Transitions are hard. The end of ski season is the worst. I wish I could wax poetic on my latest “gnarly” mountain bike sesh, or talk about how I did a “rad” trad climb (is that even right?), but I can’t. I am a winter child through and through. Summer hiking is nice; actually, I love hiking, but it pales in comparison to the love I have for the sensation of skis blasting through snow. Come powder, corn, or ice I’ll ski them all. Alas, it is summer and all I can do right now is reminisce and dream about winter.

Scratch that.

Sure, I’m dreaming about neck deep powder days, but dreaming is a waste of time without work. So, I’m working for winter in more ways than one.

1) I’m working OUT

For my body’s sake, I made the move to Jackson, WY to train at Mountain Athlete. This is no ordinary gym. I train with a group of about 20 skiers, among them are olympians, ski film stars, and world-renowned mountain guides. (I’m going to name drop for a second just because the excitement of training with Resi Steigler, Kit Deslauriers, Griffin Post, Crystal Wright, and all of my ripping co-competitors hasn’t quite become old hat yet.) These workouts are no joke. Our training is a ski-specific progression of strength and agility. We’re just finishing up four weeks of basic strength training so, who knows what this next phase will bring.

I’ve also recommitted myself to yoga. I think it’s a great compliment to strength training. It’s more affordable than a post-workout massage and it’s a great tool for injury prevention.

2) I’m working IN

I’m a total head case when it comes to sports and competition. I close my eyes, I choke, I forget to breath, I panic, I overthink. I’ve always been this way, and it’s taken me this long to finally get proactive and do something about it. Better late than never. Between learning meditation and reading up on sport psychology, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. A strong body is useless without a sound mind.

I’ll take that one step further and say that a strong mind and body can’t function on a crappy diet. I’ve reigned in my eating habits as well. Apart from one glorious cheat day per week, I’m keeping it clean with meat, fish, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Little bit of dairy, no sugar, no processed food…you’ve heard my shpeal before, so now I’m back to practicing what I preach.

3) WORKING

Did I mention my multi-million dollar contract that allows me to ski everyday and travel the world? No? Oh, well that’s because I don’t have one. NBA, MLB, NFL level salaries do not exist in skiing. It is merely a labor of love and passion, but love and passion don’t pay the rent checks. Enter my three summer jobs: Serving, Serving, and Wrangling. While the serving jobs are the money makers, I figured it would be great to be paid to enjoy a hobby of mine, and it just happens that that hobby is horseback riding. YeeHaw!

To say my summer is busy is an understatement. But I’d rather be busy working than daydreaming. The things worth having take time, and come December I can’t wait to see all of my grunt work pay off.