Snowboarding with my son James on Grouse Mountain B.C.

The Peak of Vancouver

Up the chair lift with James, my dreams come true.

Snowboarding with James on Grouse Mountain B.C

My Snowboarding day with Jamie

The day was crisp with some sunshine peaking through, a perfect winter day with fantastic snow conditions. We rode from top to bottom on all the hills with an exciting run down the double black diamonds ” the outer limit”.

It is with great pleasure for me to share that, my creative process and intentions that I wrote  at the start of this year have come true.

I have moved to Winnipeg Manitoba this year and I was not sure if my snowboarding and skiing days would be coming to a close, not for the lack of passion but the availability to travel.

It is with heartfelt gratitude that I would like to thank Mike, my loving husband , to help make this come true.

The key for me was to be grateful for my health and  have a clear vision to be positive and develop harmonious relationships with my family.

I previously shared that my son James was on his own journey to discover a new life in North Vancouver B.C and my own intention to continue my passion of snowboarding.  This is a precious moment that we shared together on our life journey.

Snowboarding and skiing is an activity that is close to my heart and  I am happy to share  these experiences with my family.

I spent a wonderful day snowboarding  at Grouse Mt. with James.  It is my dream come true.

I am blessed and proud to have the priviledge to have such a wonderful son.  A thoughtful and warm  hard working young man.

I am very proud of all you have accomplished James.

It is a powerful indication again that what we strongly wish for will somehow happen in ways that are unique.

It is a miracle on how how my dreams have come true when I have complete faith in the 12 steps of success and riches that I follow.

It is one of my most important intentions  to have close and harmonious connection with my family.

I am once again grateful for the mysterious ways we are guided by a universal force with a strong applied faith.

To  live in the moment and be aware of what it is that I want and be open when the opportunity arises.

If it can happen to me it can also happen to anyone.  Remember to have faith and to apply that faith at every opportunity.

Live in the moment.

with loving kindness and gratitude

may the light in me shine out to the light in you

Namaste

Love Visma

Winter in the English Garden, Winnipeg Mb

My writing Intention for Vital Self- Management

by Visma Mesley

Vital Self-management was first developed as a means to share my experiences

and share my blessings of the tools and teaching that I have myself learned.

I have researched information on health and nutrition at an early age being an athlete and my university study in Kinesiology,

the study of humans, through health studies, and sciences such as sociology, psychology and physiology.

I would like to deal with categories  of the Mind, Body and Soul.

Life skills I  have found to be the core strength of change in the” Mind Body Soul connection” are:

• writing “ morning pages” as a way to clear your mind and help access  emotions and self awareness.
• setting your intentions for the day with Readings that are inspirational
• exercise and recreational activities for fun and exercise to fit into your own lifestyle
• connecting and understanding women – sharing stories
• research on meditation, yoga , strength training
• using the internet and modern technology to present personal knowledge
• life planning methods which aids in achievement of personal and business goals

It is my intention to record and write my story, my life through out my 50’s.

It has been a very colorful and interesting and if I can share some of this information in a positive way that would be my goal.

My own life and observations when it comes down to a health are these 3 key factors

1. developing a positive attitude
2. nurturing  sound physical health
3. harmony in human relationships

These  are the top 3 of my 12 keys to Success and riches of life.

The theme for this year  2011 is discovering and recovering my  creative Self.

That is my own personal goal and writing is part of this process.

Practical rituals that we can develop or access when the need arises.

Life is ever changing but digging into  that “tool box” when the time is right is often a life changing event.

I would like to develop entertaining ways to get my point across with stories that others can relate to and yet not be instructional but in a softer more personal way.

Stories that allow each one of us come to our own conclusions that resonate at our own pace.

Having Faith

that our life plan does not need to have all the steps laid out in a specific order but to have confidence and the  availability to our own inner voice  that makes each of us unique.

I have  spent my lifetime studying human behavior and our physical body with my previous career and my own unique family and life experience.

It is a topic that is complicated and so unique to all of us, and facinating how we are all interconnected.

It is my intention to find and expose those threadsof beliefs and attitudes that benefit or hinder my own  development  and family.

This journey of finding the best creative means of communication

allowing for my personal freedom to travel and be with my family

and nurture my relationship with my husband, Mike.

with loving kindness and passion

Love Visma

Creating Memories with your Children

Skiing is a Family affair

It is such a joy to create great memories with our family.

What better way than to participate in outdoor sports that the whole family can physically participate.

Including Mom who is taking the pictures enjoying her family and making arrangements for after skiing fun.

It is a time for bonding to grow with stories to tell about the day.

The evenings spent huddled up near a fire or even a hot tub enjoying good food and company.  This is what the ski experience is about.

A time to meet other family members and friends

Enjoy everyday, with what ever comes up and enjoy your children whenever you can.

With loving kindness

Love Visma

My sweet Cami and Gabi enjoying each other and the day

Snowboarding at Chicope Snowboarding and Ski Terrain Park

My Early Snowboarding Days

In approximately 1992 Snowboarding was going to be offered at Chicopee and my son was eager to give it a try.  I too became anxious to try something new and challenging, as our hill was small and I had skied all my life and ready to try something new.

It was going to be a different  experience.  I most enjoyed the feeling of getting some “air”, having comfortable boots and no poles and an easy to handle snowboard that came up to my chin. A snowboard park setting with built in jumps and bumps.

We headed out to Blue Mountain Ski Resort and decided to take a lesson.  James was around 10 years of age and the equipment was very limited back then for children.

The first day we were disappointed that the only size 5 mens the smallest boot was already taken.  We skied that day and headed out to the rental shop and waited for the doors to open, the next morning.

Our first lesson was with “Shred” , Alison Church at Blue Mountain in Collingwood,  on the “Big Baby”.  That was certainly a new experience and we were exhausted after the 1st hour but continued to practice for another.  Although I was far from feeling any confidence, Alison asked if she could contact me for an over 21 yr. women’s group next year.

I was flattered and said I would consider it.  I was 40 yrs. at the time and thrilled invited along  with a new group.

I got the call in the fall decided to take the offer.  We would meet once a month at Blue Mountain for a three hour session.

That worked out perfectly as it was a good distance traveling with my children and arranging for ski lessons for them to keep them occupied was needed. It is great thing to a ski and snowboard school programs to include all the  family members.

I was certainly not experienced so I quickly enrolled for about 3 private lessons with our then snowboarding expert René Olson at Chicopee our local resort.

I arrived at Blue Mountain  with my stylish one piece purple ski suit ( or so I thought) with my floppy Sorrel boots and my early green Burton board that I was going to share with James.  What a sight,  I tumbled and rolled down all the hills but I do not give up easily and finally I got into the groove with the whole process from the riding.

Getting on track with the look of the new snowboarding clothing. Loose and non-matching.  I was hooked!

My Son James at Chicopee 2010

Soon all three of us, James, Leah and I where suited up with new boards and for March break we took our first trip to Mt. Tremblant  in Quebec, that was an experience to be remembered.  We had a great time.

I am proud to say my children are still actively snowboarding and have the confidence to travel to any resort.  I am looking forward to many more memories in the future.

Enjoy the upcoming season!

Yours sincerely

Visma Mesley

http://www.discoverchicopee.com/index.php/about/chicopee_history/

Enjoy your winter. Winter sports are a family affair.

Loving any sport is always about being prepared for the exciting adventures when they present themselves.

It is up to us to be in good health and condition through out the year.

It is the enjoying the journey to enjoy the destination.

Live with Passion

Love Visma

Exercise Tips for getting into Shape for Skiing

If you exercise often, you’ll begin to build your strength and enhance your endurance in the muscle groups used in downhill skiing. You’ll be preparing yourself for the rigors of skiing in the expert zones where both staying power and explosive power are of the utmost importance. First, we’ll get into the why and when you need to exercise, before moving onto the five essential elements of ski-specific exercising.

