Ben Husaby Ski Clinic
"This is an education camp, not a training camp." That's how Olympian Ben Husaby characterized the clinic he gave at in Hopewell Junction, NY, over the weekend of August 11 - 12, 2001. The idea for this clinic came from master skier Janice Sibilia, who has been coached by Ben for the last year. Although he got into Hopewell at 3:30 AM the night before, following a 24-hour airline nightmare, he arrived fired up and ready to rock. The 19 attendees ranged from new to the sport to long-time skiers. We listened in a large circle in the parking lot of the Monte Rosa Lodge as Ben expounded on his approach to training and skiing.
Through the entire weekend, he didn't just say "Get your hips forward" or "Go as hard as you can for 90 seconds." Whether it was ski technique, eating right, or physiology, Ben explained why something was good to do before he had you go ahead and do it. Saturday morning featured maximum heart rate testing, as one way to determine proper training zones. Ben explained both the protocol and how one could use maximum heart rate to determine training zones. Then we set out on a warmup on a nearby section of the Appalachian Trail. Next we did a couple of easy uphill intevals, and then one by one the max HR test.
Over lunch Ben discussed physiology and how it relates to skiing; afterwards we caravaned into a subdivision for a presentation on the "new skate" technique. He characterized it as "leg-centric" instead of "arm-centric," noting that there were different schools of thought on how to teach it. He is a big proponent of no-poles skating and has his junior skiers at Mt Bachelor doing a lot of it. We broke into 2 groups: one got instruction from Ben while the other free skiied; then we switched. Following this, we repaired to the Monte Rosa Inn for dinner, with a presentation on nutrition.
As an aside, the Monte Rosa Inn totally fits the bill for rustic lodging. It's a rambling old building with white plaster walls and natural-stained door and window frames downstairs. Next to this was a large open pavilion, where they had a pig roast for another group while we had our clinic. My room had a linoleum floor with a worn, faux Persian rug pattern. The walls were an unusual shade of brown, with very cool '50's modern curtains and about a 40-year-old mattress and springs on the bed. The blanket matched neither the curtains nor the walls nor the floor pattern. The whole operation is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, just below the top of a hill on a narrow dirt road that looks as if it'll wash away with the next big rainstorm.
Ben Husaby, center, leading core strength drill
Sunday started with a classic lesson on the Yorktown Heights rail trail. Again Ben demonstrated, the difference between what one would think is good technique and what is good technique. Then he explained why it works. We split into two groups so he could get a closer look at each individual. Following lunch, we went through a series of core strength exercises and explosive strength drills. Ben noted that everyone in the group would benefit from doing more explosive strength training. That concluded our clinic.
We arrived home a little late but satisfied on Sunday evening, with a laundry list of things to work on. A worthwhile weekend it was.
Strength drill photo courtesy of Janice Sibilia