Mountain Mayhem

 

Mountain Bling

Originally uploaded by jodi_engle

The sun was shining and the temperature was a balmy 50 degrees by noon at Sierra at Tahoe last Saturday. It was Day 8 of the 2010-11 ski season for me, but I didn’t do a lot of skiing. There were too many things happening!

We started the day, as we usually do at Sierra by going to the West Bowl. Then, we headed to Lower Main to catch some race action. I was a spectator, and my partner actually raced down the slalom course (taking first place in his age group). The slalom race was sponsored by the Bay Area Ski Bus, which also happened to be our mode of transportation for the day. Owner Brian manned the mic at the base and passed out trophies at 2 p.m. Men, women and children entered and had a great time.

Another highlight of the day was seeing the Cal-State Marching Band skiing down the bunny hill while playing their instruments. From the Nob Hill lift, we could hear the brassy sound of John Philip Sousa and Lady Gaga.

We caught our last chair of the day and skied down Castle. By then the snow was softer and the crowds had left–the perfect way to end a fun day at Sierra.

Unconsciously Cross-training for Skiing

I started doing yoga last spring, and I love it! My mind and body race as I hurry on foot to yoga class after work once or twice a week, and 90 minutes later the relaxed yogi-me emerges from the warm, dim studio with a happy grin. It’s the same expression I wear when I’m pedaling on two wheels or riding downhill on two planks.

What I am finding thanks to my recent Skiing Magazine and Yoga Journal is that all three sports complement each other in some sort of strange triangle. For instance, world-class skiers warm up and cool down by riding stationary bikes positioned next to the ski hill (no joke: the photo in Skiing Magazine shows a skier pedaling in ski boots, which looks very uncomfortable–as if skiing in ski boots isn’t painful enough!). Yoga, according to Yoga Journal, is supposed to help skiers achieve proper body alignment when skiing (imagine doing mountain pose and chair pose on skis) and, as one might suspect, ease sore muscles and prevent injury.

Usually when the snow begins to blow, my bike starts to collect dust. This year, I’ve continued to commute to the office with my bike a few days a week and to ride on weekends (despite the rain, and there has been lots of it this year). While riding bike strengthens my leg muscles and improves my cardio fitness, yoga, I find, builds a calm state of mind and the ability to savor the moment, which enhances anything I do, including skiing. I enjoy skiing in the trees where there are no crowds and pausing to hear the birds chirping. Next time, I’m going to remember to take a deep yoga breath and slowly release. Aaah. Oops! Ommmm.

I began investigating the whole yoga and skiing link in planning my upcoming vacation to Big Sky Resort. Big Sky offers yoga classes in the morning and afternoon–aptly timed to coincide with when the lifts open and close. For a week, it only costs $35 to enjoy the benefits of yoga with skiing. Count me in! After a full day of shredding, savasana will feel amazing, although they may have to wake me up when class is over.