Category: Latest News

Effortless Power VS Powerless Effort In Skiing

By Chris Fellows

The first in a series about how advanced skiers can continue to improve despite limited days on the slopes. These insights come from a proven NASTC approach that has transformed our students’ skiing giving them access to more terrain, ingrained efficient movements, comfort with speed, safety awareness and ultimately more fun on the slopes.

Why does it seem that expert skiers can make immediate adjustments to speed, direction and intensity on the fly while negotiating the most challenging terrain and conditions without looking like a freight train about to jump the track? Like most people who have mastered any dynamic sport, the finished result always looks effortless. Through accurate and progressive skill building processes, experts have ingrained efficient and precise fundamental movement understandings that can be directly transferred to their performance. In skiing there are five basic barriers and solutions that will shed new light on effortless power.

Students of skiing who have not mastered precision and accuracy often struggle by muscling their skis around using fast unguided movements to change direction and control speed. This is an example of powerless effort. After all this work, they soon lose energy and begin to feel like a wet noodle. Its no wonder that 85% of all beginners never return to the sport. Its too hard and way too exhausting. Imagine if there was a quicker, more effective way to reach the higher levels of proficiency without all that squandered effort. There are many of us who have found the perfect combination of effort and precision that gets the most out of the skis. But first one needs to look at where efficiency is lost. When powerless effort is the dominant force against the skis then its called a power leak. Power leaks will gradually drain all energy and precision from the body.

The first proactive steps we can take is to eliminate the barriers that block us from Effortless Power.

Nervous body tension and mental hesitation– Fear and uncertainty pushes our center of mass back toward the tails of the skis. The most common ski instructor comment is,”you are in the back set”. You think: No kidding, I am scared and my life preserving instincts are telling me to back away from the downhill side of the slope. The first step is to move to less steep terrain where you feel comfortable moving over the skis toward the downhill side. Practice here until your confidence builds and you are ready to fully commit to a steeper pitch.

Weak positioning– Skiing is a dynamic sport that requires athletic body movements while sliding on a slick surface. The moment that balance is lost the chances of having a powerful effect on the skis is marginalized. Grab a broomstick a few inches from the top and reach down to the floor and try to break off the end of the stick. Good Luck. Hold the stick in the middle and push on it and see how easy it breaks. The same applies to skis. To be powerful you have to be able to stand against the middle of the ski, not the back end.

Poor Timing– Students often over exaggerate movements. The urge to turn the skis quickly on steep slopes to get them around before rocketing into the abyss is a classic power leak. Chances are if your skis stay in the fall line for a second or two longer you actually gain control instead of loosing control. This poised pause in the fall line, will give you a moment to stay aligned with the skis as you guide and direct VS twist and slam.

Limited Versatility– Versatility in skiing does not come from having many different techniques for every condition and terrain situation that you encounter on the mountain. Instead the key to improved versatility comes from having a few basic tactics and techniques ingrained and internalized that have a broad range of future on hill application. Elite skiers take basic movement patterns that have become ingrained and allow the subconscious mind to blend the exact combinations of touch, skill and intensity for the appropriate response to a given challenge.

If you are an advanced skier who has been in the ski improvement doldrums with no real direction or options for improvement, then this series of short posts from Chris and the NASTC team may help shed some light on getting to the next level before you are “another year older”.

January 9, 2017

Why is an Early Weight Change Important

1/6/17 Have you ever heard the words, “You have to get on your new outside ski earlier?” Its a phrase many ski coaches utter over and over again. A ski can’t do work unless it’s pressured. If we wait to shift our weight and pressure the ski once it enters the fall line, it’s too late for the ski to do work as the turn is almost over. Once the skis begin to turn out of the fall line, the job of the old outside ski is done and the focus shifts to the new outside ski. In a slower speed turn, the ski must be weighted in order to be able to be steered into the fall line. In addition, by shifting our weight, we are aligning the center of mass over the outside ski which allows us to establish balance early in the turn, helps to keep the outside ski engaged and limit upper body rotation. It also allows us to better manage centripetal force at it builds up through the turn and sets you up for success throughout the turn.

