Alta/Snowbird, UT March 7-10, 2026

Tony Crocker said:
It will be 8 days off when we get to the Alps next week. But yes my circumstances may be changing. My stamina for skiing has never been quite in Tseeb's class but it was not far off that to age 70. So overall I look at the glass as more than half full considering what I was doing during my first decade of retirement.
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Obviously and needless to say, it does get tougher as you get older to maintain your conditioning. I'm almost 70 and I definitely have "slowed" down. What do you do off-season for conditioning and exercising?
 
My best exercise 1990-2019 was step aerobics. Besides the cardio, all the lateral motion was great for skiing. I never felt there was any gradual warmup period for ski seasons those years. Sometimes opening day here means top of Mammoth steeps in high density snow, so you need to be prepared for that.

Step aerobics was a fad in the 1990's, and COVID gym closures killed off the remnant classes at 24 Hour Fitness (free with age 65+ Silver Sneakers). I hike up the hills a block from my house, usually about 800 vertical, and in the warmer months swim laps in my pool. FYI it was 98F at my house today and I swam laps (pool is 72) a month earlier than I have ever done before. Some years with Gray May the pool does not get this warm until June. Forecast is 3 more days of 95+ and a week in mid-80s after that.

Since age 70 I will generally spend half an hour on an elliptical machine after yoga classes.
 
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Tony Crocker said:
I skied 25 out of 29 days Feb. 9 - Mar. 9. I’ve never been this consistently tired, so average vertical is way down.
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Shortly after Iron Blosam I looked up the other month-long Canadian road trips to compare, misplaced that info until I started packing for the upcoming trip.

In Jan/Feb 2012 I skied 27 out of 31 days, 434K vertical, 139K of powder, included 8 days of cat skiing.
In Feb/Mar 2013 I skied 23 out of 28 days, 386K vertical, 74K of powder, included 4 days cat and one day heli.
In Feb/Mar 2026 I skied 28 out of 35 days, 440K vertical, 96K of powder, included 6 days of cat skiing.

Vertical per day is in the 16K range on all of those trips vs. lifetime more like 19K. But subjectively I was way more tired this time.
 
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