Killington Payoff. Mid November 2012 to mid April 2013.

After two years of investing in Killington Express Cards and not getting to use them more than twice each year, 2012/13 provides a return on the investment. 

Total knee replacements one year and shoulder repair the next wiped out my snowboarding. This season the weather and my body cooperated. Lots of snow early and deep into spring allowed me to get rides into late April. I could have done more but I needed to train for the Battenkill so cut it off. The final day was fantastic top to bottom K1 over to Cascade and Lower East Fall and Canyon. Chute and mouse trap were also good ways down. 

So, for the season, the Killington riding along with the Tahoe Trip and a day at Stowe with Jon T that was on fresh Ten Inches of powder, riding snowboard was best yet.

 Pretty sweet after two disappointing seasons. 

Easter Sunday Snowboard Session Turns Ugly

With family away for the Holiday, Easter was a day Donna and I could enjoy snowboarding together at Killington and take advantage of my Season Pass reduced price for her ticket. Besides, it was a wintery beautiful day - cold but bright sunshine and no wind, so what better way to have fun? We packed early and suited up for a cold day on the mountain. The temperature at the top of Killington, after the ride up K-1 Gondola, was 9 above, but absolutely no wind. The snow conditions were hard-packed and fast, some ice, but not where they had groomed -- and they had groomed over 80 trails the night before.

I guided us over to Bear Mountain where the morning sun would be softening up the hard-packed, groomed trails. We followed Great Eastern over which was a good way to warm up and then headed down some blue trails towards the lodge. The crowds were thin, the snow and weather good - it was going to be a great day. We rode the chair up to the top of Skye and started down. I got into making hard, on-my-edge turns and was loving it. Donna was a little nervous about going down this one as it was steeper at the top. So, I started to think about coming to a stop to check on her and all of a sudden - as I transitioned from a heel-side turn to a toe-side turn, the back of my board hit a bump I did not see. I tipped forward as I was coming down on my toe side edge. I did not think it was going to be a big deal, but my front foot and ankle was being jammed forward inside my snug boots with unbelievable pressure. I felt pain on both sides of my ankle and heard crunching noises coming out of my front boot! I rolled over to take the pressure off my ankle and came to a sliding stop on the hill.

Donna rode by me and slowed down. She saw me fall, but it didn't look like anything. I took a few minutes to gather myself, then stood and tested the front foot. Not good. I knew it was going to be bad. I was still in disbelief, though. I made my way down the rest of the run going very carefully, especially on the toe side turns. I didn't say anything to Donna, so we rode back up to the top of Skye. I knew I had to get back over to the car at the base of Killington. We were both cold already, so I said let's go back to the Killington Lodge. We took the runs that got us there, and I was hurting more and more. We went down an icy, ungroomed trail and got to the lodge.

As we walked into the Lodge, I said to Donna - here's the deal: I am done! I explained briefly my problem and she went outside to bring back a baggy of snow and I started to take my boots off. Once the boot was off - which was the most pain I have felt in awhile, I propped the foot up and iced it down while Donna went to get the car. I hobbled into the car and we went straight to the Emergency Room at Rutland Hospital. They are experienced in this sort of thing, and even on Easter Sunday, had my under an X-Ray in about 30 minutes. Nothing broken, so home I went with an Ace Bandage, Ibuprofen and ice.

Did I mention, Ugly! --->

Monday I had to take off for a week of doing talks across the state that would end on Friday near Niagara Falls. Needless to say, it was not easy to keep it Rested Iced Compressed and Elevated. But I did the best I could. Donna and I switched vehicles since I could not depress the clutch of the Subaru.

Today I am making up for the mistreatment of the week and heating and icing as well as resting and elevating. Hopefully, I can get it recovered and still get in another day or two of snowboarding and also get a good start to the biking season. It is killing me today, as conditions up on the mountain are ideal again. We had 8 inches of snow! Also, the conditioning I had gained by training for and riding in California in February will whither away as I recover. Part of the price of getting out there and pushing the limits is having to spend some time recovering.

Deep Snow on Both Coasts

After the bike riding ended on the sunny, but windblown and rainy Big Sur, CA coast, I switched gears and headed for the snow-choked Sierras and returned home to spectacular snowy conditions at Killington.

It has been some time between posts due to hectic riding and working schedules. Friday morning Barry and I dropped off the rental Trek 1600's at the Folsum, CA bike store. He caught a cab to the airport and I headed up I-80 into the Sierras. The forcast was for heavy snow and chains were required for all vehicles except 4-wheel drive with snow tires. I had 4-wheel, but no snow tires or intentions of putting on chains. Off I went to see how far up into the mountains I could go. At about 6000 feet they were pulling people off the road and ticketing those that did not have chains. I-80 was basically hard-packed snow and ice. I decided I had chanced this long enough and got off at the next exit - Soda Springs, CA. I pulled into the first rental shop I saw and could not believe the amount of snow piled along the roads and builings! I asked if there was a good place to snowboard and they directed me just a couple of miles south to Sugar Bowl. Within minutes I was in the parking lot suiting up and buying a lift ticket. I later found out Sugar Bowl averages 41 feet of snow per season! And this was an above average year.

