Meet Ski Utah's Active Après Blogger

The only thing that could make me more excited than being the newest addition to the Ski Utah crew, is if today was a Powder Day! Hey guys, my name is Alyssa Staker and I am the "Active Après" blogger for Ski Utah, who is all about Fitness and Fun! It sounds like a contradiction, but it's called balance. Isn't life all about working hard and playing hard? If you want to know how to be strong, have your heart pumping, and prepare your body for a day/week/season of skiing, but also want to know where to let loose after a day of shredding, then I'm your girl!   

For me, fitness is more than being physically fit and healthy; it’s about conditioning our bodies to enable us to have FUN during the activities we LOVE. We need the endurance to keep up for as long as pow will allow! Originally from Ohio, I have found a wild energy for being active in all the Utah action! I am a certified Occupational Therapist and Group Fitness Instructor living in Park City. Knowing many health benefits of living an active lifestyle, my hope is to encourage and inspire others to get outside, get moving, and feel their quality of life increase with activity level and elevation! 

I want to be prepared for powder, stay in shape, and prevent anything from slowing me down! The Park City mountain biking trails have been quite helpful for building my leg strength and endurance. Southern Utah has also grabbed my attention this past month as I wait for the snow to cover the mountains. I recently took a trip to Moab to ride one of my “Bucket List” trails, The Porcupine Rim. Starting on Burro Pass trail there is a heart pumping climb to 11,150 feet that will make anyone feel winded. Slick rock is great fun, but very technical. We were lucky enough to not have had any injuries or flat tires which made the ride even more fantastic! After returning to the car, the only thing the guys could think about were burgers and beers from Moab Brewery. I'm more of a whiskey and wine girl, so I was happy we ended the day with wine tasting with the crew at Castle Creek Winery! We brought a few bottles back to our camp site for calming night caps around a camp fire. It made my Moab "Glamping" experience complete!   

Planning for success, pushing past limits safely, and powerfully accomplishing goals thought to be unattainable are what my focus is on this season. I have set a goal to ski/snowboard all fourteen Utah resorts this winter, and to show ways to be active and have fun everywhere! I am anxious to travel, buckle my boots, and hit the slopes! Until then, I will continue getting pumped for the pow! I will run, lift, hike, pedal my bike and throw back Fireball from a Shot Ski as the cold weather starts to roll in. I hope to see you out there!   

XOXO, Bring on the SNOW!