Wholistic Fitness

Coach Ilg authors a new national fitness column and gets First Tracks!

– This one is going out to new DL Reader and outdoor warrior; Jay Vasquez at Backcountry.com –

Flagstaff mountain athlete and coach Steve Ilg took
advantage of the season’s first snowfall on the San Francisco Peaks on Wednesday morning
and captured the coveted “First Tracks Of The Season” prize. Coach Ilg ran/snowshoed from the base of SnowBowl Ski Area (9,600′) to the top of the Agassiz Ridge (12,300+) and back down in under two hours.

Steve is training for the 2006 National
Snowshoe Championships in Vermont this winter and is organizing a National Qualifier for the event here in Flagstaff this January. Please visit the national governing body for snowshoeing racing at:

http://www.snowshoeracing.com/home.htm

and enjoy Coach’s new monthly Column: RUNNING ON WATER!
and
PUh-LEEEEEZE….JOIN USSA TODAY!

I need your help to make Sport Snowshoeing the National Winter Sport!
Help reduce the FAT of our NATIONAL TRIBE and START “RUNNING ON WATER”, baby!

here are some shots from my workout…

…The road more travelled…

The road less travelled…

Lowest Left: Gettin’ High, baby! Rocky Mountain High! Looking down at Fremont Peak’s summit plume.

Looking at the magnificent sweeping summit ridge of Agassi Peak.Lowest Right: Looking down my Descent Route; you sure you wanna piece of THIS? Mountain yoga, baby; Why do you think i created Wholistic Fitness and eat the SUNRIDER herbs? A Mountain Yogi must have strong, supple, well nourished joints and super fast reflexes commanded from a quiet, no-drama mind to snowshoe run down this! Break a leg, baby! WF is Bardo Training! How calm can you be during intense situations? One of my techniques to navigate this super steep, multi-obstacled, thin snow covered slope is to intentionally set off mini avalanches, get on the tails of my s’shoes and ski them until the next upcoming tree, rock, or cliff band, then swim off to the side and launch into another self-created avalanche. I call this technique, “San Juan Surfin'” since i created it in the San Juan Mountains above Durango. The great thing about Sport Snowshoes are their inherent versatility and light weight. Try skiing down this and you’re gonna be entering the Bardo with crushed bones…or at least your ski’s will! Snowshoes can go anywhere and are easily quivered over patches of dry land or up technical ice or rock.