January 7, 2017

Winter Living & The Art of Procrastination

Winter Living in the Mountains and the Art of Procrastination
– by Chris Fellows 11/30/16
These early snow storms have been a welcome delight with resorts opening and our favorite backcountry stashes filling in with cold untouched powder. I would never complain…however when you are a procrastinator, early snow storms can leave one a little behind the preparedness curve. If you are the proverbial ant (of the grasshopper and ant fable) who gets your winter chores done in May then read no further, but if you are like me, then this winter preparedness checklist may help.

Stay ahead of the storm with your smart phone:

Checking the weather regularly, even hourly when the big dump is about to happen can save time and energy. By being in tune with the weather happenings in your local area you will feel more like a mountain living Pro. Staying informed will not only give you a jump on getting fresh tracks in the morning, but will make the total experience enjoyable especially when returning to your cozy humble abode in the mountains. Here’s some good ones:

1. National weather service smart phone app. This is my go-to site for finding out what is happening with the weather in my area on an hourly basis. It also gives info and links on road closures.
2. Local weather news smart phone app. My favorite is Open SNOW- I read the Tahoe Daily Snow by Brian Allegretto. Brian updates his layman language weather reports daily. This helps if there is a system moving in which keeps me on the leading edge of the storm. This also gives me to the minute alerts so I know how much time I have before I truly have to spring into action.
3. myRadar smart phone app- This gives me real time radar images, so I can follow a storm as it moves into or away from my location. I can make timely decisions that make a backcountry tour or resort ski plan with friends more comfortable and better timed.
4. Avalanche forcast smart phone app- This app gives me a current avalanche report in my area as well as other mountain locations in the US and Canada.

Take action to preserve your creature comforts:

Now that you are well informed it’s time to take action!
1. Dress for the worse case scenarios. It’s easier to strip a layer or two than to freeze from going too light.
2. Make sure your wood is dried out and you have stoked the fire before heading out for the day. Keep the woodstove fire burning low, so you can enjoy the cozy warmth when you return from your snowy adventure.
3. Food from a slow cooker is the best when you return from your winter outdoor activities. There are great recipes on line for slow cook chili, pot roast, stews or chowders. The smell of warm food as you walk in is heaven.
4. Turn up the heat setting on your hot water heater so when you return with a sub normal core temperature you can baste yourself in hot water. There is nothing like the feel of life seeping back into your body after a frigid day on the mountain. Hot tubs are good for this too!
5. Warm up your bed with a small heating pad or hot water bottle for 20 minutes before bed time. This will make that cold back bedroom bed comfy and warm before you dive in.

Batten down the hatches:

Winter storms can wreak havoc on your home with ferocious winds and driving snow. House prep work will help keep the after storm pickup and damage to a minimum.

1. Secure anything that can be blown away by strong winds. Wind gust in the mountains can reach above 100MPH. At this point in the season all patio furniture should be stored or at least tied down and protected. That mini grill you love to tailgate with all summer can easily be knocked over and damaged by strong winds.
2. Make sure that any tarps covering wood piles are secured or you might not find them until spring.
3. Get hard jobs done before the storm hits. There is nothing worse that dealing with a house issue in driving snow that would have been way easier on a day 15 degrees warmer with no wind. Don’t procrastinate. Get ‘er done!

These are just a few of the mountain living tips that the high altitudes locals use to make life a little easier in winter. I am sure there are some obvious ones that I am missing like: get a real shovel instead of the gardening spade you have been struggling with…or: keep a bucket of sand in your car trunk for added weight and slick surface traction. Of course there are countless winter survival hacks that you can read online by some nerd using chemistry to thaw out a frozen windshield, but keep it simple and don’t overdo it on prep. Do only what is going to make the experience richer. Living in the mountains can be a challenge but I wouldn’t trade it for any other other living situation I have seen. So if you are like me and like to put things off until absolute last minute, know that there are a few things you can do to make the journey a little easier, which will inevitably leave you more time to do what you are here for….SKI!