The ultimate body for an expert skier is powerful, from strong ankles to strong shoulders, and every finely-tuned muscle in between. Remember the last time you watched someone effortlessly weave through a mogul field and wondered, “How does he do that?” It’s partly due to practice, and partly to the body awareness and balance that strength training provides. The expert skier, who is physically strong, instinctively cues every part of his or her body. A fit body is like a well-tuned sports car. It handles effortlessly, acting on subtle intuitions.

Skiing requires a number of athletic abilities including technical, physical, and mental skills. This article is all about the physical requirements of expert skiing. Future articles will deal with the technical aspects of all-terrain skiing, as well as establishing the right mind set. But first, to ski strong you need to be strong.

Why do ski exercises?

If you think skiing exercises are just for serious skiers, think again. Strong muscles improve every skier’s performance, whether he or she is a beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert skier. For those who feel they’ve reached a plateau in their skiing ability, ski exercises may provide the boost you need to reach the next level.

Few sports are as physically demanding as downhill skiing, especially skiing on moguls, in trees, and down steeps. Yet, many skiers hit the slopes after little or no training in the preseason. They pay for it with sore muscles, but that’s only the beginning. The lack of good physical fitness also increases the chances of injury. The most common ski injuries are joint related, and the best way to protect joints is by building muscle. Strong muscles stabilize your joints and, in turn, enable you to control your skis.

In light of the above, this article focuses on building the muscle groups around the joints that skiing taxes the most, including the knees, hips, and ankles. For the knee and ankle joints, we’ll be dealing with the upper leg muscles, including the quads and hamstrings, as well as the lower leg muscles, most noticeably the calves and Achilles tendons. For the hip joints, we’ll be concerned with the core, namely, the hip flexors, glutes, abdominals, groin, and lower back muscles.

Doing the downhill skiing exercises on a regular basis will make your skiing a lot easier, as well as take your skill set to the next level, because you will:

• Build muscle strength in your legs, core, and upper body
• Enhance muscle endurance and staying power for those long runs that never seem to end
• Increase your cardiovascular endurance so you can ski all day long
• Improve your stability and balance in all types of terrain and snow conditions
• Help your foot-to-foot quickness in the tight, tree runs
• Add explosive power for those short, intensive bursts in the mogul fields
• Avoid sore muscles, injuries, and spills

When should you do ski exercises?

Exercising can be done any time you feel like it. However, in the context of the sport of downhill skiing, I recommend you begin exercising at home, two to three months prior to the start of the ski season. If your season kicks off in December, try to begin your preseason conditioning program in late September.

Exercising in the Preseason

However, if you’re already involved in a ski-related conditioning program during the summer months, you’ll be able to shorten you’re fall program from three months to about six weeks. In addition, you should do your ski exercises on three nonconsecutive days each week. This will allow 48 hours between successive work-outs. The muscle groups will have plenty of time to recover.

Does this seem like a lot of work? At first, it will be. But after your first runs of the season, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to link smooth, short-radius turns from top-to-bottom, all day long. You’ll look back up the hill and smile, knowing that your exercise program in the fall was well worth the effort. You will have cleared the first hurdle on the road to expert skiing. Physically, you will now be much stronger!

Exercising during the Season

Strenuous activities like downhill skiing, especially at the expert level, promote tightness and inflexibility in the muscle groups. Therefore, stretching before and after skiing will keep you flexible and help prevent common injuries. Should you do the ski exercises after the season starts?

Yes, definitely. After the season starts you can catch up and get in sync by doing the exercises during the week when you’re not out skiing. If you ski on Saturday and/or Sunday, do the skiing exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays. By exercising throughout the season, as well as skiing, you’ll accelerate the strength building process, and your performance will show a marked improvement.