Up the lift I went and down the first run; I could not believe how deep the snow was. Not the light powder snow of the west we dream about, but heavy snot snow. I decided to go into the huge Douglas Fir trees and looked in awe at the 12-foot deep hole in the snow by each tree. These are the holes that have killed Sonny Bono and Kennedy clan skiers. I was looking so intently at them, I lost concentration and fell. The snow was so deep I could not get back up on my board. When you pushed off the snow with your arm, it just sank up to your shoulder. I took my back boot out of the binding, and tried to stand up, but my leg sank down to my hip. The loose, heavy snow was neck high! Finally I took out both feet, got on my board like a sled and paddled my way over to a run where the snow was beaten down by skiers and riders and I could finally get upright enough to get back on the board. Once I stayed on the well-traveled runs, the fun really began.

There were many options on this set of mountains. I had a blast carving in the deep, heavy snow on blue and black diamond trails. I tried a few double diamond chutes that were steep yet easily done with all the snow to use to check your speed. The snow kept coming down hard and visiblity was limited. I went at it until late in the afternoon - starting at 10 am, so I was exhausted. As I headed over to the mountain where my car was parked I took a trail marked to take me that way. I soon found out I made an error and was in a double diamond tree area. As I concentrated on missing trees and snow holes I heard someone yell as I went by. He had gotten himself in one of those 12-foot holes and was having trouble getting out and was not sure what to do and where to go even if he could. Well by the time I slowed to comprehend all this, I was now not upright any more and in the same predicament he was in. I had learned what I needed to do from my first run experinece and quickly sat on my board and 'sled paddled' down the hill. He saw what I was doing and where I was going and followed suit. We were both concerned about getting out as it was getting dark, the snow was coming down heavier, this was not a well-traveled area, and we were not sure where we needed to go. If you go off the wrong side of one of these ridges, you can be out there for the night or days, as I saw on an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive."

Well we both got out fine, and I headed for the car. As I was putting away the board I noticed I had broken one of my bindings. Also, the snow was piled up about 12 -15 inches on my car and on the roads. I decided to head back to Sacramento and do lanudry, rest, get my bindings fixed and get ready for my week of work in California. Predictions were for 3 to 5 feet of snow on Saturday night, so I did not want to get stuck up in the mountains when I was supposed to be down in the central valley working. It is bad enough that I have spent 7 out of 12 days playing out here when Cargill paid for the plane fare.

The week of farm visits and talks to customers and prospects went very well. After four days, I was getting back on the plane for the east coast. After a day of recovery at home Donna and I made a trip to Killington. While I was out west, the snow had melted, froze, melted and it had snowed all over again back east. Conditions were very good. We had a great time. Donna has not had the opportunity to snowboard at all this year up to now, so needed time to get back into it. The conditions in the woods were ideal. I played most of the time in Squeeze Play, the blue sqyuare set of woods on Ramshead Mountain. It was great!

Until the weather warms up and the roads dry out, our riding is limited to the routine of Spinning Saturdays together. Sundays Donna plays hockey and I snowboard at Killington. Looking forward to a good spring riding season - I am ready whether it is on the snow or the roads.

Winter Riding Countinues

A mix of activities to keep in shape, continued progress on knees and winter Ridn makes January an eclectic mix. Swimming and spinning are keeping the heart and muscles strong. Winter riding in the woods on the studded-tired mountain bike and snowboarding make up the ridn.

Dan's Saturday morning spin class remains a routine for Donna and I. We get up not too early and still are at the Y in time to get signed-up for a bike. Dan is good at visualizing rides and makes the workout fun. Donna and I then head for the (Un)common Grounds coffee shop for breakfast.

This Saturday I doubled-up and went to Grafton in the afternoon to ride with the Capital Group at the WinterFest. We had 15 riders and challenging snow conditions for a great 2+ hour workout. The group stayed together going over Water Tower and Little Johnnies trails, then 8 of us rode RPI to the other end of Long Pond. We returned the length of Long Pond on the ice, dodging ice fisherman and ice holes all the way back to the beach area.

I have managed to get to Killington a couple of Fridays to enjoy excellent conditions up on the mountain. The base was solid enough to remain after a serious thaw and enough new and man-made snow has been added on top. The last time there I stayed over on Killington, Skye and Bear Mountains until my legs gave out. Cascade was in great shape with soft bumps and Skyehawk too. Later in the day as the soft stuff hardened, my legs gave out -- it was a long trip back over to the car at K-1.

