nickwarrenn

Summer is coming, and I need something to do. Either one or a combination of a few.
So far I've been considering:

Skateboarding (Did it when I was young, could only ever ollie. It seems to me that skateboarding is so small, grinds are only ever a couple feet, unlike snowboarding.)
Longboarding (looks like a lot of fun soaring down paved roads, although I don't think there is many near me.)
Freebording (similar to longboarding and snowboarding, seems like fun.)
Summer snowboarding (astroturf/lattice rail setup, build the whole thing myself, have fun with mates, get rails on lock down.)
Singletrack mtb type of biking (There is quite a few trails locally, I have a 09' norco rival, although I hate climbing with a passion. Out of shape/don't like hard cardio/bike is heavy/forks are super soft on tightest. I'd also take an argo out with friends and build some north shore type stuff.)
Dirt jumping biking (new park was made last summer, although I've always been pretty bad at it.)
BMX (Looks like fun.)


I'd like to improve my snowboarding, ideally I'd like to live Alaska spring riding, but dreams can be dreams. So then, what do I choose? I'd rather not waste a bunch of money, but I have no problem spending a bit if I'll love it.

poutanen

Something to keep your legs in shape in the off season. I would think mountain biking in Nova Scotia would be the best of the options.

I plan on kayaking a lot this summer, and doing some hiking and mountain biking for the legs. The thrill will be kayaking though.

I used to rollerblade a LOT when I was in my late teens and my legs were in really good shape. I didn't realize how good until I stopped rollerblading regularly. Now every fall it hurts for the first couple days on the snowboard.

If you want something more extreme what about rock climbing or something? No idea about NS but doesn't the rock have a lot of cliffs you could climb? That'd help the legs!

nickwarrenn

Kayaking would be fun, I did a couple of rentals last summer and traveled down rapids (once again, I'm outta shape/lazy.) Rock climbing is a possibility, I've always wanted to do it. There is a gym a couple hours from me, but the research I've done tells me that NS mostly has bouldering, rather than rope climbing.

+1 Biking
+I should look into climbing
+I forgot about hiking/camping.


Thanks!

neutralmlkhotel

Long boarding is amazing especially when the shred season gets closer!!

For muscular endurance try crossfit. I know a lot of people that do it and love it, they also train for Tough Mudder.

I personally longboard, bodyboard, XC mountain bike and do strongman (something about lifting 900lbs tires puts some hair on your chest).

Oh yea, I forgot to throw in bouldering/rock climbing. If you want to get into that BIG mountain style of riding, than you have to learn how to do this.

poutanen

Yeah the biggest thing holding me back this year are my quads. I've hiked a few times at Lake Louise to get some of the untouched terrain, but find by the time I'm up where I want to drop in my legs are done. Do that a few times in a day and you're beat to shit. Methinks hiking and rock climbing would be one of the best things to strengthen this part for next year.

neutralmlkhotel

I read an interview with Bode Miller which stated that he does hill sprints, interval runs, and singled squats to prep for ski season. I changed around my work out and added the interval runs, single legged squats and a leg work out called the FML finisher. First day of the season I was charging hard after 6 hours and still ready for more.

FML Finisher

Donutz

Waitaminnit, are we supplying hobby suggestions or off-season training? Some of these suggestions are not exactly fun.

__________________

Illegitimi non carborundum

Mountain Days: 30

poutanen

About a month ago I did a workout that killed my legs for about 6 days.

- warmed up for 10 mins of jogging on the treadmill
- single leg presses (max weight I could do about 8 reps for 3 sets)
- jogged a few laps around the track
- did one leg ball squats (ball against a wall, back on the ball, holding 20 lb weights in each hand)
- sprinted a lap in between sets
- did one leg calf raises using kettle weights
- sprinted a lap between sets
- stood on the balance board that sort of replicates a snowboard, did squats while balancing on the board
- sprinted between sets
- passed out

It was great but it took my legs so long to recover I almost missed a snowboarding trip the next weekend. I think I'll start this workout in the off-season and do it once every couple weeks to really shock my legs. Fun stuff!

snowklinger

Hiking is cool and works alot of the same muscles as snowboarding - all legs. Plus it can be cheap and easy to access anywhere. Multi-day packing trips are fun, but so are goal-oriented daytrips like ascending a ranked peak. I always thought "going for a walk" was bullshit, but getting to a trailhead at 3am and going on a 15mile, 3-5k vertical hike gets me fucking amped. Not to mention how good stream-cached beer is on the way back down!

__________________
is it late october yet?

poutanen

Yeah I've done a few multi-day hikes into Algonquin park. The first time in my pack was 60 pounds (brought the beer with me) and it wasn't exactly fun. Since then I've learned to pack light and got my pack down to 35 pounds for a 3 day hike (and that included a large inflatable bed for the girlfriend).

The great thing is once you have the gear it's almost free. Backcountry fees are around $10-20 a day in most parks that I know of. Can't wait to get into more day trips now that I'm living near the Rockies. There are a few peaks near me that I've heard you can hike and board into July. Thinking that'd be a cool way to extend the season and keep the legs in shape!