Exercising in the Postseason

By exercising in the postseason you will maintain your fitness level that you worked hard to implement in the preseason. Aspiring expert skiers need to impart continuity in their conditioning programs throughout the year. Once you become strong, you need to stay strong.

In addition, by participating in a ski-related exercise program from June to September, you’ll be able to ramp up much more quickly in the fall. The summer is also a good time to improve your cardiovascular endurance.

The Five Essentials of Ski-Specific Exercising

Flexibility, cardio, strength, balance, and power are the five essential elements for the expert skier to master. Let’s consider each one of these requirements in turn.

Flexibility: Your range of motion or mobility is of prime importance. Stretching to maintain muscle elasticity, which decreases with age, is vital for skiing. Stretching for skiers will not be covered here, as we have already dealt with this subject in a previous article entitled Ski Fitness for Recreational Skiers.

Cardiovascular Endurance: Aerobic capacity is very important to skiers so they have the stamina to ski in the expert zones, and the endurance to ski all day long. If you wish to improve your cardiovascular fitness, try one of the following activities on three nonconsecutive days per week. Perhaps it would be best to do your cardiovascular routine on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and your strength, balance, and power exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Lap swimming, 25 laps to begin with, increase to 50 laps
• Brisk walking for at least 30 minutes, preferably 45 minutes
• Jogging, 15 to 20 minutes, but no more
• Rowing machine, 15 to 20 minutes
• Treadmill, 15 to 20 minutes
• Cross-country skiing
• Cycling, short sprints are best
• Inline skating, long distances and short sprints are best

Strength and Endurance: Muscular strength improves the expert skier’s ability to relax, yet still maintain control, and to handle the quick adjustments needed in all-terrain skiing. The movements in alpine skiing include all the major muscle groups, so total body muscular strength is of prime importance. You’ll want to do exercises that strengthen your entire body.

With this in mind, target the following ski exercises and muscle groups:

• Essential exercises for the legs – quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calves, and ankles
• Essential exercises for the center – abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Stability and Balance: Why should you care about balance? Well, for starters, it’s the basic skill needed in practically every sport. Changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency in sport. Good balance can help you keep your form when you encounter changing terrain and snow conditions. The result is better skiing and fewer spills.

Slight deviations in terrain often require subtle adjustments in your balance to avoid injury. To enhance your stability and balance, target the following muscle groups:

• Essential exercises for the center – abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Fortunately, the exercises that help improve stability and balance work to build muscle strength and endurance in the core, all at the same time. This can be seen if you look back at the previous topic, Strength and Endurance.

Power and Quickness: To improve your reflexes and foot-to-foot quickness, you need dynamic, ski-specific drills from lateral training that simulate the actual movements you do on the ski hill. With this in mind, we’ve included five jumping exercises, which are also called plyometrics, as the essential exercises to improve your foot-to-foot quickness and explosive power.

Plyometrics are commonly referred to as explosive types of exercise drills, and are often used in conditioning programs for elite skiers because the combination of squatting with weights and lateral jumps, sprints, or quickness drills, develops the leg and hip power necessary for high performance skiing.

Before you Start

Caution must be exercised whenever beginning any conditioning program. Use an exercise regimen that’s appropriate for your body type and your present level of conditioning. Please consult with your physician, if you suspect that this ski-specific program is not suitable for you at the present time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Safianuk

Get Ready, Get Set, Get your body in shape for what ever activity you enjoy this winter.

Living my best Life

Visma

It all about the joy of starting at a young age.

My 1st recollections of skiing at a very young age at Chicopee Ski Hill in Kitchener, Ontario,

It was around the 1960 when I was just around 6 and 7 years old, my parents would pack up our family of 5 and head for the hills at Chicopee.  The days when we just had a log cabin and wood fireplace  for warmth. The washroom  was an an outside outhouse.

