Zaskoda

I’m currently at a Ruby on Rails conference in Denver. As soon as they let us out, I’m on my way out to Keystone 36. I have no idea what to expect. I’m not even sure where I’m going. I am stoked about the idea of night riding as I’ve never tried it before.

I have friends coming in for the weekend, but no specific plans to hook up with anyone. Instead, I’ve decided to do something a little crazy. I cleared out the back of my Xterra and laid down the seats. Then I packed up all my gear along with two sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, food, and other supplies. My intention is to spend the night in the back of my truck.

This conference is awesome, but I’m eager to get on the road as I hear they’re expecting a lot of snow in the mountains tonight!

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I woke up on the late side this morning, pounding snooze over and over. I must have slept 10 hours or more. I had hoped to wake up alone this morning; however the headache I took to bed with me was still there when my sleep cycle was over. Maybe it’s having gone up and down in altitude too much lately. The summit for A-Basin is over 13,000 feet and I live around 5,000. For a while I was worried it had something to do with hitting my head two weeks ago. Who knows, maybe I’ll die from a bleeding brain soon. Regardless of this headache that is still with me, even as I type, today was amazing. Like I said, it all started when I woke up on the late side.

I had to kick my own ass to get motivated and out the door this morning. It was well after 8:30 before I hit the road – putting me on the mountain around 10:00. Much to my pleasure, the mountain wasn’t all that crowded. Today was also much warmer than yesterday. This softened the snow a tad and made for a decent riding day.

After a couple of hours on my old Burton Custom, I took a break for lunch. Those couple of hours were great. I felt comfortable and confident on my board. I played with a few tricks and took some small kickers here and there. I practiced riding switch. All the while I was blasting my MP3 player and getting my groove on. I don’t know what it was, the energy was just right. So anyway, there I was, finishing up my lunch… and then I did it… FINALLY…

I grabbed my Arbor Mystic and headed back up the mountain. That’s right, I’ve ridden 10 days while owning my Mystic and today I took it out for the very first time. The experience was… unexpected. I knew things were going to be different when I was sliding up to the lift and I noticed that this board had a slicker bottom than anything else I’ve ever been on. Halfway up the mountain, I slid off the first lift and strapped in – I had a couple of hundred feet to ride before the second lift to the top. I stood up, got a couple of small carves, and bam – I was on my ass. Definitely NOT what I expected.

Shocked and confused, I got back up and explored the new feeling as I slid the rest of the way down to the second lift. On the way up, I talked about the board with a couple of other guys on the lift. We talked about short boards versus long boards, different types of flex, and even the way boards are made differently in Japan. Once the ride was over, I was at the top of the mountain and ready for a real run.

In a nutshell, I fell a lot… smiling the whole time. Going from my Burton Custom 162 to an Arbor Mystic 154 is like going from a Ford F350 to a Honda Civic SI. The difference was considerably more than I ever expected. Where the Custom would want to track straight and cut deep, the Mystic went exactly where my slightest movement suggested it should go. Being more of a twin tip, riding switch was considerably different. I attempted a few ollies and found them much easier to execute than on my Custom.

If I had to describe the experience in one phrase, I think it would be, “Wake up and ride!” I was only going to take one run, but I had to head back up for a second. Mastering this board is going to completely change the way I ride. I’m more excited about this season than ever.

So, with all of the excitement and fun of the day, I did forget to bring my camera. Today’s picture was shot out of the windshield of my Xterra using my camera phone.

89 days left…

56 Days in 07/08

I just got back from my 10th day of the season! I only have to do this 9 more times and my goal is accomplished! Today was a longer day on the mountain; but it was an easy going day. I got to play teacher. The morning started out good, as usual. Unfortunately, the crowds hit again at noon. We still don’t have enough snow to open a lot of runs so everyone is packed into a small space. I don’t think we’re expecting another good snow any time this week. I’m glad I got in the days I could while I could. Of course, I’ll head out again tomorrow. Things are, however, looking unpleasant for Keystone 36 next weekend. I’m sure I’ll still go, but it will be a lot nicer if we get some more snow.

90 days left…

56 Days in 07/08

I was doing some hard drive cleanup before running off to Thanksgiving dinner and I ran across an old video. Several of my recent posts have had subtle and not-so-subtle references to someone I like to call “My Surf Teacher” in this blog. The video was a montage I made of her learning to snowboard over the years.

Sharing life and experiences with this person for the last five years has been a blessing. Generally speaking, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a good life, good friends, a good job, and a good family. However, when I sit down in front of a dead bird with new friends tonight, I will thank the universe, most of all, for all the time I’ve gotten to spend with the star of this video:

Can you tell she’s a long boarder? She makes those long smooth carves. Maybe we’ll ride again some day. I hope so. For right now, I’m just asking the universe to give her peace of mind and a lots of joy. In fact, I’m sure she’s catching one perfect wave after another today. That makes me smile. Time for me to go eat Turkey!

Videos

A happy Thanksgiving indeed! We got a little bit of snow. Breckenridge reported 6″ and A-Basin reported 4″. The most I’m aware of is Snowmass reporting 12″ – very nice. I hit A-Basin this morning for a while. The riding was alright until the crowds started moving in. I’m finally getting my feet back under me. Today I noticed a considerable increase in my level of comfort. I’ve been taking it easy, working on my style, and avoiding crashing on the thin layer of hard pack. Today was the first day I felt comfortable hitting a few little kickers and getting some air. When we get a little more padding laid down, I’ll start getting a lot more aggressive.

In the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice a lifted Isuzu Vehicross. I’m keen on these odd little vehicles. They aren’t particularly awesome off-road vehicles. They’re not particularly awesome on-road vehicles either. The Vehicross is an odd hybrid that never hit mass appeal. Still, I think they look slick, particularly when they’re modded up. If nothing else, they do stand out.

Today I found my mind running through a variety of thoughts. I spent a long time thinking about SnowTripping and how I need to jump back on that project. I’ve let it sit for way too long. On the drive home from the mountain, I also kinda wondered what the weather was like today in Costa Rica.

91 days left…

56 Days in 07/08

What a wonderful Thanksgiving day surprise! Benji Lanyado over at The Guardian mentioned one of my posts about our trip to Pucon, Chile in an article titled “I know what you did last winter“. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely let the fame go to my head.

Thanks to the article, I’m now aware of two more blogs: The Ramblings of Greg Hill and SnowSlider. Of course, if you hadn’t noticed, We Know Snow and Afterbang are already two of my favorites.

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A-Basin is opening up a few more areas slowly – very slowly. Today I noticed the bunny hill open, complete with the magic carpet lift. Thus, I’ve started sending out invites to anyone who wants to learn. I’d rather be teaching people to learn now, before the big snow comes.

It was an otherwise uneventful day on the mountain. It got crowded fast, so I didn’t stay real long. I did notice folks camping out in the parking lot with comfy chairs, coolers of beer, and grills. Of the 4 times I’ve been up to A-Basin, only once was I able to get someone to go with me. Everyone talks about wanting to ride; but very few people are willing to actually get up and go this early in the season. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to get me a little posse together, or at least a compadre.

Speaking of a posse, a friend sent me a link to Ski Carpool. Unfortunately, the site barfed up an error when I registered; however, I’m looking forward to checking it out.

In other news, every day I ride I tend to wish I was sharing these moments with my surf instructor. In the words of Trent Reznor, “it looks as though the past is here to stay.” Here’s to the future, I suppose.

92 days left…

56 Days in 07/08

I managed to make it out again this morning to get a few runs in. The snow is still dust on crust and I really don’t want to fall. I think last week’s crash put a little fear in me. I’ve never been hit that hard by a skier, ug. Anyway, I continued to work on posture and riding style today. Right at the end of my day, everything kind of clicked and felt in sync again. I wanted to keep playing, but the mountain was getting more and more crowded and I have to get ready for a house warming party tonight.

There was a bit of snow coming down all day. It wasn’t much, but I sure was happy to see it. When I was driving up to the mountain, I picked up a couple of rogues hitch-hiking back up Loveland Pass. They encouraged me to take the run, but the ample amount of exposed rocks and stumps didn’t really appeal to me. Still, they started getting me stoked for the day. This is the surf-like subculture I was hoping to find here in Colorado. I love meeting people bouncing with positive energy.

