By: Justin Arndt, Rocky Mountain Cross Country Committee Chair
Some of us spent the summer relaxing our way down rivers, others grinded out a job to make ends meet, and yet others chased the “eternal winter.” Whatever it is you spent your summer doing, the inevitable Rocky Mountain winter is drawing near. And whether you’re excited, or you have some other, completely valid emotion, the time for ski season will be here before you know it.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha (of which I’d bet there are some in your ski school) have a term for making the most of something: “maxxing.” For instance, one may enjoy the rest of the summer by “maxxing” in certain activities that make you happy. Sunmaxxing, Bikemaxxing, Rivermaxxing, Travelmaxxing, to name a few.
Summer’s gonna be gone soon, replaced by shorter days and frozen precipitation in the mountains. I would suggest you make a list of what’s important before the snow starts flying. Do you want to get a few more bike rides in? What about that long-distance trail run you’ve been meaning to do? How about the birdhouse you’ve been meaning to put up in your garden? Go summermaxx!!
Now, this isn’t just a silly word that Gen Z and Alpha have adopted. I think there’s a lesson to be found in the concept of making the most of what you’ve got while you’re in the moment or in the place.
Last winter was tough on us all in the Southern/Central Rockies. We know that. And there’s genuinely no exact telling what the future holds for this winter. But… one thing is certain. Winter is going to come at some point. And when it does, we have to be ready for it! Ready to enjoy the powder days that we do get (ie: powermaxxing). Ready to enjoy the lessons that we do enjoy teaching (ie: clientmaxxing). Ready to enjoy the bluebird Rocky Mountain days on the snow that are inevitable (ie: sunmaxxing).
So, as we’re wrapping up summermaxxing, what needs to happen to optimize the inevitable wintermaxxing?? Well, you’re in luck – I’ve created a little checklist of things to do before the snow starts flying, so you can be ready for the day the snow starts calling your name.
- Stretch. And start building a routine around it.
- Strengthen. Hopefully you’ve been doing this all summer, but if you haven’t, consider learning some ways to strengthen your knees, shoulders, and core. Build it into your schedule and maintain the routine. There’s nothing worse than not being able to work because of injury.
- Scrape and tune your skis.
- Find your buff, goggles, gloves, and boot dryer. They’re buried somewhere.
- Write your aspirations and goals for the season. Writing them down is the first step to helping them come to fruition.
- Check in with an old friend. Soon enough, you’ll be busy – keep the connections that matter.
I hope that list felt practical. The snow is coming. Get up and get ready for it. And don’t forget… while we’re still in this season before the snow’s flying, go do something that makes you happy. Say “farewell” to summer. Go maxx it up.
Justin’s favorite kind of summermaxxing – firelookoutmaxxing:
