If you’re like me, you can’t wait to get back on the mountain and take that first run – but are you ready? As a 56 year old ski racer this question has crossed my mind many times. 5 years ago I decided to get serious about racing. Since then I have had some great success. This past season out of the 21 races I entered I won 16 medals - 10 of them were gold! During the past 5 years I’ve tried just about everything which could make me a better skier. This summer I discovered the secret weapon that develops “race tough” legs for better skiing. Before I give it away I’d like to share with you a few more details on my history as a racer.
In August 2000, I was at a stage in my life where I wanted to get in excellent shape and really be dedicated to ski racing. I got on a plane and went to Zermatt for some pre-season race training with Michel Pratte. My coach was Jacko Graton, Director of Racing at Club du Ski Mont Tremblant. He strongly advised me to join the club’s junior training program of 15 to 18 year olds and start from scratch. This may seem a little strange for someone in their 50’s to have been racing with teenagers but it was a great way to build a solid foundation.
After four years of racing with the juniors I decided that I could be competitive in the Canadian National Masters series. My first year of Masters racing (last year), was great as I accumulated the medals I spoke of earlier. In addition, I also had the honor of being Captain of the Canadian International Masters Team for the World Masters Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho. Sounds good, but something was missing…
Although I considered my results over the past 5 seasons to be quite respectable, my intuition told me that I could do better. I discussed this point with my good race friend Howard Cole from Toronto. Howard wins just about every race in his class and has also done a lot of study into the mechanics of skiing as it relates to physical conditioning. It was at this point that he told me about his secret weapon… the Skier’s Edge machine. The Skier’s Edge is a skiing simulator and exercise machine which exactly duplicates the motions and techniques of downhill skiing. Howard had been using one to stay in shape and refine his racing form. I was intrigued and was dying to try one.
When I arrived in Sun Valley this past March for the FIS Masters World Championships I met another great racer from the USA. He had the fastest overall time in the GS at the World Championships and also wins just about every race he enters, Victor Roy from Oregon. One night at race headquarters, I had a similar talk with Victor about physical conditioning. Low and behold, he told me about his secret weapon... yes, it was the same as Howard Cole’s – the Skier’s Edge machine!
The Skier’s Edge company was the title sponsor of the World Championships and they had brought an array of machines for people to try and work out on. From my first few seconds on the machine I knew that this was truly a weapon for dominating the mountain. As chance would have it, I also had the pleasure of meeting Joel Loane, inventor of the Skier’s Edge, and his wife Joanne, a fellow Canadian and president of the company. Our conversation went right to the point and Joel pointed to the podium and said… “Peter, I think that’s where you want to be standing right now.”
Suffice it to say that a machine arrived at my house in early June and I immediately got down to the business of building "race tough" legs. When I began playing ice hockey in mid-June,
I noticed something different... my legs were stronger than they’d ever felt in the past 5
seasons. I play center position which requires a lot of quick acceleration, outside leg extension, and stamina. All of these are similar to what we do while skiing. My training jaunts on my mountain bike had also become longer, stronger and faster than what was typical for me during June. I’m really impressed with the power of the Skier’s Edge machine and I have begun an intensive program to be ready for the opening IMC races in Chile this September.
Yes, I will be ready this season. With Skier’s Edge training in hand, my confidence level will allow me to focus on going faster with strength and control. Stay tuned to see how things unfold… Click here