A mountain bike ride on the home trails where I had to stay balanced enough to stay within 8-inch wide ATV tire tracks with 4 to 12 inch walls on the side was a fun challenge last Sunday. With the wind chill in the single digits, I had on the flat pedals in order to wear hiking boots. As a result I was warm, but the pedals kept hitting the side of the tracks. Still a great workout and fun to be in the woods under these conditions.

A trip is being planned to California next month in conjunction with work. I hope to ride some of the routes of the professional bike race Tour of California with a coworker, and then go up to Tahoe to do some snowboarding.

SSSS = Spining, Swimming, Snowboarding and Shoulder

Swimming and spinning provide indoor workouts while snow and cold weather continues. Snowboarding four Sundays in a row make this a great start to the winter season. Shoulder work at the chiropractor has paid off.

Heart rate workouts with hill climbing and sprinting intervals are the big benefit of spinning class. Dan is good at getting in the hills; Andrea specializes in high cadence sitting and standing intervals. Both get the heart rate over 150 for extended periods of time. Finding the time to get in the classes has proven to be a challenge with travel out of town Tuesday through Friday the last few weeks. Saturday spins save the week.

Swimming can also be a heart rate workout if done as interval sets. But I have never been fond of getting that out of breath in the water. Instead, I use the swim as a long, low impact aerobic workout that is similar to getting the heart at 135 to 145 on the bike. I once tried to wear the heart rate monitor in the pool - it did not work out well as it always got pushed down to my waist by the water. Also, the cooling effect of the water results in your heart not beating as fast, even though you get the same heart muscle effect. I get into a rhythm of 18 to 20 strokes per pool length (spl, 25 meter pool) and go for 30 to 60 minutes without stopping. The result is a good aerobic workout and improved joint flexibility as the back, legs and arms all stretch out without any pounding.

The shoulder has made great progress with the ART sessions from Dr. Kieth Donato. The swimming works the shoulder in a good way and the weight training exercises and calisthenics he has given me to do all have resulted in vastly improved range of motion and strength. The right shoulder is still very much restricted compared to the left, but it has improved and hopefully will continue to get better with the work yet to do.

Now we are moving to the knees. If I rated the pain associated with the shoulder work at 6 to 7, the knee work is pushing it to 9. We are working IT Band and hamstrings and little muscles around the knee joint. It is too early to tell, but I can say that things are moving in the right direction so far.

Sunday is snowboard day. At least it has been for the last four weeks in a row. Killington has had about 40 inches of snow in the last 7 days! The temperature has rarely gone above freezing in over five weeks, so snow making has gone full tilt. This week was the first week on the natural snow -- and it was great. You could really dig the edges in and get the carved turns that makes snowboarding so much fun. I started out on the double diamonds of Cascade and Double Dipper, then hit East Fall. Getting these steep runs in early in the day when the legs are fresh and the snow is still deep is best. After that I returned to Chute, my favorite cruiser run. Getting off at the top of the lift and then going non-stop all the way to the base, only slowing as you cross Great Northern twice, is a heart-pounding, leg burning blast.

Edges fully dug in! =====>

I have been getting to the mountain before 8, so first tracks are a bonus. By 11:00 my legs started to feel the effects of the Donato work, so I decided to take a trip over to see how Cruise Control and the other Skye Peak trails were. I should have stayed where I was. I got confused with the way the trails were arranged since the Skye Gondola was closed and at the top of Superstar I started to go one way, then looked around for another way, and before I knew it caught an edge and pitched over taking a full blow on my RIGHT SHOULDER!! Immediately I knew it reversed a lot of the work and progress we have made. Hopefully it will heel up and get back to where it was.

Spinning and Snowboard in Frigid November

Unseasonably cold fall weather makes spinning a necessity for cardiovascular fitness and provides an opportunity for early season snowboarding.

Thanksgiving week means calories consumed, and without the YMCA spin classes, it is unlikely I would have burned them off. Dan has lead us in spin for three years now, and improves his class each year. I always wait as long as possible to take the cycling indoors, but this year the teens came too soon to go it outdoors in November. The good thing about spin is you can dial in any workout you want. In the past I pretty much designed my own workout while Dan lead the rest of the class. This year he is taking us on routes I have done (West Mountain, Ruppert Mountain, etc.). So, the workout I dial is the same one he describes to the class, and the same as I remember and visualize as we do it. The heart rate monitor makes the effort known, so there is no fooling yourself.

Chute before it comes together with Mouse Trap

Wednesday morning I did Dan's spin and then had another A.R.T. session which focused on the neck, since the shoulders continue to improve. After dinners on Thursday at home and Friday up in the North Country, Donna and I went into the Saturday spin. I followed that one with another A.R.T. session, this time focused back on the shoulders, while Donna hung out at Borders. We then got some coffee and bagels at Uncommon Grounds -- nice for us to just hang out in Saratoga for awhile with no schedule to keep.