My memory was like having an extended family and all the members looked out for the children.

That is still very clear to me. Having fun surroundings .

I aslo recall  often being very cold as the clothing was not as developed  as it is at the present. We had leather lace up boots, leather mitts, wood skis with P- tex paint  to keep them running smooth, and many layers in my  snow suit to struggle with.

My parents were active volunteers who groomed and patrolled the hills.

The club would have  to the social activities of slush mush parties at the end of the season  and preparing the hills before the season parties.  It was a very fun time and family orientated which we all enjoyed.

It is important for children to  have  Mentors early  in life to develop that real passion for any sport.

It is the community of skiing that allows children to grow with physcial and emotional confidence.

My father Walter Hundt was my inspiration to my skiing career we have been able to develope a close relationship through those informative years right into my adulthood.   Thank you Dad.

Walter became very passionate about teaching and developing the ski school at Chicopee in the early 1960′s to 1970′s.  He had himself had a strong passion to develop his teaching skills and also  developing a strong and passionate ski school facility  for the recreational skier in the Kitchener Waterloo and surrounding region. He continued his career throughout Canada and the USA.  He has travelled to Germany and continued to teach at wonderful locations such as Bad Hofgastein in Austria into his 70′s.

Chicopee Ski School is proud to be recognized as one of leading ski schools in Ontario, if not Canada.

I recommend strongly if you have the interest , to encourage your family to participate even at “the smallest local hill or community park”.

Enroll them into the winter  group lesson programs which  develop not only their physical strength, but  their confidence and social skills.

It is the practice and consistency that builds your future in the sport.

Enjoy the upcoming season

Yours sincerely

Visma

Skiing is a Family Affair

I feel winter is in the air and excited to get ready for a new season.

I am here in Winnipeg this year waiting for a new direction where I will be enjoying my season.

In any event while I am waiting to see what opportunities arise, be it here in Winnipeg or visiting my son

at Grouse Mountain, Vancover.  It will be time to get into shape.

I wish to share an article that I trust you will find helpful in building your strength and balance.

I will be stepping up my program of yoga and biking to get ready.

Enjoy.

Thanks again and good luck to the  new season.

With loving kindness and passion

Love Visma

Ski Instructing 40 years of experience

My career was set as a young passionate ski instructor.

In 1971, at the age of 15 years, I was encouraged to learn to teach my passion, skiing.

To  develop my skills further.  I participated and received my CSIA level 1 instructors certificate at Talisman Ski resort in  Kimberly, Ontario.

The early days consisted of  teaching from at a local golf course. Young children just learning to stand on their feet. I would head  over to Chicopee  Ski Club for the afternoon group lessons of all ages with my fellow instructor.  It was a busy time and full of excitement.  This was my first job.

The interest  in learning to ski by the local people in Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge  was developing rapidly.  I would teach almost every evening a regular group lesson with instructors sessions every Saturday and Sunday mornings and fun races or lessons on the weekends.  It was a great time.

In 1972 I started to be involved in coaching  a new budding Nancy Green league at Hockley Valley Ski resort,  near Orangeville.  I felt very fortunate to then travel to  Blue Mountain to teach at March break.  My father Walter Hundt was very supportive and instrumental in my career.

I also obtained my CSIA level 2 that year.

The year after I graduated from High school uncertain where I would go from there I was offered an assistant ski school and social director’s  position at a small resort called Limberlost in Huntsville. Midseason I took over the duties of the Ski School director.

I headed out to Sunshine Ski Resort in Banff for my level 3.  This was a very bold move on my part, it was my first trip on my own and I felt very

confident and independent.

I performed very well, in teaching and demonstration.   My freestyle mogul run was still not developed fully to pass at the time.

It was my first experience to be on a “Mountain”  and I loved it!

The next year I decided to take my interest in sports and enrolled into the Kinesiology program at the University of Waterloo.

It was the science of studying human movement  from the physical to the psychology and sociology of sport.

