{"id":4342,"date":"2014-01-17T11:30:17","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T19:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com-2\/?p=4342"},"modified":"2017-10-16T11:32:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T18:32:47","slug":"backcountry-skiing-paddling-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2014\/01\/17\/backcountry-skiing-paddling-fitness\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Mountains Your Gym: Backcountry Skiing for Paddling Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_1413\"Team NRS paddler Erik Boomer shares his secret for off-season paddling fitness: having fun. For him that means trading the flowing water of the rivers he loves for the frozen water that feeds them by going backcountry skiing.\u00a0He discusses the parallels with paddling and how to get started.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve been obsessed with rivers for 20 years. My dad introduced me to river running through rafting and fishing, and then kayaking caught my interest. From then on, my dream was to be a kayaker, and I would do anything it took to make that dream come true. I saved up money from lawn mowing to buy my first kayak, and in high school I worked all summer rowing cargo boats down the Middle Fork and Main Salmon rivers here in Idaho.<\/p>\n

My love of rivers sent me in search of the endless summer year after year. I would save up just enough money for gas or a plane ticket to head for warmer weather as soon as the rivers started to ice over. I traveled to Nepal, Mexico, BC and Alaska before eddying out in Hood River, Oregon, a place where I could paddle challenging rapids every day and hone my paddling skills. Nothing was better than paddling 300-plus days a year.<\/p>\n

Some call it getting old, but I found out that doing any repetitive motion can create aches and pains that take away from the experience.\u00a0 So, I\u2019ve had to learn how to balance kayaking with other activities, giving rivers a rest in the winter and embracing the off-season sports.<\/p>\n

For me, the off-season sport of choice became backcountry skiing.<\/p>\n

\"Boomer<\/a>
Boomer notches the first descent of Baffin Island’s Weasel River. \u00a9Sarah McNair-Landry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three years ago, a friend of mine showed me the ropes as we climbed up and then skied off of the 12,966 foot summit of Mount Sopris in Colorado. It was May, the end of the backcountry season, and I left looking forward to the next snowfall.<\/p>\n

Why is backcountry skiing perfect for off-season fitness? Because it\u2019s fun, you avoid paying huge amounts of money in lift tickets, and it\u2019s a great workout! As I write this, my thighs ache from two great days of skinning uphill and shredding through knee-deep powder in Fernie, BC.<\/p>\n

In the backcountry \u00a0you\u2019ll find the best snow, the best lines and beautiful scenery. A day skiing off piste <\/i>is my yin to the yang of kayaking.<\/p>\n

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Why is backcountry skiing such great off-season training?<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re kayaking, rafting or stand-up paddling, you\u2019re using your shoulders, arms and core muscles to propel you.\u00a0 A great thing about backcountry skiing is that it works many of the opposing muscles.\u00a0 Climbing and turning will whip those tiny kayaker legs into shape and prepare you for those big missions that require full-body fitness, such as portaging kayaks 12 miles over a 12,000 foot pass into California\u2019s Middle Kings River. Your shoulders get a different and less strenuous motion using the poles.\u00a0 And your core also gets tightened up.<\/p>\n

I think that working out should be fun. I have never gone to bed dreaming about the gym and woken up early to pump weights. But I do feel this way about backcountry skiing, which gets me out day after day even when I\u2019m hurting and exhausted.<\/p>\n

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Ascending thousands of feet in deep snow at elevation is excellent cardio training to help keep you fit till the paddling season. If you end up flipping or taking a swim when you get back on the river, you\u2019ll be glad you can hold your breath so long.<\/p>\n

Skiing the slopes is deeply connected to running rivers. Route finding and flowing down the terrain correlates directly to paddling down rivers; reading and running, staying safe and eddying out. Skiing is a way to float and play on the same water molecules that we will be rafting and kayaking on in the spring and summer.<\/p>\n

Team work and group communication are transferable skills between whitewater and skiing.\u00a0 You are only as strong as the weakest link, and you must always be assessing the conditions and environment.<\/p>\n

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While I still love running rivers more than any other form of recreation, backcountry skiing has become the main focus of my winters, recharging my body and soul for river running. By the time the snow starts to melt and the spring flows surge, I feel fit and fresh, eager to jump into my kayak.<\/p>\n

Convinced yet? Here are some tips to getting out into the backcountry this winter.<\/p>\n