Teton Style Cross Training

I take it all back. That ending of my last post, that is. Skiing couldn't wait.

Waaaaaaay better than the trainer

I should back up to last week first. I got home from the USGP in Ft. Collins after a month away and was very excited to be headed home until I saw all the snow on the ground. Sometimes, life as a pro biker racer living in the Tetons is tough. The only day I have ridden my bike outside since the USGP was at a local cross race this past Saturday, and that was in 4 inches of wet snow, i.e. the most miserable racing conditions imaginable. Although I jumped into the men's A race, got some good training in and even managed to win it, it didn't take much to convince me that skiing powder is significantly more satisfying than riding your bike in it.

It was really a series of weather and snow related events that forced me go skiing. On Friday, Nate mounted my new skis for me. On Saturday, I raced in Rexburg in totally heinous "I'm not having that much fun" snowy, muddy and freezing cold conditions. There was also a blinding blizzard going on all day Saturday. On Saturday night we braved the blizzard and went to the drive in movie theatre, the Spud, to watch the Teton Gravity Research double header of sic/gnar/bro-brah skiing movies in which we were bombarded with 3 hours of snow-based insanity and waist deep powder shots, some taken in locations we ski regularly. Parts of the last movie was even in 3D, which is why I had to wear these ridiculous glasses:

Sunday morning I woke up and like a good pro racer, put in a solid 2hr trainer effort. Totally effective, but overwhelmingly unsatisfying. I finished, showered, stretched, ate lunch and said to Nate "eff it-let's go skiing." After only one week of trainer rides I was craving this view more than the view from the trainer:So we went. And it was amazing. We barely got a spot at the top of the Pass at 3pm. Here's a shot of the lot at the top, also known at the Teton Pass Resort:

It's people power only, but this places gets unbelievably busy, especially before the Village opens. We had a great tour, did 2 laps on our early-season standby, Edelweiss, and then out the Nose. My new skis made me giddy. The depth of the snow pack was shocking. The weenie bike racer in me is always uber concerned with early season conditions (uncovered deadfall and rocks aren't good for knees!) but my fears have no justification this year. The BTNF avalanche center is reporting that we have the deepest snow at all elevations in the history of record keeping (since 1974) in Jackson Hole.

This shot looks more like February to me, not November.

It was so good on Sunday, we have skied every day this week. Even on Wednesday when it was -5 at the top of the Pass. Will it be good for my racing in Iowa this weekend? Who knows? The only thing I do know is that I always race better when I am content, psyched and training doesn't feel like a chore. I moved to Jackson Hole 10 years ago to be a ski bum and never left, so skiing clearly makes me happy. Spending time in the mountains with Nate makes me extra happy. And at this point of the cycling season, it simply HAS to be about having fun. So, we'll see how it all goes, but at this point I ain't sweating the small stuff. I'm just trying to stay stoked, healthy and making do with what mother nature throws at me. Seeing as she has thrown 130 inches of snow at us already this year, I'm going to go with it and enjoy the gift!