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Caption: _______ 12 Ways To Train For Ski Season With Lusti and Izzy
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Caption: Pre-season training is a crucial part of the game, but there’s no saying that it all has to take place in a gym. The mountains provide endless challenges, and for Lusti and Izzy, off-season training typically revolves around making the most of the trail running, climbing and mountain biking that surrounds them in their hometown of Revelstoke, BC.
Robin O'Neill photo of Izzy
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Caption: When the leaves start turning and snow creeps towards valley floor, Arc'teryx athletes Christina Lustenberger and Izzy Lynch set their goals and shift into a more ski-focused training program to get themselves dialed in for the winter ahead. These are the activities they do to get ready to get back on skis.
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Caption: 1. STRENGTH TRAINING Lusti: Training my mental and physical strength is a huge part of preparing for the ski season. I put so much energy into the ski season and I need to be able to rely on my body and mind to take me into the mountains with strength and confidence.
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Caption: Izzy: I find really honing in on certain muscle groups and building ski-specific strength is the most important thing for my performance, injury prevention and enjoying big days in the mountains.
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Caption: 2. CORE
When we all skied on 212cm skis and leather boots we relied on our legs a lot more. Now we are all floating on fat skis . . . I would say the core is just as important - don't ignore it!
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Caption: 3. TRAIL RUNNING Izzy: The ease and simplicity of trail running makes it my favourite off-season activity.
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Caption: 4. CLIMBING Lusti: I climb like a skier! I love it, it is slow, heady, and you can make it what you want. This is great training for the body. It incorporates reaching, looking up and stretching out after a long winter.
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Caption: Izzy: Nothing pushes me more mentally and physically than climbing. My climbing days are sporadic, but every time I come back to it I am motivated by the mental and physical challenge that it provides.
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Caption: 5. MOUNTAIN BIKING Izzy: There is a lot of cross-over between biking and skiing. My favourite rides are ones with long, grinding ascents, and fun flowy downs. (Lusti pictured).
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Caption: 6. YOGA Izzy: I love yoga! It has an endless list of benefits that translate to skiing. I try to practice as consistently as possible
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Caption: 7. STRETCHING
Lusti: Just like my morning cup of coffee, stretching has become an everyday activity for me.
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Caption: Izzy: My foam roller is my best friend, especially pre-season and in the first few weeks of skiing when I am sore from working out and skiing.
Caption: 8. REST
Lusti: I’m still learning how this works. Being a skier we ask a lot from our bodies and finding ways to relax and recover is so important. When the conditions are good it is so hard to rest, every skier gets FOMO… It's part of the sport! Throughout the season I try to give myself regular days of rest catch up on the life stuff that piles and just waits for the spring when the snow melts. Rest days are for eating, rehydrating, staying warm and washing my ski socks!
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Caption: 9. PRACTICING RESCUE TECHNIQUES Lusti: Practicing and training rescue techniques is crucial to having a great ski season. At the start of each season I dust off the gear and put it to use, with some crevasse rescue rope work.
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Caption: 10. PREPPING EQUIPMENT
Lusti: Have a serious relationship with your gear. Treat it well, wax it up, dry it out...no one likes slow skis or wet boots. (Izzy pictured).
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Caption: 11. PLAY Lusti: Life in the mountains is so amazing. You have to have fun. Laugh at yourself, laugh with people . . . joke around and play. You can make the worst situations, or hardest challenges fun.
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Caption: 12. SET GOALS
Lusti: I have to have something I am working towards. I am always training, moving forward and progressing in my sport. This is why I find the mountains so magical, they hold a lifetime of challenges to keep me motivated.
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Caption: Christina Lustenberger and Izzy Lynch are Arc'teryx ski athletes.
Photos by William Eaton, Robin O'Neill and Adam Clark.
Check out the full story on this piece at www.blog.arcteryx.com