North American Ski Training Center – Tahoe, CA

Author: Ski NASTC

  • Zeb’s Most Recent Eastern Sierra Adventure

    Zeb’s Most Recent Eastern Sierra Adventure

    NASTC guide Zeb Blais at the top of East Peak, with Mt. Gibbs in the background

    Wind ripping across Dana Plateau and deposting snow on the eastern flanks of East Peak

  • What do you do when your ski day is rained out?

    You wanna go skiing but it is raining so miserably out, it is not even worth putting on your thermals.  Plan B?  Hit the gym!!
    How your ski season next year pans out is dependent on what you do in the off-season, which starts in the spring and runs through the fall.  This is the time to start working on the bottom level of the performance pyramid that Chris Fellows describes in his book Total Skiing.  Functional Movement takes place in multi-planes of motion with the use of multiple joints. These movements require the firing of multiple muscle groups in various positions, ranges of motion and varying intensity to achieve a common goal. They are both everyday activities/movements and sport specific movements.  By developing and training these movement patterns we not only gain greater stability and range of motion, we also gain longetivity.  Longevity is key for skiers, we want to survive our weeklong ski trips, make it through the season injury free,  be able to ski season to season as pain free as possible and continue to avidly particpate in the sport that we love even as we age. 

    Here are a couple of exercises to incorporate:
    World’s Greatest Lunge – move into a lunge position, place both hands to the inside of the forward foot and rotate your spine once to each side.
    Backwards Lunge – reverse lunge while raising the arm that is opposite to the leg you are stepping back
    Hand walks – reach down and touch the ground with your hands or fingertips, slowly walk your hands out till you are in a plank position, then begin walking your feet towards your hands
    Lateral lunge
    Iron cross     – begin by standing with both feet side by side, out stretch your arms to either side with thumbs pointing to the ceiling, next extend one leg behind you until your hips are parallel to the floor and maintain a flat back position.
    Knee hugs – take one step forward, and you swing through with your other leg bring it up to your chest, maintaining an erect spine and toes pulled up toward the knee, grasp your knee with both hands and maintain your planted leg straight and fire the glute to aid in stability. 
    Hip/knee rotations – raise one knee up and rotate it outwards, as if you were drawing a letter “C” in the air with your knee, repeat with the other leg and then reverse the rotation so that it is going inwards.
    90/90 stretch – lay on the floor on your side, take the upper leg and bend it at a 90 degree angle, keeping the other leg outstretched, hold your arms out in front of you then sweep your upper arm to the other side of your body so your arms form a “T” (follow the path of your hand with your head, depending on how much thoracic mobility you have you may not be able to touch your hand to the ground, though this is the goal).  Repeat with the opposite leg and arm.

    If you are starting out, it is best to start with lower reps and work into doing more.  5-7 reps is a good starting point.

  • Freeski Training Center in La Parva, Chile

    From The Ski Channel: http://www.theskichannel.com/news/skinews/20110414/World-class-freeski-training-center-to-be-built-in-La-Parva-Chile

    “With the latest announcement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approving men’s and women’s Ski Halfpipe for the 2014 Olympics, La Parva is on the forefront of building the ultimate training facility to be ready June 2012. 

    It’s location in the heart of the Andes mountains and provides excellent snow conditions from June through October, creating an ideal off season training destination for Northern Hemisphere athletes. The resort has begun the process with the addition of the new high speed “Fabres” chairlift that gives access to five new on piste runs and will be fully operational by 2012. This sector is the prospective location for the new halfpipe and freestyle training area.

    In addition to on snow training facilities La Parva expects to build an exclusive “Athlete Lodge,” that encompasses all aspects and needs of today’s elite athletes. Dry land training area, media rooms where teams can review footage of training runs, and cafeterias for team meals. This facility will be a complete on and off snow destination where teams can harness the skills they need to be the best in their sport.”

    It is great that the South American resorts are stepping up and starting to stake a bigger claim in the snowsports industry.  An investment of this sort is also proof of the growing global popularity of skiing and snowboarding.  Events like the X-games and Olympics are offering these sports and athletes some global exposure.  It is also making skiing and snowboarding more attractive to younger generations as it provides them with an outlet for creative expression. 