*Note*
Power does go out during winter storms-
Power outages convenience kit contents should include- flashlights, batteries, candles, lighters and/or matches, a few canned foods, and water. Try to keep your electronics charged as best as possible and, if the power goes out, shut off unused cell phones and electronics to save their batteries for emergencies. Have a good book that you can read by candle light.

November 30, 2016
Part II – What To Do On Your First Day Back On Skis

Your primary and probably only focus on your first day back on skis should be on establishing DYNAMIC balance. Being able to stay upright while you zig zag down the hill is not fall under the hashtag “#winning.” It would probably be more appropriate under the “#surviving.” Your goal should be able to establish balance on your skis without relying on your equipment. Most of the time we balance on surfaces that are stable and not moving. We’ve been doing it since we were toddlers and have become really good at it. Since skiing involves a surface that isn’t always smooth and stable, it requires more that the habitual contraction of muscles that we use to stay upright while walking or running. The added movement will take our body out of balance in multiple planes and therefore we are constantly in need of making adjustments and corrections to not fall over but also exert control over our skis. The better we get at it, the smaller our movements become, we transition from gross motor control movements to finer ones. As we move to greater dominance with our fine motor control, our body also adopts a more athletic posture, this allows the core to remain engaged and serve as anchor so that joints can be flexed and limbs moved to varying degrees without disrupting the rest the body.

A great indoor simulator is to try and balance on a physioball, start on your knees before progressing to balance on your feet. When you are first starting to do this, keep a chair close by or position the ball near a wall or something you can use to help catch your balance and not fall off the ball. It might seem hopeless at first, but with practice you can balance on the physioball on your knees or feet without holding on to something. Once you can balance for 10 seconds without falling, the game becomes about how long can you go before you lose it (your balance that is, not your marbles).

The last post discussed achieving balance in the sagittal plane or along the length of the skis (in case you missed it click here). In this post we are going to talk about establishing balance in the frontal plane or over the outside or inside ski. In skiing your outside ski takes center stage in a turn. Our goal is to establish balance over the outside ski, where this becomes challenging for a lot of skiers is switching from one outside ski to the other when you go from right to left, left to right and so on. Here are a couple of exercises that are ideal for helping you balance over the outside ski on your first back on snow.

Stepping or step turns, is where you pick up one foot then the other repeatedly throughout the turn. You want to achieve stepping movements that are quick, soft, deliberate, this will signify that you have control over your movements. If you find that you thump down on your inside ski during the whole turn or even just part of a turn or you tend to stay on the inside ski a little longer before stepping onto the outside ski or you are unable to step throughout the duration of the turn, then you’ve still got some work to do coordinating your movements to keep you balanced over the outside ski.

Stork turns are another exercise that is great for helping to achieve balance over the outside ski, in this exercise you will lift the tail of the inside ski up off the snow from the start to finish of turn and then switch to the other ski when you change direction. You want to be able to do this maneuver without setting the tail down until you change directions. When you accomplish this, you can try and lift the tail of the ski higher. The next phase of difficulty is to lift the entire ski off the ground. You are successful in this exercise when you can execute control over your speed, that is you have the ability to slow your turn down or speed it up at will. Riding the edge of the ski around a turn doesn’t exemplify an ability to balance over the outside ski because you are relying on the skis edge-grip with snow to help keep you upright and achieve a direction change.

November 2, 2016
What To Do When You First Get Back On Skis

The day has come when the ski resorts have finally started spinning the chairlifts for the general public. The excitement in the air is so strong it feels you can feel it vibrate around you. You boot up and take those first few steps to grab your jacket, goggles, gloves, phone and skis, the boots feel heavy and clunky. It’s been months since those things have been on your feet. You grab your skis, drop them on the snow (hopefully you have had them tuned and prepped before this point), as you click in, your heart beats a little faster, who doesn’t love that sound (or the sound of snow creaking when you’re walking on it)?! You’re in the lift line, you do your proverbial slide one foot in front of the other move, maybe look down at your boots and contemplate buckling them a little tighter, but man, they already feel like their in a vice. It’s finally your turn, the chair swings around the bull-wheel, scoops you up, you start chatting up the person next to you because you can hardly contain your excitement. What feels like an eternity (are we there yet?!), you arrive at the top.

After a moment defining push with your poles, your skis glide forward and get pulled down the hill by gravity, now what?! Ever have that split second freak out moment about whether you remember to turn or not? You are not alone. You sort out how to make the skis go left and right and maintain some degree of control as you get to the bottom of the lift (pat yourself on the back, job well done). Now this is the moment that most skiers get wrong. Their confidence shoots through the roof, adrenaline and excitement block all logic and rational thinking. They try to mimic that first descent but only faster and with more edge angles, trying to fast forward to that moment last season where you were ripping.

Your first moments back on snow are crucial for setting the foundation for your technique for the season. You have to help your body remember the sequence of movements, neuro-muscular connections need to be reactivated after having been dormant for so long. The first thing any successful skier does when they get back on snow, is work on their balance. Hold the eye-rolling back for just a second. Balancing on a surface that is slippery, while you are moving at speeds of triple or quadruple that of walking, while you are locked into a boot that limits ankle articulation and are wearing gear that adds additional 25-30lbs to your mass – it’s complicated, especially after being off snow for several months. There are a lot of factor to get just right moving forward, now factor in direction changes, slope angle changes, you are asking your brain and body to process and coordinate a lot of things at a very accelerated rate.

When we work on balance, we work in 3 planes. Fore and aft is the first one. We want to control how movement our center of mass does over our feet and legs (base of support). Keeping it fixed over your feet is not ideal. Our goal when we try to establish and manage our balance in this plain is to continuously adjust our center of mass so we can distribute pressure along the length of the ski (tip to tail) as needed. A great exercise to help out with this is to shuffle both feet forward and backwards as you execute a turn. Another one is to move the pressure points on the soles of your feet from your forefoot to middle to back of the foot without losing shin contact with the tongue of the boot. Dolphin Turns which are a series of hops, where you pop the tips of the skis up off the snow by leveraging the tails of the skis then landing back onto the tips of the skis. How to do a Dolphin Turn. This is a challenging exercise because of its dynamic nature. It forces you to put your body in a position where you can maximize movement out of the ankle joint as well as maximize flexion and extension movements from other joints in the body.

Tune back in for more exercises on how to hone in your balance in the lateral plane.

October 19, 2016
Andermatt – Top 10 Ski Resorts in Europe by Outside Magazine

There are lots of reasons to love skiing in Europe. Travel to Europe has never been more affordable and skiing in Europe is a must do, even if just once. So how do you narrow down where to go? Outside Magazine compiled a list of its Top 10 ski areas in Europe to visit, depending on your interest.

Andermatt, was voted the best place to visit for powder skiing. We chose Andermatt as our European destination this year, not only for the historically massive amounts of snow it gets every year (the most in all of Europe), but because the terrain offered more than the typical narrow icy groomed runs and death fearing off-piste runs on the glaciers and the village of Andermatt has preserved its tranquil mountain setting. Andermatt escaped the commercialization phase that many resorts in Europe have undertaken. Quiet mountain villages have become raging hotspots for international tourists looking for a good party. Andermatt was a the see and be seen destination in a bygone era. It was at the cross roads for 4 mountain passes and easy to get to. After the construction of the Gotthard tunnel, the waves of tourists bypassed Andermatt and headed for easier accessible resorts like St. Moritz or Val d’Isere. Andermatt was able to preserve the idyllic charm and tranquility that comes to mind when one thinks of an alpine village. What most skiers don’t know is that Andermatt’s fairy-tale setting hides some of VERY exciting and exhilarating terrain and THE BEST Snow conditions in Europe.

