Awesome Extended Workout Session

So, it's winter, which means cross-training in the triathlon world. For me, winter means skiing. Lucky me, my favorite winter hobby is also awesome cross-training for triathlon. I'm in Base Period Week 3 right now of the training plan I made up using the Training Bible. Technically, I'm supposed to be cutting out cross-training now, but that's where my philosophy and the Training Bible philosphy differ. It's way too early to cut out cross-training.

If you don't want to read about the yurt trip, skip down to below to get my thoughts on backcountry skiing as a good cross-training event.

So, a buddy and me went yurting this weekend. If you don't know what a yurt is, it's a canvas tent in the backcountry. You might think of it as a big tent with all the gear inside: wood stove, bunks, Coleman stove, and a wall and a roof (all the essentials), and you get a sitdown crapper for your $60/night(!). This is the best thing in the world, and one of my favorite places. Anyway...

We took the lift up to the ridgeline of Pebble Creek ski area. Yeah, it's cheating, but this way we get to get in some turns instead of getting too tired just getting there. We made three nice runs in some powder/trees, and then made our way over to the yurt near Inkom Pass and Jackson Creek. We got there a bit early, figuring we'd have to dig out the yurt from alot of snow. Lucky us, there wasn't much digging to do. But we did have to dig out the crapper.

After dinner, we took a long ski night operation, two hours total out in the dark but with enough light from a full moon with cloudy skies that we didn't need our headlamps. Back to the yurt at 9pm from some "yurt medicine," which is just hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps and will cure any ache you have. The next morning, we got up and ate a bunch of Jimmy Dean sausage, which is another standard yurt food.

If you have never skiied in the backcountry, here's the deal: it whoops every muscle in your body. I'm not talking about downhill skiing at the resort with the lift. This is ski up the hill, ski down the hill, repeat several times. Even with the shortened daylight in the winter, you'll run out of energy before you run out of daylight while skiing in the backcountry.

Backcountry skiing gets every muscle, not just your legs. You burn your hamstrings and quads on the uphill, then of course burn your quads on the downhill. The rest of the body gets the workout while skinning uphill. The quickest way to get back up hill (and make sure you get back to where you started, generally what you want to do), is to go straight back up the hill. That means you'll be hiking up a steep hill, which is hard enough in the summer, but with 6-10 pounds of gear each foot (boots & skis), the effort is much higher. Put on about ten pounds of layers and a ten pound pack with water, snacks, and safety gear, and all of a sudden you're carrying alot of weight back up a steep hill.

Of course, you don't go straight up because it's hard to get that much traction (but it can be done), so you make switchbacks. Making the switchbacks takes some work from your abs. Also, keeping your balance on a 45 degree or more slope takes some ab work. You also push with your poles alot, so that works your shoulders and triceps alot. For some reason (probably bad form!), my lower back gets a workout, too. Finally, your hip-flexors are always working hard moving the skis forward (you can increase the effort by picking up the skis, but that will wear you out before you get enough turns in).

Bottom line is, if you want to get a great cross-training workout, get into the backcountry on skis. Be safe about it, though, and know about avalanches and safety gear.

All told, here's the workout stats of the weekend:

Uphill skinning (including trip back home - it's downhill to get there): About 5.5 hours
Downhill skiing: about 2 hours
Falls: 4 or 5
Faceplants: 2 (not included above)
Peak wind: Estimated 60-70 mph (it blew me over, causing one of the faceplants)
Pack weight: About 30 going in, about 25 coming out.

So, here's my rundown on how backcountry skiing is a complete triathlon cross-training sport:

Quads: get burned nearly all the time. Good for biking and running, of course.

Hamstrings: used extensively on the uphill. Good for biking and running, of course.

Abs: used nearly all the time. A solid core is key to efficiency in all sports.

Shoulders and triceps: used while poling on the uphill. A "close-enough" resemblance of swimming.

General Aerobic: Put all the pieces together, and your heart rate will skyrocket for at least 30 minutes on short uphills. A long uphill can be up to 60 minutes. If you do five runs in a day, that's up to five hours of heart rate at a high level 3 zone.

Now put it all together:

1. You get off the bike and get a great workout, reducing possibility of burn-out come July.
2. You get outside in the winter instead of being stuck in a "pain cave" as some people call it. Fresh air does the body good! The only thing you'll smell is the snow and the pine trees. Yes, snow does smell...you'll learn that during your first face-plant.
3. You get to spend the night out in the woods in the winter! Have you ever been in the woods on a winter night and heard how quiet it is (if the wind isn't blowing)? It's awesome.
4. You get to play with a fire all night trying to stay warm in the yurt!
5. You can eat as much sausage as you want in the morning because you'll burn it off.
6. Every muscle that you can imagine is being worked extensively.

Gotta love the yurt!