Sunday I took another trip to Killington. The conditions have improved with another four inches of natural snow, and nearly continuous snow-making all week. I decided early conditions would be best, so got up at the crack of dawn and arrived at 7:30. By 8:05 I was riding the lift over perfectly groomed cruising! The conditions were ideal and my Malalo board with its newly sharpened edges and waxed surface was letting me get in good carved turns.

Chute just before it comes together with Mouse Trap

After two solid hours of great boarding on Rime, East Fall, Chute and others, the conditions started to deteriorate some on top. But even on the hard ice the board allowed me to edge with confidence, unlike last week when it let me down several times. It warmed up a little around 11 am and I moved over to go top to bottom on Chute about a dozen times. I gained confidence with each run. After 4 1/2 hours I was ready to call it a VERY good day!

This week I travel to western NY from Tuesday - Thursday, so will try to get a spin or swim in before I leave. I will intensify the shoulder exercises this week. All the body parts are in good working order for a good week of training ahead.

Snowboarding 07-08 Starts With More Flexibility and a Loss of Edge

A lack-luster week of cycling ends with a new beginning for snow riding. Weekend warrior is NOT what I want to be, but this week did not allow for any training. However, by Sunday things were feeling better.

The Italians were touring farms Wednesday through Friday, leaving no time for riding during the week. I have been watching the Killington Trail reports of mounting man-made snow and even some (4") natural stuff. On Saturday I had a A.R.T. shoulder session in the morning and Donna and I took care of errands all day. After taking an early PM nap, I managed to get out on the Lemond for a 5-Hill ride. Only problem, it was so cold and I was so "full" from eating too much and burning too few calories during the week, that I cut out after the 4th hill.

Not to worry, Sunday was reserved to make the first trip to Killington to snowboard this season! I packed up early and made it to the K-1 Base before 9:00 am. By 9:15 I was riding the Snowdon Triple ready to head down Chute and Bunny Buster. Conditions were perfect! The sky cloudless and blue, the wind silent, the temperature comfortable in the 20's. The snow was deep and crunchy with man-made packed powder on top of ice. The crowds were thin except for Bunny Buster, which was a choke point as all the trails dumped into it before getting down to the lifts. First run was ok, the legs were quick to remember what they had to do. By the second run, all was right with the world!

First run of the season! One shot and then battery was gone.

As the day progressed I felt very good. It dawned on me early in the day, I did not struggle to get upright after getting my boot in the bindings like I usually did. I soon realized the shoulder work Dr. Kieth Donato has done paid dividends -- I now have much greater range of motion with my neck and shoulders, which now allows me to push my body upright from the sitting position with both feet bound to the board without any pain or effort. This is a new, improved and more FLEXIBLE body for snowboarding!

After heading up the K-1 to ride East Fall and Rime off the Canyon Lift, the snow conditions worsened. As more people moved the loose packed powder around, the ice beneath became exposed. Additionally, my board's edge was becoming more dull with each run. My edging lost its edge and my nerves became on-edge. Without being able to trust that I could carve in the snow and ice, the conditions became treacherous. Coming down towards the end of East Fall I lost my heal-side edge completely while going fast. As a result, I hit my ass and head hard -- first ass, then head. It happened so fast I did not have time to strain my neck and the helmet took the full effect of the whiplash. I had to sit there awhile to let the cobwebs clear.

Last run after getting fresh battery.

After that, I headed down to the bottom. Getting through Bunny Buster proved to be much more of a challenge now! Finally I got to the car and got a fresh battery for the camera. One more run from the K-1 peak to bottom to take pictures. My edge, both mental and physical, was shot, so it was a slow and careful ride down.

The start was a success and fun. I will get the board sharpened tomorrow and hopefully we will get some natural snow to cover the ice.

Ridn Takes A Plunge Downhill - For The Better

A new mountain bike for Alix, a new mountain biking experience for me and riding with family and friends make for record setting ridn in August.

Donna has wanted to get Alix a good mountain bike for quite awhile, but Alix has always been realistic about how much riding she would do. So, this time when Donna mentioned it, and she indicated excitement, we jumped on the opportunity. In a frenzied vacation day of on-line research and calling local bike stores we came up with a great bike for Alix. The Jamis Dakota female specific model is what we wanted, and Chris at Elevate just happen to have one on hand that was practically new since the rider that had it crashed and cut her leg on the big ring within the first hour and she no longer wanted it. So, the very slightly used bike was available at a good price. The only question was fit; but after test riding at the Saratoga store, we were convinced it was a good deal on a great bike.

As soon as we were able to locate some mountain biking shoes we all went for a ride on the home trails. At first Alix had the common problem of locking into the Candy SPD pedals, but she had a blast riding the home turf. It was getting dark, but she insisted on taking on both sides of the road. I wanted her to experience the G-drop section of the trail on that side of the road. Next time we will hit the Motocross track.

