BAR-U-EAT Health Tips: Train Like A Ski Industry Veteran

It’s that time of year again. We’re watching our favorite snowsports films with friends, going to ski and snowboard swaps, shopping for gear online, deciding which season pass to get (and maybe a parking pass too), and getting stoked for winter! 

What’s the most critical component of a long and prosperous ski season (besides it snowing a lot)? Is it having the coolest top sheet on the six pack lift? Or buying that ticket to Narita for Japanuary? New gear and epic trips are surely critical to enjoying winter, however, having the physical fitness to enjoy a day on the mountain, and reducing your chances of becoming injured should be paramount.

                                        Reaping the rewards of a pre ski season fitness routine

Between BAR-U-EAT staff and Team members, we’ve got some ski industry veterans who have enjoyed their time on snow year after year. In addition to being really good at their snowsports niche, they’ve also become dedicated to overall fitness - staying injury free is the name of the game! Here’s a few ski season exercise tips:

MIKE SCHNEIDER: PRE-SEASON SKI ROUTINE
Mike’s our social media and marketing guy, and all around king of stoke. He’s worked in the ski industry for a long time (founded Surface ski’s among other brands), and spends as much time in the snow as possible…

With my three kids being so busy with athletics nowadays, my ski days aren't what they used to be. However, I still manage 55-60 days on the hill with probably half of them being in the backcountry around Alta. Backcountry days are typically early mornings and done by 10am and back to work. In-bounds Alta days are usually with the family ripping chairs and stopping for hot cocoa and coffees at Alta Java every few runs, lol!

Mike likes to focus on doing shorter rides, but with more vertical gain come ski season. Not only is it a strength builder for the quads, but also helps with cardiovascular fitness

My “routine” is pretty generic but it’s definitely my go-to come early September. It’s more of a crash course for the quads. There’s a steep hill by my house, I start at the base, right from the road and work straight up, it’s about 40 degrees - I will go until my watch says 1000’ vert then turnaround, and do it again… sometimes I do it once, other days when feeling good I can bang out 2 or 3 laps. It’s a legit grind. 

• I usually try and do that twice a week or three times if I can sneak it in. 
• On top of that, I ramp up my bike rides, both MTB and gravel, and try to do rides with bigger vert in shorter miles. 
• Pretty old school Rocky Balboa but works for me! 
• Our family is super busy, three teenagers, all super active in travel sports, friends etc. So any "workouts" I can get are normally last minute or rushing out the door without proper fuel and hydration. With that said, any kind of grab-and-go snacks that I can eat on the way to the trailhead is usually what I get (paired with a water bottle and cup of coffee, lol) - for me, I love the BAR-U-EAT bites because I usually stuff them in my cycling jersey pocket or pack and munch on them throughout the ride. It's clean food, not full of sugars, some protein and provides sustainable energy... we call them the "anti-bonk" bites at our house.

Keep the fitness training going into ski season, and bike to your ski zone

That’s it for this installment of BAR-U-EAT health tips.  We’ll be publishing more information pertaining to pre ski season (and mid season) health and wellness on a regular basis. Stay tuned for episode 2 - Ski like a Hot Shot with Steph Kasun.