Here's how:

From the time I strapped on the second ski, I was terrified. I've ice skated plenty of times in my life (the closest mental equivalent in my head) and this was nothing like skating. In fact, it was nothing like anything I've ever experienced before. Once our instructor decided we were ready for the chair lift, I was beside myself. Luckily, the first "hill" was anything but a hill. The second, though, was a different story. And since Tahoe hadn't seen fresh snow in a month before my first day out, portions of the hill were packed so solid I was skiing on ice. After taking a dive off of the chair lift, I was completely psyched out, and looking down at a hill that looked humongous was daunting.

For the rest of my experience, and to share your own, keep reading.

David Kirsch Will Get You Mountain Ready

Guest Writer — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:55:33 PST

The following post was written by New York-based trainer David Kirsch.

I love wintertime in the city. In fact, as I write this blog, I'm watching yet another winter wonderland outside. The snow makes me yearn for the back bowls of Vail, Colorado, where I have spent many snowy, joyful hours perfecting my slalom turns among other things. Before I hit the slopes, I make sure that my legs, back and core have been conditioned, strengthened and stretched. I particularly like to do the following exercises:

Lateral lunges to a reverse lunge. Not only does this strengthen my quads and glutes, but also my adductors (aka inner thighs).
Stability ball push-ups/ knee tucks. Here I am not only working my core and upper body but also my lower back.
Walking lunges - grab a pair of dumbbells and find an area in your house, office or gym, where you can complete at least 20 walking lunges, turn around and repeat.
I would immediately follow those walking lunges with a set of dumbbell squats 15-20 repetitions. Doing these squats right after the lunges will definitely get your heart pumping, increase your cardio capacity, and build much needed endurance in your legs! The quad burn one feels if they are not well conditioned for skiing will no longer exist.

Enjoy, ski safely and remember to wear your helmet!

For more tips, recipes, and workouts, be sure to check out all of David's posts here on FitSugar.

Freeskiing Champion Kit Deslauriers Schools Us on Avalanche Safety

Guest Writer — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:30:43 PST

The following post was written by North Face athlete and champion freeskier Kit Deslauriers.

The mountains are always in charge. To approach a mountain with the thought of "conquering" is, in my mind, setting you up for a battle, which often means someone ends up winning, someone losing, and maybe someone even getting hurt. This makes no sense to me, and I think a part of any mountaineers recurring successes can be attributed to working with the mountain more so than against it.

Knowing this is enough to realize that we can never be 100 percent sure we are safe; yet that is part of the adventure and the challenge. To heighten our senses and skills to the point where we are making a darn good educated guess about if conditions are safe enough to proceed is, to me, a big draw to the sport of mountain climbing and ski mountaineering. It is one of the ways we must be aware of our environment and conduct ourselves in a respectful manner, while of course pushing the envelope of fun and adventure. And face shots in fresh powder!

When I talk about awareness and senses and skills, many of these things are cultivated from experience, but there are some tools to the trade that are worthy of sharing with readers here. Before you venture in the backcountry, make sure that you have the appropriate avalanche safety equipment AND know how to use it. The most important piece of technical gear that you will need is an avalanche transceiver. This is a battery powered device worn on the body, which transmits a signal when turned on and in the case of an avalanche, allows rescuers to search for you buried in the snow. The people who will conduct the rescue turn their receivers from transmit to search to begin the process of looking for you, which you hope they will be good and quick at since the likelihood of being uncovered alive goes sharply down after even just 10 minutes of burial.

Other items to have in your backcountry ski pack include:

A snow shovel (for digging that friend out and also for digging snow pits to learn about the snow pack, or getting your truck out of the ditch!)
An avalanche probe; this is useful in pinpointing the exact place to dig once the searcher has honed in on the burial location.
Water and food - be prepared
Headlamp, you never know
Extra hat and gloves
Small medical kit including a space blanket and athletic tape
Multi-purpose tool
Cell phone (turn it off when skiing in dangerous terrain as the signal can interfere with an
avalanche transceiver)

Beyond having your gear and knowing how to use it:

Remember to ski with a friend, and ski one at a time in avalanche prone terrain.
Don’t ski in dangerous places during or immediately following a snow storm.

There is no substitute for good judgment, and while that is an acquired skill which takes time, consider taking an avalanche course so you can learn more about snow science. You may just learn enough to feel comfortable out there which the experts will say increases your chances of getting caught in a slide! Stay safe and have fun.

For more mountain time fun, be sure to read all of Kit's posts.

Blast Fat With Fun: 3 Winter Wonderland Activities

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:30:57 PST

Here are three Winter calorie burners from the OnSugar blog The13thMile: A Half-Marathon Blog.

Ice Skating – From a deserted lake in the woods, to the crowds of Central Park, ice skating is available all over the country. Even if you live in sunny Florida, there are indoor ice rinks. Ice skating activates different muscles, including the inner thighs and glutes – two areas that can be difficult to tone. There is also the balance component to skating – lean your weight on one leg, then the other, feeling how centered your balance can be. I’m certainly not a figure skater (I’m a known klutz), but as an ex-ballerina and a yogini-in-training, I’ve found skating can center the body while still blasting fat.

See the other Winter calorie burners when you

Winter Sports Tip: Go Back to School

Michele Foley — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 04:00:44 PST

The first time I went to a ski resort I never made it to the slopes because I chickened out. I ended up spending the weekend hanging out at the lodge by myself. The next trip was unsuccessful too. I went with experienced snowboarders to Lake Tahoe where I fell off of a chairlift and ended up having to slide down the mountain.

If you don't know what you're doing, skiing and snowboarding can be pretty dangerous. The equipment is tricky and not knowing how to maneuver yourself on the mountain can result in serious injury. Don't forget that you're sharing the slopes; not knowing how to stop properly is all it takes to hurt someone else. Thinking back to the day that I fell out of the chairlift, I'm lucky that no serious damage came to myself or anyone else. I made a promise to myself that the next time I went up, I'd learn the ropes.

To find out how I finally made it onto the slopes,

Freeskiing Champion Kit Deslauriers Shares Her Training Secrets

Guest Writer — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:00:42 PST

The following post was written by North Face athlete and champion freeskier Kit Deslauriers.

Why bother with cross training
My first philosophy is to never get bored so it is important to me to mix it up as far as cross training goes. Secondly, to carry a big pack and still ski the things we do, the core of the body has got to be incredibly strong. Combining this concept of core strengthening with keeping it fresh is the most important cross training combination to me since power comes both from our core and our minds.

Mountain post meets the mountain
If you can guess a single workout that targets both the core and the mind you will discover what I call my secret weapon: yoga. A strong body is a flexible body. I first discovered yoga when I was in pursuit of my World Freeskiing Tour titles and I became fascinated by the concept of ‘embracing my stiffness because I worked hard to get it’ while full of enjoyment with the moments of mental clarity during the challenging poses, and well-rounded by the humility required to continue to practice at something that I am most likely not the best in the room at.

Beyond yoga here are some more cross training tips: