Mountain Weekend Getaway {Ski Tips from a Pro}

Craving snow and winter weather, Rick and I headed to Stratton, Vermont last weekend for a mountain weekend getaway with Aquaphor.

The weather was gorgeous the second day of our trip, while the first day brought fresh snow and wind to the mountain. When we left New York City it was in the 50s so seeing snow was a treat!

The 45 mph winds meant that it wasn’t the best day for being outside, but it was the perfect day to test out Aquaphor. Which I’ve decided will replace my usual chapstick on my next long run. This stuff stays on forever and completely protected my sensitive lips from the wind.

One of the highlights from the weekend was getting to hang out with Zach Crist, a member of the U.S. Ski Team for 7 years before shifting gears to race ski cross in the X Games where he won a gold medal.

Check out Zack in this preview of Warren Miller’s Wintervention

There were two main tips he said that almost every new skier should pay attention to:

1. Fight the urge to sit back when coming out of a turn. You should actually shift your hips up and forward. It’s counterintuitive, but by shifting your weight forward it enables the ski to grip the snow and therefore make the turn.
2. Your hands are what lead you. They should never be down by your side. They should be out in front of your body in a neutral position, not locked out.

Getting out of NYC was just the thing we needed to shake off our big city blues. The people at Stratton Mountain were the nicest people I’ve encountered in quite some time. I wish I knew what was in that mountain air, so I could bottle it up for all of NYC to breathe.

{The weekend getaway to Vermont was provided by Aquaphor. All opinions and thoughts expressed are all mine}