No matter how your races or skiing went this season, the winter is starting to melt away. That means it’s time to transition away from snow and racing, into a different time of year. You’re probably looking forward to summer activities, or maybe into your next season of training. Either way, I’ve found it really helpful to take a little break from skiing stuff in that yucky time of year where there’s no good snow, and trails haven’t really dried up. Here are some things I’ve learned are helpful during this transition phase.

1.Take some time off

I’ve found it really helpful to take a break from skiing and focused training in April, as is common with a lot of skiers. It gives your body and mind some time to recover from whatever you did all winter, and gets you stoked for the summer! I like to spend more time with friends and catch up with school and work stuff. Lots of people also travel to really get away, but I like to relax at home. Whatever it is, the goal is to be ready to hit the summer hard when you come out of the break.

2.Tune up that bike and get some new shoes

This really helps when it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Replace some of that training or snow time with getting all your summer gear ready. The earlier you can do it, the better, because bike shops get busy, and it’s really nice to have everything ready to roll when the trails are dry. Also, new shoes are key to preventing injuries. It’s great to have some extra cushion and spring for those legs that might not have seen pavement in 3 or 4 months.

3.Take care of those skis

This is an easy one, but your skis will thank you when the snow falls again. Look up some protocols for storage, but the gist is to clean them off with a fiber cloth or brush, maybe some wax remover, possibly even a hot scrape, and definitely a coat of non-fluorinated wax. Putting your skis away bare, as they are, will oxidize the bases and they won’t take wax as well in the future.

4.Running progression

There are tons of articles and info about this, so I won’t go too far into it, but making a solid plan for building up miles for the summer is very important in the quest to avoid injury. It’s way better to take it slow and be patient now than to go too fast and miss out on great running when you need it more. Seriously, get on the internet now and let some smarter people tell you how to do it. Or visit a PT, they’re very good at it

5.Reflect and look forward

It’s also a great time to look back at your season, however you can do it best. I like to look at my training log and see where I had success, and where I didn’t. I then look at the time leading up to those periods, and what it did correctly or poorly. This is super helpful when you want to make a plan for the next year. It’s also really helpful to go through this with someone that was aware if your training, ideally a coach, but a training partner can also be a great asset. Once you have an idea of the flow of the previous year, I’d put those thoughts into writing, and apply them to your future plans. Also set some goals, but keep it broad and adaptable. All of this together sets a good foundation for targeting a solid progression in the months to come.

Take some time, and make it count! Next winter is only a few months away. Time to Enjoy Summer.