As the ski season begins, many of you may find yourself obtaining new skis for training and racing. Having spent a lot of time testing new/different skis this week here are some tips to help with the process:

1. Ski on your skis  “one and one”. By this I mean if you have two pairs of skate skis, grab one ski from each pair and compare them by skiing on them together. Make sure you try them “one and one” in different conditions/snow types and figure out which skis perform better in different conditions.

2. If you have Fischer classic skis, your wax pocket is most likely going to be as follows: Start in the middle of the ski, and move REARWARD to the first factory notch on the ski (this is the little triangle without a base, on the sidewall of the ski). This is most likely the rear of your wax pocket.  Again from the middle of the ski, move FORWARD to the second triangle notch (on the front of the ski), this is most likely the front of your wax pocket. The design of the camber on Fischer classic skis makes this the prime pocket for MOST of the skis. Wax your skis this way then ski on them, making adjustments in pocket length based on whether you feel the skis dragging, or whether they are slick.

3. Don’t test your skis one time and call it done.  Make sure to continue to ski on all your skis and continually test and evaluate conditions in which they excel.  Some people like to have specific training and racing skis but I think you should almost always make an effort to ski on race skis when training. The more you ski on a pair of skis, the better the feel you have for that pair. Knowing each pair of your skis intimately will serve you well when you need to make a pre-race decision about hat skis to wax for tomorrows race.

Get out and ski.

A little off topic, but just thought I would share a picture I took in the grocery store in West Yellowstone:

For those of you who have not been to West Yellowstone in the early winter, this about sums it up…

MG

Happy Turkey Day from beautiful West Yellowstone!  Racing here in West is awesome; snowy and perfect ski weather.  I am, however, slightly jealous that I wasn’t in Tahoe to witness the massive snowstorm.  The great part…the fact that I will return to winter with great skiing without having to do any shovelling, who wouldn’t be excited?

After having a great Ski in Auburn Ski Club up Donner Pass yesterday, it was going to be hard to top that. The tracks were just perfect and the sun was shining all day bright (Thanks to Auburn Ski Club). Now I’m looking forward to some nice skiing holidays in Salt Lake City with Gus and his family. The first skiing here was perfect and there are more days to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

In case you didn’t get the memo… THE SNOW HAS ARRIVED! Several feet of the fluffy white stuff has graced the ground outside my house in Glenshire, and I have to say, it is absolutely beautiful. Each year with the first snow comes a change of pace, a fresh outlook and all the promise of the season ahead.  I couldn’t be happier.

The trails around Tahoe aren’t quite open yet, but I just couldn’t wait to get out and celebrate the snow. This weekend, I rung in the season with a couple backcountry adventure skis in the meadow behind my house. While they weren’t quite the pristine skis on freshly-groomed trails that I have been anticipating and longing for, the skiing was a whole other form of awesome in itself. In its own right, nothing beats breaking trail through more than a foot of light, fluffy powder on some beat-up metal-edged crowns with dogs in tow.

And while it wasn’t quite conducive to great classic technique, it still felt like skiing, and that felt amazing. And after a couple two-hour sessions of powder trekking up steep climbs and over logs, and navigating down hills through trees and bushes with less than adequate control, I have to say I am feeling more than sufficiently exhausted, and even more excited about skiing.

This afternoon my good friend Shannon came along, and with the four dogs between the two of us, there was no shortage of good company. Our ski was pleasure in its purest form. I wasn’t thinking about my technique, my heartrate, how to ski the transition, or preparing for an upcoming race. I was just enjoying my sport, my company, the beauty around us and the day. And sometimes, that is the perfect ski. And this year, it was the perfect beginning to what I already know is going to be an incredible ski season.

Every skier in Tahoe probably heard about the great news. A snowstorm coming in this weekend supposedly bringing enough snow to Ski for a while! So for me it’s finally time to make the transition from dry land to snow practice. I can’t wait to feel the exciting feeling of gliding on snow again! Definitely one of my favorite moments of practice.

I’m also excited to see the Pros racing this weekend in the Gällivare (SWE) Cross-Country Worldcup. See who had the best off season preparation and of course cheering for my sister and my homeboy Dario =). But also for the US boys of course!

Bring it on!

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