(Originally published summer 2024)

Members of the PSIA-AASI National Team are at the top of their teaching and on-snow performance games. One of their “secrets” is that they stay ready; their training as teachers and performers never truly pauses. Below is a collection of stories about team members’ preferred off-season sports and workouts, and how those activities specifically keep their muscles and minds sharp for working on snow. Click on a headline to dive deeper.

How Mountain Biking Mentally and Physically Prepares Her for Skiing – Melodie Buell, PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team

“For me, each discipline of biking seems to serve a purpose in my overall training, which directly relates to my ski performance. Road and gravel tend to draw out the long contemplative thoughts and gives me an opportunity to work through the inside voices, change the script, and push me into a space to move past what I think my body can do, in time and distance. While Park/DH, and XC, especially technical descents, keep me incredibly present and honed in on what’s immediately happening (and it’s SO fun).”

A Top Offseason Workout? Building Houses – Dusty Dyar, PSIA Alpine Team

“Not that carpentry is a sport, but similar to snowsports, I physically manipulate tools and materials to create outcomes. I find this builds the mental and physical connections to be proactive instead of reactive. While framing, I’m often carrying heavy materials around an uneven jobsite and up and down ladders. Along with the strength to pick up, carry, and manage my balance as I move wood and timbers into position, it’s great training controlling a dynamic center of mass.”

How Fly-Fishing Can Improve Your Mental and Physical Preparation for Skiing – Elle Matalavage, PSIA Alpine Team

“Like skiing, there are many moving parts in fishing. It can make for a lot to manage. Multitasking while fishing proves to be very physically and mentally stimulating. A teaching fundamental that this question reminds me of is managing emotional and physical risk. You have to make sure to manage your line and be aware of your surroundings, watching for trees or people on your backcasts, all while reading the water, trying to place your cast where you want, and keeping your footing.”

Roller Skiing Is the Ideal Offseason Workout for Perfecting Cross Country Ski Technique – Justin Arndt, PSIA Cross Country Team

“If there’s something you ran out of time to work on during the winter, you can continue to work at it in the summer on roller skis. I find that roller skis mimic cross country ski technique, yet the two sports are different enough that you’re sometimes able to isolate inefficient things in your technique that you never would have noticed on your snow skis. Personally, they’ve helped me isolate some post-push off-hip rotation in my classic skiing that I’m working to correct.”

Dirt Biking as a Way to Mentally and Physically Prepare for High-Level Snowboarding – Josh Smith, AASI Snowboard Team

“[Dirt biking] helps me to manage myself mentally and physically. It also helps me with making smart choices when I’m tired. I work on dealing with adrenaline rushes and staying calm while performing at a high level, as well as being present and in the moment.”

Summer Sports for More Mindfulness, Confidence, and a Fulfilling Travel Experience – Dominique Vetromile, PSIA Alpine Team

“Experimenting with summer sports, most notably mountain biking, has given me a lot of empathy in my teaching in the winter. When I mountain bike the primary emotion I feel is fear, and working through that is a huge challenge. I try to remember those emotions when I’m introducing a new concept or new terrain to students, as things that come easily to me may not make sense to them.”

Whitewater Kayaking as a Way to Prepare for Snowboard Trick Performance – Matt Larson, AASI Snowboard Team

“Winter sports are an interesting challenge in finding a pathway to progress. I choose to limit my access to sliding on snow to around six months and focus heavily on my family for the other half of the year. The combo of whitewater coupled with strength and mobility training has given me a bridge between seasons. I incorporate adaptations of snowboarding tricks into my mobility workouts to help teach my body what it needs to do. This jump-starts me for the following winter season as I work to pick up where I left off.”

CrossFit, Gymnastics, and the Joy of Being a Beginner Again – Cori Lambert, AASI Snowboard Team

“With the combo of things I do, it keeps my body agile, strong, flexible, and always adapting – all of which I need for performing on snow. Training my fast twitch muscles so I can make little adjustments on snow is a game changer! Breaking down new skills in skateboarding helps me to think outside the box; it keeps me in that teaching/training mindset.”

How Wakeboarding and Surfing Can Complement Your Skills in Snowsports – Katie White, PSIA Alpine Team

“Surfing has helped me learn the importance of mental strength and toughness, specifically when paddling out is tiresome and scary. Occasionally I’ve been paddling out to surf in bigger waves than expected and had to really push myself to continue moving forward. When approaching a big wave, I’ve learned the importance of positive self-talk and being able to push through challenging times when moving. The same goes for dropping in on a wave that’s a little bigger than I feel comfortable on. Visualizing, staying mentally present, and positive self-talk go a LONG, LONG way.”

Stand-Up Paddleboarding for Ski and Snowboard Fitness – Keith Rodney, PSIA Telemark Team

“My first days on snow tend to be mixed staff training days. As a telemark skier, one of our challenges is keeping up with other disciplines. The summer workout allows me to try to keep up; I don’t want to feel like I’m holding anyone back.”

Cross Training Tips – Lyndsey Stevens, AASI Snowboard Team

“Strength training also helped me to increase my energy levels, which has been very important for me to be able to perform at my best throughout full-day lessons. This has been especially helpful in intermediate and high-level lessons in which students have focused goals of improvement in bumps or trees.”

Mountain Bike Your Way into Shape for Skiing and Snowboarding – Kevin Jordan, PSIA Alpine Team

“I use trail scanning in the summer when I’m on my bike. This is when I’m constantly collecting information between … the ‘now’ and the ‘next.’ The ‘now’ is about one to two seconds in front of your front tire and the ‘next’ is about three to six seconds in front of your front tire. In other words, the now is what I’m doing, and the next is what I’m about to do. As I go faster, these blend together. I’ve found that the faster I ski, the more I have the ability to take in my surroundings because I have practiced my trail scanning in the summer. I’m able to wave or say hi to someone on the chairlift, while still skiing moguls at a good clip. I attribute this to my mental prep of trail scanning in the summer and continuing it in the winter.”