Donna and I took some extra time off for the Labor Day weekend and on Friday I had time to clean and lube some of the bikes. While I was at it, I took out the Malolo snowboard and cleaned and waxed the board and lubed the bindings. As a result, I began to long for the slopes of Killington. I got online poking around the site and started looking at the mountain biking trail map. Since Donna had a ADK group hike planned for Sunday, I decided I would try lift-served mountain biking at Killington.

Saturday Donna and I decided to road ride to New Skete seminary. She had been reading a book on the monks of New Skete and how they train their German Shepard dogs. So, we decided it would make a good destination ride. At 20 miles each way it was a pleasant ride. Donna was ride leader and took us up the steep and long and dirt English Road on the way to Cambridge. She obviously did not know what I knew about the road up to the seminary! Once east of Cambridge, the road starts to kick up. Where the sign says turn left for New Skete it turns to dirt and turns to a 15-plus percent grade for about two miles. Needless to say, we felt the burn until we got to the top. The ride down was tough as the dirt road was full of pot holes. After stopping at Anthem Bikes in Cambridge to replace my lost CO2 dispenser we took our time and pedaled home.

Sunday morning I packed-up and set off for Killington, reminding me of the days I went up to the mountain to snowboard, except it was 70 degrees warmer! As I pulled into the K1 Lodge parking lot at 10:30 I was surprised to see so many cars with bikes out getting suited up. We are talking full face helmets and total body armor. I went in to purchase a lift ticket and was reassured by the ticket seller there was plenty of trails that do not require a stunt man's bravado. In fact he selected a first run that would progress me from the easiest to the black diamond single track; and if I wanted more, there were double diamond trails to try; and if I was still looking for more he told me to come back for directions to some secret stash.

I talked to a couple getting ready next to me in the parking lot who each had Yeti 575's. We compared notes on our Yeti's and turns out he works at a certified Yeti dealer in Milford, NH (www.603sports.com). We would meet up again at lunch time and they gave me some good advise on which double diamonds to try (34 and 21). I am quite sure I talked to the same couple last winter. They have both summer ($99) and winter season passes. We talked dogs as they had a nice standard poodle that waited patiently in their truck. I also ran into some mid-20's couples on trail 14 that were playing on a tree stunt. One of them pointed to my bike and said, "nice bike!" I said thanks and then looked at his ride - he was also on a Yeti 575. We compared bikes and agreed Yeti's were special.

The riding was amazing!! I quickly progressed from the easiest to the moderate single track, and in the middle of the first run got on the black diamond single track trails 6 and 9. After that first run on the Skye Peak (east) side I hooked over on 7 towards Snowdon and Ramshead Mountains. There a tangle of beautiful, steep and rocky black diamond single track trails made for two more fun-filled runs. Each run takes about 45 minutes, with stopping only to catch your breath, build your nerve, or relieve your aching-from-braking hands and arms. After the third run, also on the Snowdon side I rode to the Subaru and had a tailgate lunch in the warm shade. After lunch I tried the double diamond trails and 34 was fine, but 21 forced me to get off and walk a bit. The last run - sixth of the day, and my feet, legs, hands, arms and shoulders were all tired and going to be sore, so I packed it in. It was 4 pm and with a solid four hours of riding in, I was more than happy and satisfied. I gained a new respect for Downhillers - not only does it take nerve and skill, but also stamina and strength. I was thrilled to have a new type of ridn to do!

When buying Alix's shoes at Rick's bike store her friend Paul noticed her. He works at the bike store and is an avid mtb'er. Next thing I knew all four of us were heading down to Grafton for a ride on the trails there. Paul is a remarkably skilled rider and fun to be with. He was quite excited to have Alix as a potential riding partner, even though he told her he was interested in riding with me. We rode Spruce Bog - Chet Bell - Little Johnnies - Water Tower trails. All of which contained some technical rocky and rooty sections that both Alix and Donna did very well with. Paul was amazing us with his riding abilities. He pulled a wheelie the length of the beach as Labor Day onlookers hooted and hollered.

Donna unfortunately twisted her ankle during a fall on Spruce Bog. Her Time pedals do not release well and when she tried Alix's Candy pedals, she could not believe how easily they released. What you don't know can hurt you - and not knowing any better, she thought all pedals released as hard as her Time pedals. We ordered a set of Candy-C pedals off eBay that night!

As I tallied the August training log mileage, the combination road and mountain bike miles was an all-time high for August at 495 miles. More importantly, the riding I have been doing this summer has been the most fun and rewarding yet as I am getting more family and friends to enjoy it with me and I learn to enjoy new types of bike ridn.

Boarding Season Wrap-up

A season of Snowboarding finally comes to an end. Starting on 12/15 and ending 127 days later, this was a great year to get fully into snowboarding. Twenty days out on the slopes in all, 10 at Killington and 5 at Mt. Snow - making the All East Pass a $25 per day bargain. Three days in California/Nevada (Mt. Rose, Squaw Valley and Northstar), along with a day each at West Mountain and Bolton Valley, make up the remainder of the days of carving and gliding.