Hopefully I can get some riding in tomorrow, a few days over the Thanksgiving holiday, and then a few more days the following weekend at Keystone 36. That should give me a good 6 or 7 more days before November shuts out. We’ll see how things go.

93 Days Left

56 Days in 07/08

Today a coworker walked up to my desk and asked, “ok, so what pills are you taking?” When I first moved to Colorado it was tough getting adjusted. A little depressed, I put on weight and bumped up over 175lbs. Various factors in life, including the approaching riding season, encouraged me to get into shape. I wanted to lose the fat, build my cardio up, and tone some muscles. I started eating better sometime around August and started working out in early October. My last trip to the gym I weighed in at 154. That’s a 20+ lbs loss.

I really cranked it up starting on October 9th. In 7 days I went from 164lbs to 158lbs. I also went from a body fat percentage over 19 to 18.2. The attached photo shows the physical results. I’ve gotten a number of congrats followed by inquiries as to how I made such a rapid change. So much so, that I thought I would share it here. Simply put, I ate less food, I ate better food, and I exercised more.

Diet

I tracked my diet online for about a week. Unfortunately, now that my free trial has expired, I can’t log in and get actual samples of exactly what I consumed. Generally speaking, I did the following:

• consumed around 1000 calories a day
• ate a lot of veggies – and a wide variety of them
• consumed as little fat as possible
• ate only enough carbs to maintain my energy levels
• drank a lot of water and only water, I even cut coffee out (don’t know if it affected anything)
• reduced my meat portions a little
• took a time release multi vitamin every day and a calcium supplement almost every day

That said, a typical day’s meal might look something like this:

• Breakfast: Either Kashi cereal, Bare Naked cereal, or a granola bar. I would eat about a cup of cereal with just a splash of soy milk. Note: after the 7 day rush, I started to include a splash of orange juice. Vitamin C is a great metabolism booster.
• Lunch: Sometimes nothing but raw veggies. Broccoli was common. I would also eat celery and carrots. Beware of carrots, they contain some sugar. I would continue to eat on a couple of cups of veggies through the day while drinking lots of water. This would easily sustain me through work. Other days I would have small meals such as fish tacos with lard free tortillas or a small helping of noodles. Still, I would eat them slowly over the course of a couple of hours.
• Dinner: I usually grilled my dinners on the George Foreman grill. I would include a small portion of lean meat such as bison (very low in fat), salmon (good fats), or chicken breast. I would grill a wide variety of vegetables including zucchini squash, asparagus, onion, red bell pepper, broccoli, and egg plant. Finally, I would include a small helping carbs such as a half piece of pita bread or small helping of rice. A few nights I replaced the carbohydrtes with a salad consisting mostly of leafy plants with a light misting of sesame seed oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Snacks: For the most part, I didn’t snack. My lunches felt like snacking all day. I went to bed early because I was getting up early for the gym. I did eat a few nuts and some beef jerky from time to time. Keep in mind, I was also drinking large amounts of water on a regular basis.

Exercise

I signed up at my nearest gym, which worked out well because I had an old membership on freeze. I got a special deal on 5 personal trainer sessions for $50. This wasn’t crucial, but the support and advice did help. During the rapid development phase, I hit the gym every day. On a couple of days, I went both in the morning and the evening. After the phase, I dropped down to about 3 times a week. A typical session at the gym would include:

