By 
Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year here in Utah. The colors of the canyons are absolutely magnificent. The Aspen trees are a golden kiss of color against the lush green pine trees of the forest. The air is fresh, the days are getting shorter and the frosts settle in my house at night, reminding me that winter will soon be here.
Along with fall comes preparation for the cold. It seems like a crazy race to do everything in time for winter. I often wish I had done more of these chores in the hot summer months instead of sitting in my air-conditioned house and making excuses.
It’s time to pick the leaves, especially before a winter storm covers them in snow, making them impossible to pick until spring. Not to mention the mess that arises from the leaves sitting under the snow for 5 months. Worse still are the gifts my dog leaves me during those cold snowy months. It’s also time to put snow tires on cars, shovels in the trunk, and chains on hold for when it’s really nasty. New filters for the oven, winterize the canister, put the mower away, and scoop out the remaining dead flowers and veggies from the summer. The list goes on and on.
Then there are some preparations that at first glance are more tolerable. That’s getting ready for the fun part of winter. That means breaking out winter jackets, pants, gloves, hats, thermals, etc. I can take inventory of these items in the fall and determine what needs to be replaced, kept, or donated. Last but not least are my skis and snowboards.
My skis and snowboards have been in my garage all summer gathering dust and rust. They have been neglected for several months and will be asked to perform on the mountain at any time. I don’t get new gear every year like I did when I was younger and skiing more, so now I try to take care of them to the best of my ability. Time to get out the p-tex, files, scrapers, wax, presses, iron, cleaners, and brushes. Time to get them back in shape. Like taking care of the leaves, the car and the house, I need to take care of my skis and snowboards. The result of making all of these fall preparations will be the increased joy and lack of stress that comes from the frustrations of being poorly prepared.
Setting up my equipment makes my days in the mountains much better. My skis and snowboards rotate effortlessly, glide quickly on the snow surface, and I don’t have to worry about bindings coming loose or top sheets delaminating. Skiing and snowboarding is fun and doing all the fall preparations around the house, boat, and skis makes it possible.
There is a part of fall preparations that I have had a hard time doing in the past: preparing my own body. In the past, I never participated in a ski or snowboard training program. He was always making excuses that he didn’t need it or didn’t have time. The result was that I would be so sore after the first day on the mountain that I would miss the consecutive days of incredible snow that a major storm brings. You could ski the first day on fresh powder, but you would end up ditching it the next day for everyone to enjoy. You should have thanked me. It wasn’t getting any better either. I was stuck as an expert skier and snowboarder. He didn’t want to just go down the hardest mountain slopes, he wanted to do it with power and grace. Also, I hurt more often when I fell. As I get older, my body doesn’t seem to bounce off rocks as well as it did when I was twenty. I needed to do ski-specific strength training, I knew that, but I had a hard time following whatever regimen I had tried in the past.
Groping on the internet, I finally found what would help me train to ski. They weren’t tricks, it wasn’t anything I didn’t know. It was the program, the results, and the accountability piece that worked. Since I train, not only in the fall but also throughout the year, I have spring in my step while skiing or snowboarding. I have improved a lot without skiing or snowboarding. I’m not sore after a hard day riding and I didn’t hurt at all last season even though I was skiing harder than ever. The ski and snowboard specific strength training I have found works. I wish I had learned these years ago when I was younger. It probably could have been a real threat in professional competitions.
So just like raking the leaves, picking up dog poop, and filling the hot tub, there are two things in my opinion that can’t be overlooked. The first is to adjust and maintain your skis and snowboards. The second is honing in by participating in a specific strength training program for skiing or snowboarding.