http://www.outsideonline.com/1927841/top-10-ski-resorts-europe

October 3, 2016
Iceland Viking Ski Expedition APRIL 202

Iceland SKI Expedition on the Orkin
April 2028

The Iceland ski expedition in the West Fjords aboard the beautiful Orkin is a life changing experience. More than just bagging new peaks and first time ski descents, it is a journey of appreciation of beautiful landscapes surrounded by the fjords, amazing wildlife and rare marine mammals. The experience goes beyond skiing pristine fields of snow, it is also about uncovering Icelandic history, culture and tasty local meals. You will ski down slopes looking over the Greenland Sea. You’ll be just 5 nautical miles from the Arctic Circle at times! This trip is a true wilderness experience aboard a floating base camp in the form of a well equipped and expertly managed 62 ft restored fishing boat.

The captain and first mate/cook of the boat are well seasoned sailors, adventurers and skiers with local with knowledge of the area and the seas of Iceland and Greenland. The Orkin is a custom, guided, private ski touring experience.

Itinerary:
Day 1 -Depart U.S
Day 2-Arrive in Reykjavik & transfer to connecting flight to Isafjord, stay one night in Hotel Isafjord

Day 4 -Embark on the Orkin and set sail for your Viking skiing adventure

Day 9 – Get off Orkin in Isafjord. Stay at Hotel Isafjord for the night and take a connecting flight to Reyjavik

Day 10 – Fly Isafjord to Reyjavik and home

Price includes: 5 days and nights aboard the Orkin, guiding, meals, 2 nights at Hotel Isafjord. Note: sleeping arrangements aboard Orkin are there are four double cabins. There is a bathroom with a shower, a washing machine, and a drier.
Its intimate, clean, and comfortable. And the meals….they’re DELICIOUS!

September 27, 2016
2018 NASTC SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

2017-2018 Schedule:

DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS:
Early Season Jumpstart, Sugar Bowl, CA – Dec 3-4, 2017
Big Sky, MT – Dec 11-13, 2017

“Montana Mixed Bag” Ski Safari – February 2018 – date TBA
Squaw Valley, CA – March 5-7, 2018

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS:

Niseko, Japan – February 23-March 3, 2018
Kicking Horse, Canada – Feb 4-10, 2018

Andermatt, Switzerland – 2019

Iceland – April 30-May 5, 2018
Portillo, Chile – August 11-18, 2018

AVALANCHE EDUCATION COURSES:

AIARE Rec 1 (3-days) – January 13-15 & February 17-19, 2018

AIARE Rec 2 (4-days) – February 23-26, 2018

Rescue Course (1-day) – Dec 9, Jan 13, Feb 18, March 3

Call or text our office anytime for more details: 530-386-2102. Or email [email protected]

August 23, 2016
Rock Climbing with Local KRNV Sports Journalists

Here is an inside look to what your first time rock climbing would be like. Click on the video to watch as we take KRNV (My News Channel 4) sports journalist,Gianna Giorgi, and photographer, Julian del Gaudio, on their very first rock climbing experience. We had a great time introducing them to this very fun and rewarding sport and showing them our Donner Summit playground. We are fortunate to have world class granite right here in Truckee which is the ideal type of rock for climbing. We have access to a variety of climbs with all levels of difficulty. Learning how to climb really is as easy as it looks.

http://mynews4.com/sports/exploring-our-backyard/exploring-our-backyard-rock-climbing-adventure-at-donner-summit

July 8, 2016
Latest NASTC Newsletter, find fun reads on skiing, training, us ski team and rock climbing

