Instant Good Mood!

There are two things in life that always put a smile on my face:

driving fast and great skiing. For me these are sure fire ways to put me in an instant good mood. It just so happens that the faster you drive to the ski resort, the better the snow gets – isn't life great! On the first big snow day this season I climbed into my car and raced up the canyon through a blur of white. As I slid into the resort parking lot all I could think of was floating through the fresh snow. I hurried to get ready and made it on one of the first chairs up the mountain. As I exited off the chair and started my journey through skiing nirvana... something awful happened!

As I headed down the mountain nothing was working like it should have. I made a few turns and although I wanted them to be flawless I realized that my balance was off and my confidence low. As I struggled down the mountain the snow got deeper and more difficult. I was knee-deep in s_ _ t, and in big trouble. A couple more attempts at some beautiful turns and POOF! A large cloud of misty powder developed around me as I laid in the snow. What was wrong with me? I guess I had overestimated my mid-season conditioning. I was tired, breathing hard, buried up to my eyeballs in snow, not to mention only 1/3 of the way down the mountain. This was the part of my skiing that I chose not to remember, and no matter how great the drive, I was no longer in a good mood.

My skiing was in need of a 60K mile tune-up, and while walking the floors at the local ski show I found a great mechanic at the Skier's Edge demo booth. The Skier's Edge is a ski simulator and fitness machine. With a little explanation from one of the reps I stepped onto the machine and was ready to go. What I felt was so life-like... this was the motion I was looking for on that first big snow day. I was able to work my lower body, set edges, maintain forward lean and focus on a stable upper body – everything I was looking for on the mountain. A Skier's Edge machine and a blissful grin came home with me from the ski show. After a couple of weeks of training on the Skier’s Edge a storm hit and the mountain was calling me again. I grabbed my skis and headed out to answer the call.

Back in the big snow I now had a new-found confidence. As I started down the mountain I felt in control of my skis. I laid down turn after turn, while keeping my upper body quiet and my weight down the hill. All of the training I had done on the Skier’s Edge had given me incredible balance and control. Any bump or change in terrain that the mountain threw at me I was able to rip through with power. I was skiing better than I was at the close of the previous season.

I think that most of us skiers can agree that we always have room for improvement. After years of skiing, and countless hours spent refining technique and form, it's nice to know I now have a little edge. It's a Skier's Edge, and it always puts me in an instant good mood – just like the drive up the mountain

Secret was at Mike Wiegele’s helicopter skiing...

We’ve all been there. Looking through our latest Powder magazine in search of the best skis, boots and fitness tips - anything that’ll improve the way we look and feel on the slopes. We skim articles looking for answers to the ultimate question - will it make me ski any better?

Last year, I realized this question went beyond just wanting to ski better. My buddies and I rallied for a week long trip to the world’s greatest powder skiing experience, Mike Wiegele’s Helicopter Skiing in British Columbia – I couldn’t wait to test my new gear in the pristine powder of the Cariboos and Monashees. On my first day skiing, the powder was certainly pristine and the steeps were more exhilarating than I imagined. However, I found there was more to epic skiing than just the latest gear. My legs were shot after a couple hours and I didn’t feel like I was in peak condition. Reality check! Hours in the hot tub and a handful of Ibuprofen didn’t take away my aches and pains. I thought I was in great shape but the mountains quickly showed me who was boss.

I decided I needed to change something. My skis and boots were the latest and greatest technology – so the only thing left to change was the skier himself. I needed a tune-up!

I was determined to come up with a training plan that was going to cure my aches and pains and make me a better skier. At Mike Wiegele’s there is a fleet of Skier’s Edge machines in their training facility. I asked my ski guide if he trained on them. He told me the biggest difference in his skiing came from training on the Skier’s Edge. He said it helped build his strength and stamina to ski all day long without fatigue. He also made huge improvements in his ability to ski any condition. He said, “Look, you can spend good money on the latest skis and boots but they alone don’t make you a great skier. What gets me down the mountain is technique and good conditioning, and that’s what the Skier’s Edge machine gives me.”

Everything he said seemed to make perfect sense. I do a lot of biking in the summer and until our trip to Mike Wiegele’s, I thought that was enough to keep me in shape. He told me that skiing uses very different muscles and it’s important to be sport-specific when you train.

So, I got a Skier’s Edge and started training on it. I was totally surprised by what a killer workout it was. My legs burned the same as when I skied. After working out on this machine a couple times a week, I couldn’t believe what a difference it made in my skiing! I was amazed how much my strength and stamina improved. My legs felt super strong and I could finally ski the entire day without major leg burn. Everything seemed to finally click. I stayed balanced, kept my body down the fall-line, and rolled effortlessly from edge to edge making beautiful turns – the same motion as the Skier’s Edge. Absolutely amazing!

This year we’re heading back to Mike Wiegele’s for another ski trip. I can’t wait to get back on the slopes and ski the powder and steeps like I’ve always dreamed. I’m excited to see how much improvement I’ve continued to make by training on the Skier’s Edge. I can honestly say that I’m skiing better now than I ever have in my life. When friends ask me what will make them a better skier, I can tell them I have the answer to the ultimate question – the Skier’s Edge and a trip to Mike Wiegele’s Helicopter Skiing.