Keeping a regular activity log makes it easy to go back and look at the statistics. The 20 rides I did this year represent 54% of the total snowboarding I have done in my life. This year I did 83 hours of snowboarding, which if I did 4 runs per hour and each run was 1/2 mile, would work out to 166 miles of snow riding! I went by myself a total of 11 times, and with others the remaining 9 days.

More importantly I have gained much confidence and fulfillment from learning a new activity and improving my skill level. To be outdoors for those 83 hours through the dark, cold winter was exhilarating and just plain fun. My goals were to get more skilled at making carved turns and to be more comfortable in the bumps and steeps and that was accomplished. Spending quality time with Donna, Alix and others was another benefit. But, also learning to enjoy and not be afraid to go it solo was a benefit. In the past I would just not go if no one else wanted to go with me. Now I enjoy the solo efforts as well as going with someone else or a group.

As the snow season leaves and the woods dry out, soon the mountain bike will replace the board. For the present road biking and training for upcoming events like the Blackfly Challenge and the Whiteface Uphill Bike Race take precedence. Donna and I joined a local club ride this past Sunday - the Cambridge Valley Cycling club. We had fun on a nice flat and fast 25 mile loop in the rain. After my 70 mile ride to the Bruce Ride on Saturday, it was just what I needed to keep getting in shape.

Last night Donna convinced me against my better judgement to go swimming at the Y with her after supper. I predictably broke out in my Grant's Syndrome hives. Oh well, I will learn to listen to my better judgement someday, but I always think I can get away with it because sometimes I do.

A Bike-Board-Bike Earth Day Weekend

Late season snow at Killington keeps the snowboard action going right into the heart of road biking weather. After a nasty start to the week, Spring finally arrived with clear skies and temperatures in the 70's. However, the Snow and Trail Report that arrives on my Inbox keeps telling me that Killington has the best Spring Skiing and Riding conditions ever! While I am itching to get the mileage I need on the bike, it is hard to pass up on one more last run down the slopes.

Friday was a home office day, but I needed to get an overdue 60K service on the Subaru. Donna brought me back from the Dealership in Troy and I started to dig into the office work that has piled up while driving 1200 miles this week. Not wanting to have to drive me back to Troy in the afternoon, she comes into the office asking me if I intended to get a bike ride in today. I said yes, of course, look at this weather. She replied, I got an idea for you, then. Why don't you ride your bike to Troy and you can bring the bike back with you. She started to make all kinds of arguments to make it a decision that would not tie her up. But before she could get any of them out, I replied immediately that it would be a great idea, and said I would. She kept making her points, but I stopped her and said I would do it.

Earth Day used to be a big event back in the 70's. I can remember the first one in 1970 when I was a Sophomore in High School. My parents rode their horses down to the school and in the Parade that was held in town. Vietnam war protesting took a back seat to Environmental Marches - over 100,000 people marched in NYC. Today, I think we are in better shape, but probably heading in the wrong direction with ethanol. Well, at least I did my part today, saving a trip to Troy on my bike.

The weather was great and I had a strong tailwind to boot. I used the ride to get out the cobwebs of a few days of inactivity since last weekend. Hitting the hills hard, and driving long Tempo bursts I had the heart rate into the 160's on several occasions, with many more longer periods in the 150's. I averaged 140 for the ride. I took my Taganouk Tangle route down along the Hudson River, then up to Schaighticoke and then down along the east side of the reservoir. Route 7 was not fun as the large tractor trailers whizzed by feet from my left shoulder. I got there in about 1:45, averaging over 19 MPH for the 35 mile trip. Just as I arrived they were closing out the paper work, so I was heading home in no time.

One reason I wanted to ride so much on Friday was so I could go snowboarding on Saturday, then ride again on Sunday. When talking with Eric G about getting a new product in at the Plants I recalled that we never got together this year to ski / board together as we had planned at the beginning of the year. I asked if he wanted to go, and he called back later with clearance from his wife. We met early so we could get the best conditions, and hit the K1 by 8:45. We were not disappointed! The early morning conditions were ideal. I steered us over to Bear Mountain first figuring it would warm and soften there first. We took a run down Bear Claw and Wildfire, then headed to the top of Skye Mtn, doing Cruise Control and others. We eventually worked over to the Canyon and North Ridge and finally Chute and Mousetrap. After a short break we went to K1 again and did the dd's that were nice and soft, even did a run at the trees along Double Dipper. Finally our legs ran out of steam around 3 pm and we headed back to the car fully drained and satisfied. Neither of us had ever skied / boarded this late into a season before. It was great!!