• Stretches: Some basic startup stretches to loosen my leg muscles. This was less than 5 minutes worth.
• Cardio: I usually would run an average of 15 minutes on the tread mill to get my cardio up. When I started, 10 minutes was enough. Near the end of the week, I would run 25 minutes. If it was my second visit to the gym for the day, I would do about 10 minutes on the stair machine instead – just to mix things up.
• Original Floor Routine: With my heart rate up, I would hit the floor routine for around 15 to 20 minutes. My original floor routine included:
  • 20 straight crunches plus 10 crunches to each side
  • 10 straight leg lifts plus 10 leg lifts to each side
  • 15 per side of these crunch like things propped up on my elbow (works your side, no idea what they’re called)
  • a fast count of 100 while holding myself up on my elbow and toes
  • the same fast count of 100 while resting on my hips and belly and keeping my feet and shoulders up off the floor
  • a 30 second back bend and 30 second side twists to stretch out my ab muscles
• New Floor Routine: My trainer gave me a whole new and improved set of routines that included the use of a yoga ball. I integrated these new exercises into my routine – trying to change it up each day. These new routines included a mix of:
  • Holding the yoga ball between my feet for the leg lifts.
  • Placing my back on the floor, feet on the yoga ball and lifting my hips.
  • Lifting light free weights above my chest while laying with the back of my shoulders on the ball, knees bent, hips up, and my feet close together.
  • Squats while standing on a half ball (hard to balance) and holding light weights out in front of me.
  • Torso twists with those strechy elastic rubber things for resistance.
  • Most painful of all, holding myself up on my elbows and toes for 45 seconds – while squeezing my abs as hard as I could.
• Weight Training: After my floor routine, I would hit weight machines for another 10 to 15 minutes. I generally picked 2 or 3 machines and did 20 to 60 reps at various weight levels. I focused on my core, but did spent time on my shoulders, arms, and legs.

In addition to this, I’ve also been taking the occational yoga class. I believe I took 2 1-hour yoga classes during the 7 day push. Before and after the 7 day push I did a bit of outdoor activity including biking, hiking, running, and – of course – snowboarding.

The results were rapid and impressive. It took being in the right frame of mind, but it didn’t take a lot of time. After my 7 day push, I still continued to burn fat and build muscle while going to the gym less and eating more. I figure that’s probably because of a boosted metabolism. I suspect that if I don’t maintain regular physical activity, I could easily relapse and see rapid weight gain. Thus far, that has not been an issue.

Most importantly, I feel a lot better both mentally and physically. It is more than worth it.

Health and Fitness, How To

Well, I had more life drama than I could handle so I ended up running away to the beaches of Mexico for a little while. Thus, I fell behind on my early season boarding. I’m back in Colorado and back on the slopes. I went up to A-Basin today and got some runs in before it got crowded; and my gosh did it get crowded. I got hit so hard by a skier that he actually lifted me up off the ground. He tried to blame me until ski patrol – having seen the whole thing – came up and set him straight. Skiers…

Anyway, I’ve been working extremely hard on improving my posture lately. I work in front of a computer much of the day and I’ve developed rather poor posture. I have a massage therapist helping to open up my chest. The personal trainer I was seeing gave me a lot of tips on improving my posture. I’m sitting on a yoga ball at work much of the day. I’m also pushing my shoulders back, to an exaggerated extent, whenever I think about it. When your shoulders go back and your spine goes up, your toes tend to come together. Today was proof that I’m improving because I had to adjust my bindings and bring my toes in a little bit. Sweet!

The need to work on my posture really hit home when I watched the Pucon video and saw how far over I was leaning. The way I figure it, your equilibrium is designed to work when your head is on straight. With my head tipped over and rotated, I’m not using my sense of balance to it’s fullest. I noticed other riders around me on tough terrain had considerably better posture. Today, I tried riding with my head up straight and shoulders back a bit. In Mexico, I did a little wind surfing. The guy who taught me spoke nearly no Spanish, but he kept showing me proper posture – which was almost a lean backwards keeping your arms straight. This made me use my hips more for balancing, so I also applied this today. All together, I was a little shaky because it felt new and different; however it seemed to feel a lot more correct. I think this will help my riding and I encourage other riders to try different postures.

I snapped a photo of the newly serviced Montezuma Bowl. It’s 400 acres added to Arapahoe Basin this year – the largest expansion in North America that almost doubles the size of the park. There’s only one lift servicing the area. There’s more ridable area past the bottom of the lift, but if you take it – you have to hike back up.

So that’s 6 days down and 94 left to go. Unfortunately, the snow hasn’t been the best lately and it looks to be a dry Thanksgiving. You never can tell, so here’s hoping.

56 Days in 07/08