{"id":2441447,"date":"2019-03-07T12:48:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T19:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/theyre-all-good-dayssub-local-hardcores-give-a-few-thoughts-on-keeping-it-fresh\/"},"modified":"2019-03-07T12:48:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T19:48:00","slug":"local-hardcores-give-a-few-thoughts-on-keeping-it-fresh-on-the-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/local-hardcores-give-a-few-thoughts-on-keeping-it-fresh-on-the-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Local hardcores give a few thoughts on keeping it fresh on the mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We are more than 100 days into a ski season that likely will last longer than advertised. Recent powder days aside, it is that time of the year when motivation can become a bear.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, you get up and think: \u201cWell, it\u2019s only 5 inches of fresh snow. Is that really worth it?\u201d #AspenProblems, right?<\/p>\n

While the physical toll of skiing and snowboarding can put some folks on the sideline for a day or two, a playground like ours is hard to just look at from the window.<\/p>\n

For many seasoned skiers and riders, getting on the hill is a compulsive endeavor each day \u2014 an addiction of sorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollow your nose and listen to your instincts and that will guide you to the right place,\u201d said Doran Laybourn, a 38-year-old professional snowboarder and Basalt High graduate. \u201cDon\u2019t force it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And maybe that\u2019s the key. Go when you feel it, sit back when you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

While Laybourn gets in more than 100 days on the mountain (resort or backcountry) each season, he says exploring a new place or just trying a new line on a familiar run can be equally exciting. He grew up a skier in the Aspen club, and has covered pretty much every inch of the four local mountains.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s another one of the tricks for staying stoked over a long winter.<\/p>\n

In an effort to find ways to \u201ckeep it interesting,\u201d we asked Laybourn and a number of dedicated local skiers and riders how they keep it fresh. What games do you play?<\/p>\n

One suggestion was to try to ski every run once in the season at all four resorts. For the record, there are 338 runs spread across Skico\u2019s 5,537 acres. Yeah, doesn\u2019t sound so easy when you look at it like that.<\/p>\n

A less daunting challenge is try to ride each of a mountain\u2019s lifts in a day. That\u2019s a lot more attainable, but it will take some doing at Snowmass, where 20 of Aspen Skiing Co.\u2019s 38 lifts are spinning.<\/p>\n

We live in an area with passionate skiers. But even the most committed have their moments of doubt.<\/p>\n

Mikey Wechsler is a longtime local who is well-known for his pursuit of not only the coveted \u201c100-day\u201d pin that Skico awards to those who hit the century mark in a season but also skiing well past that mark: Every. Single. Day.<\/p>\n

Wechsler, 58, has a superhuman level of passion. His \u201cclaim to fame,\u201d as he puts it, is that 2018-19 is his ninth consecutive season of skiing every day. He said the last time he missed a day that Aspen Mountain was open was in 2010 when he missed four.<\/p>\n

He figures he\u2019s had at least 15 seasons tallying 100 days. Wechsler, who works at a local bar and restaurant, has had his moments of angst over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you ski every day, it\u2019s a lot of ups and downs,\u201d he said. \u201cSome days, like the powder days, you wish it could be like this every day. And sometimes it feels like I have someone else\u2019s boots on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of boots, one trick passed along from a longtime Skico higher-up was shooting for a crossover day \u2014 skiing, snowboarding and telemark in one shift.<\/p>\n

And if you are not capable in one (or even two) of those disciplines, try to become more disciplined in your technique.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re busting through consecutive powder days like the ones we\u2019ve had in the past week, it\u2019s in the front of mind to stay balanced on your skis or back on your board. But when you are pushing through a dry week and you\u2019re on day six of groomers, complacency can set in.<\/p>\n

Bobbi Teliska moved to Aspen nine years ago. Now 71, she\u2019s gotten in nearly 90 days this season, and is on track for her eighth 100-day season.<\/p>\n

And like so many others, it\u2019s not about the pin. It\u2019s about being on the mountain.<\/p>\n

Teliska said she works nearly every day to master the Clendenen Ski Method to become a better moguls skier and be solid on her technical skiing on the black runs. She takes the first run each day to focus on her feet to get a sense of balance and correct form before going to hit the big stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me it\u2019s an art and something that can be experienced differently each day,\u201d she said. \u201cEach day offers a new perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes perspective can be gained out on the hill with just your thoughts and the lift. For many of the people who get out four or five times a week, more often than not they are solo days.<\/p>\n

Mixing a little quiet time and perhaps a bit of poetry is a way to be in tune on some days. Other days, it could be starting alone, meeting up with friends and then back to solo.<\/p>\n

Those are the days when you\u2019re able to do what you want, when you want. Do 10 laps off the same chair? Sure. Sing to your music at the top of your lungs? No problem. Pickup a paperback of nature poetry from Thoreau or Wordsworth and do some light reading on the lift? Have at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkiing is such a great way to get your day going, and any day on the mountain is a good day,\u201d Wechsler said. \u201cI\u2019m always in a much better mood. Skiing is like mental floss. It puts you in a good state of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

dkrause@aspentimes.com<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are more than 100 days into a ski season that likely will last longer than advertised. Recent powder days aside, it is that time of the year when motivation can become a bear. Sometimes, you get up and think: \u201cWell, it\u2019s only 5 inches of fresh snow. Is that really worth it?\u201d #AspenProblems, right? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2441447","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 00:11:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2441447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441447\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2441447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2441447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2441447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}