I was able to continue my teaching of skiing with the University programs and still be involved part time at Chicopee under the direction of Peter Schwirtlich a level 4 instructor and  CSIA examiner.  It was under his guidance and the other excellent skiers at the club that I could develop my skills further.

In 1976, I spent my winter co-op work term teaching at Shawnee Ski  Resort in Pennsylvania U.S.A. under the endorsement of Jean-Claude Killy.

The season was cut short due to bad snow conditions.

I was then fortunate to have the opportunity to work again with my father and brother  at Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia now an Intrawest Resort.  I had a great time teaching and holding sessions for the local college on the technical aspects of skiing and equipment.

It was an exciting time with a full year of practice and feeling confident, I travelled back to Gray Rocks Ski Resort in Quebec, Canada for my CSIA Level 3, again this time there was a big improvement but just missing the mogul run qualification. It was very dissappointing for me at the time and I felt frustration as an athlete feels after a loss in competition.

I obtained my Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 1979 and took a break from the instructing end of skiing.

I moved to Toronto and enjoyed a more recreational ski lifestyle with the then Davisville Ski Club and the Toronto Ski club.

These  city ski clubs brought  together like minded adults who lived the city life but wanted to maintain their ski lifestyle.

We would arrange weekly trips together to local resorts  such as Blue Mountain, Georgian peaks in Collingwood to more distant mountain resorts such as “Steamboat” Colorado and Lake Louise, Norquay and Sunshine in Banff Alberta to name a few.

I was happy to have had the experience of travelling to a variety of  resorts over the years and have met so many interesting people of all walks of life.

It has been my pleasure to share  my journey.

If  you are interested in a career in teaching or techniques be sure to log on to  www.snowpro.com.

Please feel free to make a comment in the reply on this blog and I will answer any questions you may have.

Yours sincerely

Visma Mesley

Enjoying a ski day with my family at Chicopee 2010

My Ski and Snowboard Journey

by Visma Mesley

I love the snow!  I love to ski and snowboard!!

Being out in the winter and being with my family, teaching and sharing with everyone who is interested the art of skiing and snowboarding.

It Is my pleasure to take a look back to my   past and travel through my skiing and snowboarding career.

It was full of excitement, self discipline and most of all gave me a sense of community that I feel is so important in my life and family life.

I encourage everyone to stay active and go with any opportunity that presents itself, especially getting out there and participating in activities that you enjoy over the winter months.

Live with passion and vitality.

Keep fit and stay active.

Yours sincerely

Visma

Afternoon Bruins Ski Program Olympic year 2010

Dear Family and Friends

The ski/snowboard season has come to a close.

It is always an adventure to see how often we can get on to the slopes in winter season at Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener, Ontario.

My personal Observations from a Ski and Snowboard Instructor who has been committed to teaching others the joy of skiing and snowboarding.

I returned to teachng this past season to renew my passion of being in the outdoors and teaching.

To reconnect with  myself  and to share the joy of skiing and snowboarding with family and friends.

It is about having fun memories and looking forward to building releationship with those who have similar interests.

It is about  teaching, of having a reason to get the family together.

I suggest enrolling your child into a 8 week program allows for confidence in a sport  and opprotunity to develope social skills with their peers.

This will allow for continuous improvement of the physical skill and developement of confidence so important in the development of life.

A continuous practice with others allows for  independence and a source of pride for anyone.

To have an opportunity to participate in a sporting activity for the first time or to get a chance to reunite with new acquaintances if you have the good fortune to have access to a ski resort on a daily basis is a joy that will be cherished for years to come.

Practice and just being out there under all conditions brings out the joy of the sport all the more.

That is the true  reward, in being able to be outside enjoy the sunshine  and see happy people on a regular basis.

It is always a great day under all weather conditions.

Thank you everyone the wonderful season and many more to come.

Yours sincerely

Visma Mesley

VSM

www.vitalself-management.com