I returned from Alaska in late February, and adjusted to changing snow conditions in the Wasatch. Utah saw a few great storms this March, but also some intense warming periods. It made splitboarding a little more dicey at times.

Some days it was nearly 60 degrees by noon, meaning you had to start early in the day to catch corn conditions. Some days it dropped below freezing, and dumped multiple feet of powder.

These back-and-forth temperature swings gave me an opportunity to mix up my schedule. Instead of touring four or five days a week, I rode inbounds at Snowbird and weight trained.

Riding inbounds is not my favorite thing to do, but it is a necessary part of dialing in my snowboarding skills. Kind of like going to the gym, you have to put in reps to improve your turns. I was happy to lap the Bird. Most of the runs are 2,000 to 3,000 feet long, just like big lines in the backcountry.

I worked on a lot of single-leg isolation movements, and otherwise balancing out structural issues that are inevitable when you stand sideways all year on a snowboard. I started to feel more balanced and less fatigued from snowboarding.

March training felt like a downshift. Snowboarding, no matter how in shape you are, gives your body an unbelievable beating over the course of a season. Climbing, carrying a pack, riding variable conditions, landing airs all test the limits of your fitness and strength.

That said, you can really get your body back into shape and prevent injury with a few weeks of mid-season training. It was pretty refreshing to experience this tune-up this March, and feel better prepared for the spring touring season.