The combination of a long driving week, a good bike ride and then a long day in the deep soft snow on the board took its toll. I did some work on the bikes in the morning - finally taking the studded tires off the Epic, changing wheels so the Cannondale now has the Ksyrium Elites with the 11-21 cogset and the Y-Foil, now off the trainer, has the Cane Creek Aeroheads with the 11-23 cogset. After lunch I took a good nap and then headed off on the Cannondale at about 4:30. I was definitely in Recovery Ride mode, and wore the Heart Rate monitor to make sure. I did the whole ride except maybe 10 minutes in the aerobic zone and averaged 125 for the ride. Staying away from climbs takes some planning in this area, so I figured a route out of Greenwich, up to Cassyunna, then over to West Hebron, back along Black Creek and the Battenkill. What a beautiful day - light breeze, sunny and temperature in the high 70's. The trees are still bare so you can see far into the woods and fields are only getting the early loads of manure on the sandiest fields.

Month Without Posting - a good sign for Ridn!

Yes, it has been more than one month since my last blog entry. Work and play have kept me very busy. Work entails customer meetings while winter weather makes them assessable; play has been snowboarding on great snow and trying to keep aerobic fitness up and body weight down.

An excellent opportunity to combine work and play occurred in March when I was able to travel to Reno / Tahoe to attend the Western Dairy Management Conference. I arrived early and left late in order to get three sun-filled days of snowboarding in the Sierra-Nevada's. While snow levels were lowest their in years, at about one-half of the normal amount, nevertheless, the riding was first rate. The first two days were with coworkers Jim and Bennet at Mt. Rose and Squaw Valley. The base was deep and carvable top to bottom - no eastern ice! While there was no western deep powder, it still a blast. The last day I went solo to Northstar and enjoyed the Backside Runs that are steep, yet very rideable as soon as the snow softened.

When I returned we got a St. Paty's day 2-footer that made Killington into the deep powder paradise I was seeking out west. I was able to go on a Saturday morning when the crowds could not get there due to roads being plugged with snow. The entire complex of mountains were left ungroomed and natural, so I finally had the chance to let my Malalo ride on top of loose snow. It was great to ride the bumps when the bumps were soft.

As far as aerobic fitness is concerned, I was only able to get one decent road ride in before the big storm put things on hold again. And that ride was a hand and foot-numbing experience. I finally had to hook the Y-Foil up to the Cyclops and do some indoor training in the back room on the first day of spring - it was 5 degrees outside!

Decision time came this past Saturday. Do I finally get out and ride the bike so I have some fitness for the fast-approaching Battenkill-Rubaix (a 56-mile race on climbing dirt and blacktop roads) OR get in one last day of Killington snowboarding?? Killington won out and it was a great day of attacking the soft bumps on Chute and Bunnybuster. Today (Sunday) will be the road riding day.

Still trying to combine work and play, I found a bike store in Sacramento that rents Trek 1500 / 105-equipped road bikes, so I can try to ride out there when working the first week in April.

It is a great thing to be able to work riding into working and to have the dilemma be which type of riding do I do today?

Deep Tracks

Two feet-plus snowfall makes for great snowboard ridn! I timed this snowfall pretty well. Leaving Albany airport late in the afternoon, I was on the last plane out of Detroit on my way to Louisville. By the time I returned to Albany on Friday, 2-3 feet of snow was for the most part cleaned off the streets and, thanks to Donna, Alix and Emily, also from the driveway. My flights were not delayed or canceled unlike most people plying the air routes during this period.

On Saturday we did the last spin class at the Old Gick YMCA with Dan. Wednesday I experienced Norm's first spin class at the New Y. Norm drew in the big crowd with about 20 participants. It was a good workout and fun to see Norm in all his glory. But, there was absolutely no ventilation in the new room, so pretty hard to go as hard as I wanted. As it turns out, I went hard enough - getting heart rates in the 155-165 for three 10-12 minute sprints and climbs. Norm is a great spin leader, he always gets you a disciplined workout even when others are trying to distract him.

But the beautiful snowfall is the feature of the week. After the total lack of snowfall so far, the blanket of snow is welcomed news for the ski areas, especially since this week is school vacation week. Since my All East Pass is blacked out on the weekends of the vacation week, Donna and I got up early on Sunday and headed to West Mountain. The conditions were ideal! The early going on well-groomed, deep packed powder provided great leverage to really dig the edges in and carve turns. Later we moved to the north side and played in deep piles of lumpy, bumpy powder. The extra effort needed to make the turns took a toll on leg muscles, so it was a good workout as well as being a blast. By the time our 4-hour tickets were up, the crowds started to get heavy. We had plenty of room to make our way down the trails and had no waits. A great decision to ride early in the morning.

