Follow Dan @ www.boston.com/egan

This new blog can be found at www.boston.com/sports or www.boston.com/egan

More About Dan Egan

Dan Egan thrives on action and has been at the forefront of the extreme sports scene since the mid 1980s. As a pro athlete, Egan pioneered extreme skiing and the extreme sports industry. He has led adventure trips around the world from the Alps to the Arctic. His company skiclinics.com runs camps and clinics across North America, Europe and South America. Dan Egan is a writer, world- renowned extreme skiing pioneer and an award-winning and Emmy nominated media producer.

Check out our new videos in our Gallery, you’ll see videos from Big Sky, Killington, Val D Isere and more.  The video page will be updated more and more with all of our winter activities.  Also you can now follow Dan Egan on his new blog at Boston.com.  Check out Edging the Xtreme @ Boston.com/egan

Lucas skis France

So you want to take a ski clinic… Well here is what our clients are saying about us….

“Thank you so much for an amazing, enlightening clinic. i ended the program feeling that my love for skiing had been rejuvenated, even as my body tried to hold…on…to…that…last...turn… unbuckled boots and all! I loved the program. Your enthusiasm is infectious and motivating. So are your love and respect for skiing and the mountains.”  - Annie

Another key to early season skiing is making sure that you take 5-10 minutes and do some stretching exercises. This will loosen up your muscles and help you avoid an early season injury. Calves, thighs and hamstring muscles need a warm-up before they start to do their job. I make it a habit and take 5-10 minutes to stretch before I ski each and every time, all season long. So, take a few minutes – it will go a long way towards helping you have a great day on the slopes!

Now your gear is ready, muscles are stretched, so what’s next? Fuel! Your body needs fuel to burn for a long day of skiing & muscles need energy to burn. In the morning, a healthy breakfast is key. I enjoy hot oatmeal with a bit of honey, a banana along with a glass of O.J. The banana and orange juice will give you potassium & the oatmeal give to some healthy carbs. This is a quick, healthy meal that only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Don’t forget to Hydrate throughout the day too – Water and sport drinks will keep you hydrated and it is just as easy to become dehydrated during the winter months as it is during the summer. So, remember these healthy nutrition tips to keep your engine running while enjoying your day on the mountain.

A combination of tuned gear, stretching your muscles, a healthy pre-ski meal and hydrating throughout the ski day will keep you skiing smooth and flying down the mountain at your favorite resort!

Doug’s tips for the new season

By creating proper upper body position, your lower body can create the angles needed for solid ski technique. If the upper body is positioned over the feet, with hands and shoulders slightly in front of the feet, your feet will then follow your body downhill, creating the proper lower body position for edge pressure. A very pronounced proper upper body stance will provide many benefits including less fatigue and more control over a variety of terrain.

Many skiers are skiing in a neutral stance, or slightly aft of center, with shoulders over their heels. This is compounded when hands drop or linger behind between turns. To correct this, keep your arms extended and reach for each pole plant. As you plant your pole to initiate the next turn, move your hip to your hand. This keeps your upper body over your feet and by doing this between turns, your upper body will realign its self between turns.

Remember skis are designed to accelerate. If you carve a turn correctly your feet will jet out in front of your body. When you don’t realign your body over your feet, your speed will increase with each turn and your only defense will be to skid your tails at the end of the turn to keep any sense of control. However, if you focus on your pole plants and reach your hands down the hill and snap your hip to your hands as you initiate the next turn ( again, I don’t think this is clear) you will find that your speed will become consistent while you gain more control and confidence. Then you can ski more diverse terrain such as steeper trails and a variety of conditions.

Proper Upper Body is the key to good skiing. The realignment of the upper body I am suggesting will allow the lower body to find its natural position, remain in balance, and this will allow you to create edge angle as your carve your skis.

Powder skiing is about position and not strength. Most recreational skiers make two basic mistakes when skiing powder, first they over turn their skis and two they lean back. This combination creates frustration and a cry for more grooming.

Remember these simple tips on the next powder day…

1)     Ski the slope in sections; always know where you are going to stop before you start to ski. This will give you a goal. It doesn’t matter if its two turns or five turns away.

2)     Don’t over turn your skis; let the friction of the snow slow you down.

3)     Stand tall between turns, this will move your hips over your feet and allow you stay in a balanced position.

Skiing the slope in sections is a powerful technique because if you can make three great turns and stop and repeat that again and again you’ll have a great over all run and not be worn out from the falls that occur on the fourth and fifth turn! Plus this will build confidence that will eventually allow you to ski longer sections.

Not over turning your skis is very important in deep snow. Remember the friction of the snow will slow your skis down and if you allow this to happen you will notice that the turn initiation will become much easier and you’ll have more energy to ski consistently in the section of slope you have chosen to ski.

And finally standing tall between turns will provide you with an athletic stance that will take the pressure off of your thighs and allow your position to turn the skis rather than your strength.  And the result will be that you’ll be able to stop at the location you originally selected at the top of your section of the slope.

Remember, powder skiing is the ultimate experience on skis and if you approach it in this manner you can begin to unlock the magic that awaits you when you ski powder with position and not strength.