  • Winter season wind down

    The sun sits higher in the sky, the air is warmer, birds are chirping and the snow around town is melting really fast.  These are all the signs that Spring is definitely here and Winter is on its way out.  In previous years, most people would already start wearing flip flops and shorts but this year Mother Nature is keeping us guessing.  One day it’s sunny and warm and the next day looks and feels like a mid-winter storm.  After a delightful winter season filled with almost innumerable powder days, most people are exhausted with skiing.  It’s understandable when the Spring temps climb and the snow gets extremely mushy by 1:00pm, the idea of sweeping off the deck and firing the barbecue is more inviting then fighting that stop and go feeling when you’re skiing the afternoon slush.  Though, a day spent with good friends and great snow conditions can re-energize one’s mind toward skiing. Spring is a great time to reel things in and focus on your technique and spend some time re-working those basic skiing fundamentals.  There is hardly anyone out there and you are no longer charging for those big lines like you did when there was pow on the ground which gives you more time, patience and focus.   You don’t need to spend the whole day out there  just a few hours is all you need.  If you are wondering how to afford skiing a few hours – take advantage of the Spring pass deals that the resorts are offering.  Alpine Meadows has one of the greatest deal $99 Spring pass followed by Squaw Valley with a $199 Spring pass.   We are lucky this season to have such a solid snowpack that the conditions on the slopes are excellent, there are no melt through spots, rocks are still covered by the 500 inches of snow that sit on top of them.  Sometimes Spring skiing can be depressing because all the brown spots start appearing and the run keep shrinking but not this year.  Take advantage of the warm weather and the great snow to get some focused practice in before you hang your skis up for the summer.

  • My first NASTC Experience…

    Hear it from our clients….”My first NASTC experience met all my expectations and recommendations from friends who had skied with NASTC: the most professional coaches, best accommodations, ideal mountain resorts, and friendly comaraderie with fellow skiers. I will most definitely be back.”  — new NASTC skier from San Francisco, CA

  • Ski off the Summit of Mt. Shasta

    On May 14th NASTC will embark on it’s annual climb up Mt. Shasta.  This is a three day expedition style climb.  The first day is a hike to basecamp and the remainder of the afternoon is spent setting up camp and learning basic mountaineering techniques & skills.  The second day is mainly an acclimatization day, we do a couple of short climbs & descents (on skis) and practice the mountaineering skills that we learned the previous afternoon.  The final day is the push to the summit.  The goal is to reach the summit before noon so that the snow is in prime condition for the ski down.  The ski down is about 6,000ft back to basecamp.  The skiing is not very technical but it is in off-piste conditions.  This is a great way to break into ski mountaineering if you’re curious, or if you are already into it, this is a good climb and a great accomplishment on your way to summitting Denali. 

  • PSIA-W Convention

    PSIA-Western Divison will be holding it’s annual convention at Mammoth April 29th to May 1st.  Chris Fellows will be heading down there to present Total Skiing to the membership.  Convention is an education event, where instructors from all over  the state of California will assemble and participate in on-snow clinics for three days.  It’s a great event, because the energy his high, everyone is game to learn and ski and you see familiar faces that you might not get to see otherwise.  The event also gives the membership an opportunity to get together and get to know one another off the snow and form stronger bonds and relationships.  The event will also host Mike Rogan, Mike Hafer , Richie Jameson and Robin Barnes as guest clinicians.  We are proud to be members of such a strong division and organization.

  • New Ski Tip

    New ski tip by Chris Fellows has been uploaded to the Ski Tips section.  Login to the site and check it out!

  • How to enter a chute

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7H7W-oxm_Y

  • Gates & Freeskiing Camp at Mt. Hood

    Spring has finally sprung!  Blue skies and warm temps abound and the skiing is incredible.  Gotta love that California Corn snow!  We are going to let the cat out of the bag and let you know that we will be hosting a Spring Gates camp at Mt. Hood. NASTC will be bringing a group of clients to Mt. Hood for it’s first ever Adult Gates Training Camp, joining forces with Sugar Bowl’s Danielle Nichols and the Start Haus of Truckee.  Some of you might be thinking, “eh, I don’t race so I don’t need to do a gates camp.”  However, skiing through gates is one of the best things you can do for your skiing.  It is a great way to step-up your technique and become more comfortable and in-tune with how the skis perform.  Turning at precise points down a run helps with the timing and direction of your movements.  Notice how racers tend to be really good freeskiers also? Because they spend so much time in the gates working on being technically precise, they are able to transfer those skills to the off-piste seamlessly.   Food, lodging and coaching will be provided for.  The camp will be 5 days long at Mt. Hood which is the “go to” destination for freeskiers, racers and National Team members to get some training in before the summer season sets in.  The camp will take place mid-June – mark it on your calendar dso you can plan accordingly.  Please call the NASTC office 530.582.4772 for more information.