Yesterday I took a vacation day and went to Killington by myself. Donna wanted to get another day of work in and Alix was busy with friends during vacation. I was leery of the crowd potential during President's Week, so drove over to the Starship Base on Rt. 4. The Starship Gondola takes you all the way from Rt. 4 to the top of Skye Mountain - about a 5 mile ride! Conditions were amazing and the crowds nonexistent. The trails I have been doing were now much different. Lots of bumps and loose snow that was not powder, but not heavy either. The Malalo rides on top of the snow without effort. Since I was not chasing a skier this time I really concentrated on making hard, sharp and short turns. Again, the extra effort to make all those turns took a toll on my legs. It was great fun though. I started at 9 am and took a break around 2:30 at Bear Mtn. Lodge. By the time I got started again, the legs were starting to be non-compliant to my demands. I went to the top of Skye Mtn. and rode down Cruise Control, Great Eastern and Home Stretch runs all the way to the Starship Base - which has to be the longest, single, non-stop run I have ever done. When I slid to a stop about 150 feet from my car I was wasted and smiling!

This is the last season of the All East Pass. American Ski Company sold off Pico, Killington and Mt. Snow to different companies. Too bad, as the Pass has been a huge value and has gotten me on two great mountains each less than two hours from home. I will have to wait and see what comes out for next year.

A Day With Dwichael

Killington tours, spinning and ice biking rule! Paltry snow levels and ice cold temperatures predominate early February conditions. Temperatures below 10 with windchills well below -10 have forced the cycling activity inside for the most part.

Donna keeps encouraging me to accompany her to Dan's Saturday spin sessions at the Y. It has been a good way to keep some aerobic fitness and it is fun to listen to the different levels of activity that people deem 'normal.' A break in the temperature, and with conditions at the upper limit for snow depth, on Sunday I got a great workout doing the home trails for 1:20 last Sunday. The 3-5 inches of loose snow on top of frozen 1-2 inches provided tough resistance but doable biking. It was a great high intensity workout - like a long hill, or plowing though sand or mud. So, it was a good weekend of spinning and biking.

The 'bread' to my ridn 'sandwich' during this period was two tours of Killington. I hosted a Dairy Specialist from WI for the week and on Wednesday we spent 5 hours on the best that VT has to offer. It was his best day of skiing ever. We had a guide in Matt S who has skied K since childhood, so I learned some new terrain. We worked our way from Ramshead to Bear Mtn and back. Lots of time was spent riding alongside the obstacles on the Terrain Park. I even did a ride down the giant 1/2 pipe - not exactly looking like a flying tomato!

On Sunday John T came up and spent the night. We got up early hitting the Ramshead Quad at 9am sharp. We did the same tour of the mountains as I did last Wednesday, spending a lot of time on Cruise Control. We even got in a couple of runs on the double diamond under the K-1 Gondola, as John was trying to impress some women that were in the Gondola with us. John kept me entertained all day with his caffeine-induced, animated monologues and longings for female companionship. His divorce becomes final this week and he was just a'twitter. We had a great time reminiscing our days in Washington County. His office mates have dubbed him the clone of two characters in the show "The Office," and I would say they have him well named! We stayed at it all day, without any breaks, until 4 pm closing - the best day of ridn so far this year! I worked hard to keep the speed up so I could stay with John who enjoys high speed and not too many turns. It was good for improving my technique. A new wax layer and sharpened edges helped as well.

I write from Louisville, KY, where I am doing seminars for John Deere. I left Albany yesterday at 4pm and today Donna reports about 20 inches of snow in the driveway, with more coming down! I return on Friday and hope to get some powder riding in!

Inactivity Ends With Day at Killington

Finally did something yesterday. After a prolonged period of rest due to stuffed lungs (9 full days on inactivity) I took a day I had banked from working on Saturday and went up to Killington by myself on Thursday. Got in a solid four hours of ridn in frigid weather and icy/frozen hard-packed conditions. The temp at the top was 12 degrees with wind blowing 40 MPH. At the base it was 20 with much less wind. New gear I invested in this year in anticipation of ridn in this type of weather paid off well today. The Burton AK 2L Pants with Hot Chilli fleece base layer kept the legs toasty the whole day. Feet and hands got a little cool by the end, but not bad at all. Under helmet hood and turtle fur neck wrap kept the head and neck area well protected. The Campmor Shell and fleece base with three technical shirts kept the top half in great shape all day too.

I took the opportunity to explore this huge ski area. With six Mountains all accessible by the same network of lifts, I only saw about 1/2 of the available terrain. But, it was good to get the legs moving again. I found the best run of the day to be the Northridge Lift to Rime and Reason. Lower Chute was also good. Got a first look at the Skye Mountain area and I liked the trails, but on this day the frozen chop was less than ideal. As I said, I did a solid four hours and the last run was feeling like one run too many as my legs were not responding to what my brain was asking of them. I took the Great Northern route back to Ramshead and walked slowly back to the car - feeling satisfied. Listened to the "Kite Runner" on the ride home. Good Day.