RogerZ made a point that on his upcoming UT trip, he plans to take it easy the first couple of days so as not to wear himself out to soon. I did just that that on a five day trip there last year, peaked on the third day @ snowbird, started dogging it fourth day @ the canyons, crashed and burned the last day at snowbasin.

Many of us, i suspect, get a day here and a couple days there locally, then the big trip comes. I've been fortunate enuf this season to have several 4 day weekends @ tline under my belt, so i'm asking for roger, you know how shy he can be .

My questions are, do any of you do anything special to get ready for the "big Trip"; is it better to pace yourself or go down in a blaze of glory?

Pacing usually implies you know what's up ahead. Nothing ever goes like I plan it, so I just "ski it like I mean it" for as long as I can. If it's a day with good snow and weather, my thinking is you should capitalize on it because you never know what's around the corner. Could be poor weather. Could be an injury. Could be your burrito dinner taking a little revenge. Multiply any of the above by the number of family members along on the trip.

I do think we all need to be careful of the effects of elevation/altitude when heading out West. That involves more education and prep than pacing, I think. Make sure you're in good athletic shape. Be aware of your limitations, drink a LOT of water while skiing, and ski sensibly.

My last major trip out west was in 1998, and I skied 4 days straight and then fizzled out big time on the last day for the plane ride home. Seemed about right to me!

Craig

Skier,
The training is the biggest part. I spent 8 days in Colorado earlier this month. I train all year (Run, Bike, Lift Weights) but starting in September, I increased the biking, and started throwing in a lot of 15 - 20 rep sets of leg extensions. I was still sucking wind at the 11,600 - 12,000 foot peaks in Summit County but I lasted all 8 days

-Warren-

Ski like its your job
drink like a fish
stretch like a swami
eat like a pig
sleep like a baby
repeat daily

besides the obvious ski alot and be in good shape, everyone skis harder and longer out west than they do here. Iv got 45 or so days this year on snow and i get whipped after 4 days straight. I usually dont stop for lunch or anything just pack some food along with me.
Although i just got back from Fernie BC for 9 days and skied all but 2 days.

They say in general that Americans take shorter vacations these days, maybe more frequently, but less duration. Personally, years ago I used to take full week ski vacations where I traveled one day, skied for 3 straight days, then took a day off, then skied two more days, then traveled home last day. It was always the last two days of skiing after the rest day that I really felt comfortable and in the groove for strongest skiing. Like a lot of folks some of my more recent multiday trips are only for 3-5 days in length and I ski 3-5 days consecutively and it makes for a more intense and demanding trip, sometimes involving skiing right after the plane trip out or skiing just before hopping on plane back. Couple that action level with aging and it leads to more fatigue or burn out. Pacing yourself by sticking to groomers a high percent of the time on first day or two, or taking a little catnap at lunchtime, etc. on consecutive day ski trip is a good idea. Taking a day off for rest or sightseeing seems so wasteful or extravagant now. I took a day off in Austria on a 7 day trip a couple years ago to see the city of Salzburg - fantastico!

Jimmy,
One thing I do is try to stay in Denver or SLC the first night I arrive to better acclimate to the altitude.
I have noticed that as I age high altitude skiing becomes a pain in the lungs, especially if not in great shape.
My experience is that the third day on the slopes is the killer, so I try to take it easy that day. I also stop skiing when I notice that my legs are not responding as they should, or that I begin to make "mistakes". We all want to ski, ski, ski when on the big trip, but too much can lead to injury and the loss of skiing time.
And to help combat the altitude, DRINK LOTS OF WATER, especially when on the slopes.
One last thought: most Western resorts have plenty of high speed lifts, which means that you ski far more vertical in a shorter time than you do back east on smaller mountains. So stopping when you fell fatigue does not equate to the old adage of skiing from ropes down to closing.
The Colonel