My Secret to Success

“In a year that my only hope was to just be able to get out
and ski, maybe race a little, I won a Masters National Championship and was named Male Masters Racer of the

3 years ago an unexpected meeting forever changed my enjoyment for skiing and racing. I’ve ski raced most of my life and have had good success and satisfaction from the sport. But three years ago my skiing was in need of extensive repair. After two consecutive seasons of injuries, which included a broken leg and a shattered ankle that required major surgery, I was trying to get back in shape for the coming season. I was battling against the lingering effects of my injuries, and found that I was unable to train using my old methods.

About this time I ran into a friend-of-a-friend. He knew who I was and he knew that I was struggling with pre-season conditioning and rehab. He told me that he had a way to get me skiing again. In fact he said that I would be skiing better than ever. His solution was the Skier’s Edge machine. I had seen advertisements in different magazines but never paid much attention to them. Well, he was very convincing in his efforts to get me to give it a try.

From the moment that I stepped on the machine and made the first series of turns I knew that this was revolutionary.The motion felt exactly like the movements I made on the snow when I was at the top of my game. I was feeling full lateral extension and retraction of the legs just like the light faze of a ski turn.The machine I was using, the World Cup Plyometric Power, gave sprint style workouts.These workouts lasted about 2 minutes, just like a ski run, and you used the exact same muscles.

The machine also gave me the full benefit of a plyometric workout without the pounding of other kinds of plyometric exercises.The Skier’s Edge gave me an intense workout and was non-impact. With my bones still healing this was exactly what I was looking for. I was immediately sold.

After my rehab I used the Skier’s Edge as an integral part of my training for the rest of the season. In a year that my only hope was to just be able to get out and ski, maybe race a little, I won a Masters National Championship and was named Male Masters Racer of the Year.To this day, the Skier’s Edge machine is still the most valuable part of my training program. I can’t imagine not having one. I travel a lot for work and am not able to train on the snow as much as I would like. But having the Skier’s Edge gives me access to an unlimited number of ski runs… right in my own living room. It’s an ingenious idea and a great design. I think I’ll be skiing and racing for a long, long time.Thanks Skier’s Edge.

FIS Medals in Chile!

Are you excited for the coming ski season? Have you started to train? My ski season had an early start. I just returned from a week of training and racing with a Masters race camp in Valle Nevado, Chile. Our group of four swept many of the medals in the South American Championship races with just two days on the snow. We won a total of 21 championship medals and had the fastest overall times. What did we have in common, besides winning medals? All of us trained on Skier’s Edge machines during the summer.

My summer employment as a river guide keeps me active, but doesn’t strengthen and condition the muscle groups I need for ski racing. The days when I could just jump onto a course without any preparation are long gone. From what I remember of my college racing days I thought that “12 oz.” curls were all the exercise I needed. As I got older, more “mature”, and more focused, I realized how important pre-season dry land training really was. I learned that I needed to make a solid pre-season effort if I didn’t want to end up with something tweaked.

In my current situation I have about 6 to 7 weeks to prepare for the beginning of each race season, so I need to make the most of my workouts. I am not independently wealthy… I can't put my hard earned money into equipment I'm not going to use. That said, I bought my first Skier's Edge machine about 8 years ago. It remains in the exercise room along with my newer model. My wife and I still use both machines as the basis for our dry land training. To this day there is no better way to train, strengthen, and condition the ski-specific muscles.

For about the cost of a full set up: GS skis, plates, bindings, and a race tune, I have the best ski simulation and work-out tool available. It’s comforting to know that a Skier’s Edge machine will stand the test of time… unlike my new computer and last seasons slalom skis, which are already outdated.

Recently I was able to visit the Skier's Edge headquarters. What impressed me was the passion these guys have for skiing and this product. The team is constantly tweaking, adding on, and trying to improve the Skier's Edge. As a person who lives and breathes skiing and ski racing, I felt like they were literally working for me. This is not some “fly-by-night” exercise product like we've all seen before. I am grateful to these guys for developing and continuing to improve this product, they’ve been at it for 20 years–they’re here to stay and I’m glad.

As a University ski coach I find the Skier’s Edge to be very beneficial when working with racers of different ability levels. Our team includes racers from the basic NASTAR level all the way up to ski academy graduates. No matter what level my skiers are, they use the Skier’s Edge every day in training. I recently added the “GateKeeper” and “LifeBeat” feedback accessories to our machines to make our workouts more calculated and progressive. Now we can track things like the number of turns made, speed of turns, percentage of travel used and calories burned. We’ve also been using the Slope Simulators for the past 2 years. This accessory has allowed us to fine-tune our forward race position and keep us out of the back seat.

As fellow Masters Racer and Slalom World Champion (older group) Victor Roy put it, “You must train your brain to tell your muscles to break old habits and assimilate the new.” Currently there is nothing as well-built, durable, and sport specific as the Skier’s Edge. It allows Americans “on vacation” to jet-set around the world and win ski races!