Perhaps skiing is the perfect cross training to get my legs stronger and ultimately make me a better climber. But if not, at least skiing is a whole lot of fun!

My boyfriend Andrew recently had a training session with Justin Sjong, which you can read all about here http://eveningsends.com/2012/01/training-with-justen-sjong/.

Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I am adamantly against anything that could be deemed training. I don’t know if over 10 years of gymnastics soured me, or if I just don’t like to do anything with my free time that I don’t consider “fun”. But training is not something I’m into.

After coming back from his training session Andrew decided that I should do some of the exercises that he learned. Since it was a cold snowy day, I agreed to give it a try. Every exercise focused on leg strength and had me rolling, jumping, and throwing a weighted ball at the wall. Agreeing to do this was a BIG mistake. I couldn’t walk for 4 days after completing Justin’s torturous “exercises”.

If leg strength was what I needed to become a better climber, I’d have to find a more “fun” way to acquire it.

I live 30 minutes from the world-class ski town of Aspen. Skiing is something I learned to do a few years ago in an attempt to survive the long winters on the Western Slope of Colorado.  Despite a few years on the slopes, I have still not mastered the technique of effortlessly zooming down snow-covered hills. Skiing is HARD work for me, but it’s also a ton of fun.

No amount of rock climbing will prepare you for a day out skiing. After my first day of skiing this season my legs felt shockingly similar to how they felt after that training session I did with Andrew. They hurt! As far as my body could tell, I’d just completed a day of “training”.

Perhaps skiing is the perfect cross training to get my legs stronger and ultimately make me a better climber. But if not, at least skiing is a whole lot of fun!