How to Improve Your Skiing When There is No Snow on the Ground

Is there a way to step up your performance on the slopes without putting time in the gym? The answer is yes! One of the most valuable tools an athlete uses to improve their performance is mental visualization. It can be done anywhere, anytime. You don’t need snow on the ground to do it and it only takes a few minutes each day. Sounds almost too easy, right?!
Mental visualization is not fantasizing yourself as Marcel Hirscher dominating through the gates. It requires a a little more specific technique.
First find some good imagery or video of the level and style of skiing that you aspire to. If you don’t have any on hand here is a good bank of video segments we’ve collected: https://www.youtube.com/user/skinastc/playlists
Once you’ve found some good images, watch them, a lot. As you watch, try to feel the ski bending underneath your foot, feel the skis slide over the snow, the pressure shifting along your foot and against your shin. The idea is to live it! and feel it while you are watching.
The next step is visualize yourself as the skier. The action is from your perspective as the skier. Try to incorporate as many senses as possible when you do this. Can you feel the cold on your face? Try to hear the sound the skis would make as the slice or slide over the snow. Can you feel the tension and engagement of your muscles. See the line, the transition and the apex of the turn.
You can even focus on what it is you are trying to improve like a specific part of the turn or sequence of movements.
You can do your visualization while you are taking your first few sips of coffee in the moring, while you are in the shower or watering the plants. It just takes a few minutes each day to benefit from this incredibly powerful tool. If you have any questions, just email us and one of our coaches will help you out.

South America’s Turn for Big Snowfall

It’s been blasted all over social media about how much snow has fallen in the Chilean Andes. Could this be Chile’s year for an epic season? We certainly think so. This is the largest snowfall, Chile has received in recent memory. There was so much snow that the road up to Portillo was impassable and took over a week to clear. Immediately our thoughts turned to what it would be like to ski in all that snow! Portillo truly shines when it’s a big snow year. If you’ve been to Portillo and it was an average or less than average year and you still had a good time…”you know nothing, Jon Snow.” The terrain expands by 30% at least. If you enjoy hiking and earning your turns then the skiable terrain expands by even more.
As more pictures and stories come out from the opening week at Portillo, we might begin to salivate with anticipation for when it’s our turn in August to experience all the fun.
NASTC’s annual camp in Portillo is August 13-20. Save the dates if you w! ant a piece of the fun this summer/winter.

NASTC International Adventures – Portillo, Chile

US Men’s Alpine Ski Team Go On Vacation

Well sort of. Habitually the training schedule for the U.S Ski Team has included on snow training throughout the summer months. This year they are switching things up a little bit. The US Men’s Alpine Team finished up the season with a month long intensive training camp in Norway, where they trained side by side with the Attacking Vikings. They will not get back on snow until August when they head to the southern hemisphere to kickstart their training for the upcoming season. The men’s team will have 3 full months of snow, their focus will be directed towards conditioning during their time off. It will be interesting to see how switching up the training calendar will affect performances and the health of the athletes this coming winter.

Climb Your Way to a New Adventure

Rock climbing has a reputation for being a sport for the intrepid outdoor sportsman or the adrenaline seeking adventurer. Rock climbing is more of a zen-like experience that keeps you in the present and puts your mind and body to work as you try to puzzle out a route to the top a granite slab wall. Your often rewarded with some pretty spectacular views and a feeling of euphoria, just don’t look down over the edge or that feeling might get replaced with something else.
Rock climbing is also a family friendly activity, kind of like skiing, everyone doesn’t have to be at the same fitness or experience level to share the fun together. It’s also a strong bonding experience because the atmosphere is almost always positive and supportive rather than competitive.
If you want to give it a try, let us know. We have a terrific team of guides that know how to put a fun day out on the rocks together.
NASTC KIDS CLIMBING CAMP: JUNE 29-30
This is our popular annual kids! climbing camp. It’s a great way to introduce your kids into the sport of climbing and to transition from climbing indoors to real rock. Kids always leave the camp with new skills and beaming with confidence. We look forward to this camp every year because it is such a fun and special two days.
Please email or call the NASTC office for more information

Rock Climbing Tahoe-Truckee

July 1, 2016

Category: Latest News

2017-2018 Schedule: