Stuck On A Scree Slope

PREDICAMENT While traversing a gully, you lose your footing and slip down a steep slope. The good news: You've stopped sliding. The bad news: You're losing your grip.

LIFELINE First, catch your breath and assess the situation. Don't act until your adrenaline rush has subsided. Survey your surroundings to determine the safest route to safety. Look for lichen-covered boulders — these are more likely to be anchored to the slope. Grassy patches of dirt offer good footing, along with larger stones and roots. Avoid areas layered in loose gravel. Remember that the best path to safety might not be above you, but to your side.

Before you move, make sure you're facing uphill- Kick steps with your toes and test each handhold and foothold. Edge your feet into the hill and maintain at least three points of contact with the ground. If you're carrying an ice axe, use it to carve steps or as an anchor. As you ascend, balance your weight over your feet; leaning too far into the slope might make your feet slip out from under you. Don't let partners descend to help you; many climbing injuries result from ill-fated rescue attempts. Instead, they can dangle a rope.

BUTTON UP TO STAY BALANCED ON NARROW TRAILS AND RIDGES. TIGHTEN YOUR PACK STRAPS AND TIE DOWN ANY SWINGING GEAR.

Backpacker, Dec2006

Backcountry Rescue Carries

If you think a loaded pack is heavy, try carrying a sweaty, writhing 175-pound guy down the trail. While most victims of serious hiking accidents should be evacuated by rangers or trained medical personnel, there may be times you need to transport someone a short distance to get out of immediate danger. Before attempting any of these carries, stabilize the victim — stop any bleeding, splint broken limbs, and make sure they're warm and hydrated. Then brace yourself for a monster load.

1. FOUR-HAND CHAIR CARRY
Two rescuers can use this low-tech method for carries over short distances.

Place the person on a large rock or against a tree. Grab the other rescuer's wrists; the two of you will link arms behind the victim's back and under his or her knees. With the victim's arms over each of your shoulders, lift slowly, using your leg muscles — not your back muscles.

2. ROPE-COIL CARRY
Make a simple shoulder harness from a coil of climbing rope.

Tie the rope into a mountaineer's coil at least 20 inches long, then pull the coil apart into two equal loops with the knot in the middle. Pass the victim's legs through the loops (with one loop around each leg up to the hips). Then take the two loops and hook them over your shoulders like straps on a backpack. The person will need to hold on in order to remain stable.

3. POLE-AND-BACKPACK CARRY
Try this two-person technique for comfort over long distances.

Attach hiking poles or a sturdy branch to the bottoms of two backpacks by threading them through ice-axe loops or compression straps. Secure the poles with extra webbing or cords. Pad the poles' midsections with clothing or a sleeping pad, and sit the victim on the poles between you and the other rescuer, with an arm around each of your shoulders. Because the carriers must walk side by side, this method doesn't work on trails that are narrow or steep.

Backpacker, Dec2006

How Do You Stress Less?

If you're already reeling from pressure about the holidays, then don't look at the calendar--midterm exams are just ahead! It's easy to fall victim to stress, but coping strategies can help you rise above those anxious feelings. To find out how teens unwind and relax, Current Health surveyed readers in grades 6 through 12 about their favorite stress relievers. What can you learn from them?

READERS' TOP FOUR WAYS TO BEAT STRESS
Listening to or playing music 76%
Sleeping 52%
(tie) Playing computer games or video games 52%

3 Talking to friends 47%
4 Exercising 41%
LESS STRESS: GIRLS vs. BOYS
Girls are more apt than boys to lower their stress levels by talking with friends (55 percent versus 34 percent) and reading (46 percent versus 24 percent).

Boys are more likely than girls to use computer games as a stress reliever (51 percent versus 45 percent).

WORKING IT OUT
In times of stress, 53 percent of athletes said, exercise helps. But only 32 percent of respondents who aren't athletes felt the same.

Nonathletes are more likely to deal with stress by eating (31 percent) than athletes are (25 percent).

LAST, AND THANKFULLY LEAST
The least popular "stress reliever" among respondents? Smoking. Only 3 percent lit up to help cope. That's good news!

Current Health 2, Dec2006

Tree Tips

How to find a healthy evergreen, cart it home, get it into the stand, and decorate it — and your house -safely. Oh, and what to do with the tree once the holidays are over

• MAKE IT A GREEN X-MAS
With some tree farmers using chemical colorants and up to 40 different pesticides to give their harvest a healthy, radioactive glow, you may want to go organic this year. Order a chem-free tree through your local garden center or search for an organic farm in your area at localharvest.org. And once all the decorations are stowed for next year, be sure to recycle that tree. Each year, 10 million evergreens end up in landfills, according to the Sierra Club. So as not to contribute to such an ugly statistic at such a joyous time, contact your city sanitation department; many will pick up the tree curbside and chip it to make mulch.

• CORDLESS BRANCH CUTTER
It's hard to believe, but sometimes a reciprocating saw is overkill — like when you need to lop off a few lower tree branches to shimmy the trunk into a stand. That's a good time to grab Black and Decker's new Handisaw, a mini one-handed recip saw. Like a supercharged carving knife, it also slices cleanly through 1-inch wood, dry wall, PVC pipe, and copper tubing. The Handisaw is $42 at tylertool.com.

• STRING'EM UP,SAFELY
When climbing a ladder to loop lights around the treetop or to drape twinklers from the fascia outside. TOH general contractor Tom Silva stows tools in a belt or nail apron. That way both hands are free to hold on to the ladder. Also, make sure all exterior lights are UL listed for outside use and attached to the house or gutters with all-weather plastic clips. Metal nails and staples can wear away at the PVC insulation surrounding the wires, creating both a shock and spark hazard. Velcro Christmas Light Clips are $3. Visit velcro.com/consumer for dealers.

• TREE. TRUNK.
After you chop down that towering spruce, your tired arms will make you wish it could drive itself home. Not happening. But once you've wrestled said tree at least partially into the trunk, you can trim the time spent fiddling around in search of place to lash down the lid with the Trunk Cleat. The tie-down device is basically a metal license-plate frame with a handle on it. Paired with its adjustable cam strap, which has a loop on one side that lassos around the handle and a heavy-duty metal hook on the other that attaches to the bumper or towing eyebolt under your car. you won't worry about the trunk flying open on the drive home. Kurgo's Trunk Cleat costs $32. Visit motivation-design.com/kurgo/products/tc.html for dealers.

This Old House, Dec2006

Timely Gardening Tips for Where You Live

One of my New Year's chores is to sort my leftover seed stash, throwing out the really old packets and making notes on what to order. If kept cool and dry, tomato seed can last three to 10 years; pepper and brassica seed up to five years; corn, beans and spinach up to four years; and carrots and lettuce three years. Parsley, parsnip, delphinium, larkspur and scorzonera seed rarely are viable for more than a year. You can test viability by rolling a few seeds in a damp paper towel. Cover with plastic to prevent drying out and store at room temperature. Check for sprouts in a week; allow at least two weeks for slow germinators.

Attention hot pepper lovers: If you haven't tried 'Czechoslovakia Blacks,' you are in for a treat. Similar to a jalapeño in heat and shape, they ripen to a lustrous garnet red, have great flavor and bear prolifically. A bowl of them still brightens my table.

Winter is the gardener's quiet season, a time to plan for next year and dream of perfectly grown flavors and food.

Roberta Bailey, Fedco Seeds,
Waterville, Maine

Mid-Atlantic

The weeds you battled last summer may tell you how to improve soil conditions for next year. To learn more, read Weeds: Control Without Poison by Charles Walters. Another good read in these days of peak oil, global warming and rising fuel costs, Steve Solomon's Gardening When It Counts, left me thinking hard about my choice of "inputs" such as fertilizer and water. (See Page 121 to order Gardening When It Counts.)

Start globe artichokes and 'Tina James' evening scented primrose (which has blossoms that burst open right before your eyes at dusk) in January--both need exposure to cold temperatures to flower in the same year. 'Dean's Purple' pole beans, purple asparagus beans and 'Kevin's Early Orange' bell peppers were impressive in our 2006 trials--and will add a nice burst of color to your 2007 harvest.

Ira Wallace, Southern Exposure
Seed Exchange, Mineral, Va.

Southern Interior

Here in the South, early December is the perfect time for planting garlic as well as more lettuce and other cool-weather greens. Growing your own tomato plants from seed allows you to choose the best-tasting varieties--start them about eight weeks before the last frost in your area. Use commercial seed-starting mix or combine potting soil with an equal amount of vermiculite, perlite or peat moss. Plant the tomato seeds no more than a quarter-inch deep. Optimum soil temperature for seed starting is 80 degrees--the top of the refrigerator or water heater is often an ideal spot.

Be sure to remove any covers as soon as the seeds germinate, and move to a sunny window or under fluorescent lights. About three weeks after the seeds emerge, begin fertilizing with a very weak solution of fish fertilizer. Let the top of the soil dry out between waterings to prevent fungal diseases.

Becky Wilder, Seeds for the South,
Graniteville, S. C.

Gulf Coast

Search the catalogs for a few new tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds to start in January, but don't be afraid to stick with tried-and-true favorites. I tried a couple of highly touted tomato varieties last year--yuck. I'll stick with 'Champion,' 'Dona,' 'Carmello,' 'Sungold' and 'Better Boy.' In the meantime I'm busy harvesting 'Gypsy' broccoli, 'Cheriette' radishes, 'Buttercrunch' lettuce and the rest of the cool-season crops that contribute to a 12-month harvest here.

My basic garden philosophy includes using tons of organic matter to ensure that the soil is productive, and concentrating on crops that give the best quality and flavor. If the pests show up, I reach for the least toxic pesticide available.

William D. Adams, Burton, Texas

Gardening Regions of the United States and Southern Canada

Fall-planted, cold-hardy crops such as Brussels sprouts, kale (above) and spinach, protected by layers of mulch and snow, can be harvested into the winter months and often survive to get a jump-start on the spring growing season.

Central/Midwest

What's on my Christmas gardening wish list? High-quality tools and supplies--the well-made kind that I can use my whole gardening life and then pass on to my daughter. These carefully made tools do exist. At work I use great tools from Sneeboer, a third generation Dutch company. I'm buying them (a piece at a time!) for my home as well.

Want a unique gift for the gardener who has everything? How about a bottle of nutrient-rich, cold-processed fish and kelp fertilizer? Yum! Their plants will love them for it!

In deep winter, take time to inventory and organize gardening supplies. They can be ordered with your seed to save the extra shipping charges.

Connie Dam-Byl, William Dam
Seeds Ltd., Dundas, Ontario

North Central and Rockies

The shortest day of the year is one of my favorites. Plants sense the changing day length, and the day after the winter solstice I begin to see a growth spurt in all my indoor tomato and perennial herb plants, including lemon balm, oregano and thyme. Take this hint and begin to plan your spring garden.

Finish sifting and cleaning the seeds you saved last summer. If you offer some of these to Seed Savers Exchange, you will gain access to other members' seeds--a collective treasure chest of thousands of rare heirlooms not available anywhere else. During early dark evenings, I love to pick up my garden journal and read last summer's garden events like a wonderful story. This always sparks new ideas, new possibilities and new chapters for the coming spring. In some ways I think I love gardening most during these quiet winter moments.

Bill McDorman, Seeds Trust, High
Altitude Gardens, Halley, Idaho

Pacific Northwest

In the midst of cold, rainy December, we open our mailboxes and find new seed catalogs. For garden enthusiasts, these lift our spirits and cure the winter blues far better than sitting in front of a full-spectrum light.

Holiday shoppers may want to place a few carefully selected seed packets, a pair of great garden gloves and maybe a nifty tool like the Korean "EZ Digger" in a basket for gardeners on your list. Other popular gift ideas include kits for saving seeds or growing mushrooms, or garden markers. With catalog in hand, start planning for the 2007 garden season. The average item on the American dinner plate has traveled 1,500 miles, so it's satisfying to know that much of yours can come from your own garden!

Rose Marie Nichols McGee,
Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, Ore.,
and Josh Kirschenbaum, Territorial Seed
Co., Cottage, Grove, Ore.

Southwest

In the Southwest, the dark days of December are brightened by ristras: dried red chilies strung together and hung from doorways. While many chili varieties can be used to make a traditional ristra, we recommend 'Española Improved,' an early-season classic, or 'Numex Big Jim,' an extra-long chili we are offering in 2007. Both these varieties were developed through the chili breeding program at New Mexico State University, where the nonprofit Chile Pepper Institute celebrates all things capsicum.

Winter days also are brightened by the harvest of cold-hardy greens from cold frames: the French lettuce varieties 'Brune D'Hiver' ('Brown Winter') and 'Rouge D'Hiver' ('Red Winter') develop beautiful rust and red colors as the cold deepens, and make a colorful winter salad mixed with bright green mâche leaves. We love this season, and give thanks at each meal for the stored, preserved or dried bounty of our gardens.

Emily Gatch, Seeds of Change,
Santa Fe, N.M.

Starting with our next issue, we will replace Gardener's Almanac with a new department about gardening techniques, written by contributing editor Barbara Pleasant. We would like to thank Almanac editor Carol Mack and the regional Almanac contributors for lending their expertise to the magazine.

MOTHE

Edited by Carol Mack, Mother Earth News, Dec/Jan2007

Make Your Old Computer Ready for Its Next Owner

By Kirk Steers, PC World

Are you expecting a new PC in your stocking this year? Then it's time to think about what you'll do with your old system. Repurpose? Recycle? Donate? Pass it on to a friend or relative? Here are ideas on how to prepare your PC for giveaway.

MOVING DAY

Transfer your files: To move your personal files from the old PC to your new one, install both systems on a network, or connect them directly with a file-transfer cable (browse to find.pcworld.com/54960 for instructions). Or use the free Pando online service (www.pando.com/beta) to e-mail all your files to the new PC. Pando uses BitTorrent peer-to-peer technology for fast transfers that bypass size limits on e-mail attachments. (The files are stored on Pando's servers for 14 days.)

Wipe your old data: Once your files are on the new PC, erase them on the old system if you don't plan to keep it. A hacker or identity thief won't be deterred by your simply deleting the files, or even reformatting or repartitioning the hard drive. If you want to leave Windows and your installed software intact, use Webroot's $30 Window Washer utility, which eradicates personal data, history files, log files, and so on, but leaves your operating system and apps in place (go to find.pcworld.com/54962 for the 30-day trial version). To erase the hard drive completely (the OS, applications, and all), overwrite it repeatedly with a disk-wipe utility such as the free Active@ Kill Disk Hard Drive Eraser (find.pcworld.com/54961).

Collect your docs: If you're handing down your system, include all of its manuals, OS and application CDs, and registration or license numbers, The motherboard or system manual is especially important for adding more memory often the cheapest way to extend the life of an old PC--because it identifies the motherboard and compatible RAM, If you can't find your manual or access one on the PC maker's Web site, the flee Belarc Advisor (find.pcworld.com/54965) will identify the motherboard's model number.

Give it one last tune-up: Give your old PC a final checkup and cleaning as a courtesy to its next owner. See "Complete PC Preventive Maintenance Guide" at find.pcworld.com/54966 for instructions.

Find it a new home: Most donation programs take any working PCs and monitors, as well as some nonfunctioning systems. Visit find.pcworld.com/54967 for more information on donating a PC.

Goodwill Industries (http://www.goodwill.org/) is one of several charities that take all PCs and recycle those that can't be reused. (They may charge a small fee. For example, Goodwill's program is free only in Michigan; San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and certain other areas. Check with your local Goodwill office.) Don't dump it: Many recyclers charge from $10 to $40 per PC or monitor, but free recycling services abound, such as the Goodwill programs mentioned above and government-sponsored recyclers. Go to find.pcworld.com/55534 for more on Dell's free recycling program, which accepts equipment from all vendors.

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Wondering what to get the gadget geek on the go? How about a place to stash all those shiny, expensive gizmos? ScotteVest (http://www.scottevest.com/) offers a line of jackets and other clothing designed to conceal and comfortably store PDAs, cell phones, MP3 players, and even laptops. The SeV Fleece 4.0 jacket (find.pcworld.com/54988)--about $140 at this writing--has 12 connected pockets that keep my usual digital payload well out of the way, but easily accessible when I'm on the road. I can even run earphones from any pocketed device through the jacket up to the collar, where loops hold the earbuds in place (see FIGURE 1).

FIGURE 1: KEEP YOUR GADGETS In reach--and earshot--via ScotteVest's fleece jacket.

Learn to survive — and thrive — no matter what comes your way

I've seen people do all kinds of things to relieve anxiety. Some have a glass of wine at dinner. Others shop or eat. But these are troubling times — with hurricanes, tsunamis, war, and acts of terrorism — and if drinking, eating, or hitting the mall is your way offending off anxiety over the state of the world, you should know that the bill will eventually come due. And I don't mean just the credit card statement. Such coping methods do nothing to build your inner strength and resiliency. Fortunately, there are ways to nurture true inner peace when outer peace isn't an option.

A few months ago, a woman I'll call Nancy attended one of my seminars. Nancy had been through hard times: Three years earlier her house had burned down; then her husband's National Guard unit shipped out to Iraq, and when he returned he was angry, depressed, and traumatized. The couple got therapy yet grew further apart until, finally, her husband asked for a divorce. Nancy realized she had a choice: She could drown in self-pity or move forward. After seeing how the trauma of war had torn up her husband, she wanted to make a difference with her life. So, at 35, she enrolled in nursing school.

I think even Nancy was surprised by her resilience. But her leap into a life of greater meaning came from a simple change in outlook. She shifted her focus from her own problems to the difficulties of others. And that one change brought her clarity and peace.

This time of global uncertainty challenges each of us to create our own sense of security, That doesn't mean you need to follow Nancy's lead into a nursing career, but keeping an eye on what really matters will help you maintain your balance when things around you seem to fall apart. Here are a few practical steps that can help you become more resilient.

Don't Let Bad News Overwhelm You

Journalists are biased. I don't mean politically — I mean that although good news rarely gets repeated, bad news is aired again and again in living color. But one exposure to mayhem is more than enough. Research by psychologist Turhan Canli, PhD, and his colleagues demonstrated that emotionally intense images get deeply etched in memory because they activate the amygdala. That's the part of the brain that processes threats to our survival, and it's involved in anxiety and panic. Why program it with frightening images that have staying power? Instead, during times of disaster, avoid being overwhelmed emotionally and physiologically by rationing TV, Internet, and radio news. You'll get all the information you need in a few minutes; after that, it's just more of the same. Place inspiring images where you'll see them often, because you'll remember them just as readily as distressing ones (and more easily than neutral photos).

Know What You Don't Know

There's an old story about a Ukrainian priest who walks to church each morning. One day, a Cossack stops him and asks imperiously where he's going. "I don't know," says the priest. The Cossack is furious — after all, the priest always went to church — and hauls him off to jail. There, the Cossack asks why he lied. "I didn't lie," the priest replies. "I really didn't know that I was going to jail." We really don't know what will happen either. People who always expect the worst tend to be stressed-out and to suffer worse health than those who think more optimistically. But worry about a situation often turns out to be worse than the reality. Make plans to avert possible disaster, but repeat to yourself that you really don't know anything other than what's happening at this very moment.

Learn from the Super-Resilient

Dennis S. Charney, MD, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has investigated people who suffered extreme stress and emerged psychologically intact. With colleague Steven M. Southwick, MD, of Yale University, he studied 750 men, mostly pilots in the Vietnam War, who were held captive for up to 8 years and subjected to torture or solitary confinement — or both — but avoided depression. These men shared a number of characteristics. Among other things, they were optimistic and altruistic, had a moral compass based on firmly held beliefs, used humor, had strong role models, and were guided by a sense of mission or purpose in life. You can nurture these traits in yourself. Look for ways to help others less fortunate than yourself, for instance, or strengthen your sense of right and wrong by reading biographies of inspiring men and women.

Explore Faith and Spirituality

Many of the POWs studied by Charney and Southwick said they prayed daily during their captivity; others didn't. You don't need to be religious to be resilient, in other words, but a sense that life has meaning does seem to help. Simply exploring different religious and philosophical traditions can deepen your sense of why you're here and what you think the purpose of your life is. These qualities can help you to endure and bounce back from adversity.

People such as Nancy, who face difficulty and emerge stronger, rekindle the hope in all our hearts. My holiday wish for you is to remember the good and the beautiful that are the essence of life — and to resolve to keep a positive outlook in the year ahead. That way you can become more resilient and help create a better future for the generations to come.

"Worry about a situation often turns out to be worse than the reality"

3 more stay-strong tips

• Make one thing better The world's problems can be overwhelming. Pick just one and try to improve it, whether that means making fewer car trips to help the environment or revitalizing an abandoned neighborhood garden.




• Have an emergency plait Assembling a security kit can make you feel more in control. Include comfort items (a journal, photos of loved ones) along with food, water, and first aid supplies.




• Keep an eye on the upside Set your Internet home page to a site like www.goodnewsnow.com, which features news stories that inspire. Reading about people cooperating to rebuild war-torn countries is much healthier than focusing on hatred.

By Joan Borysenko, Prevention, Dec2006

Don't Get Shattered

Twenty ways to stay sound this winter.

I stacked. I tweaked my back. I drank too many PBRs and then gorged myself on bacon. And you, whiner, just ran out of ways to booby trap your best season. We tracked down the world's best skiers-Olympic freestyle medalists, big-mountain pioneers, guides, and alpine racers--to find out how they stay healthy, uninjured, and strong all season long. Then we asked Laura Keller, a physical therapist at San Francisco's renowned Stone Clinic, to make sure their tips are legit. So suck it up, read our list, put in some effort, and get ready for a whimper-free winter.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES. KAREN READER CLIFF DIVING AT THE 2006 TELEMARK EXTREMES IN CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO.

1. KNOW HOW TO CRASH
"I never feel any tension when I wipe out," says two-time World Extremes champ Wendy Fisher. "I let everything go, and become loose-it's better to crash naturally than fight it." KELLER'S TAKE; "The best crashers are the ones who can follow the line and forces of the fall. Trying to stop a crash is a recipe for pulled muscles and torn ligaments."

Karen Reader's top-to-bottom 75-foot fall in Crested Butte. Go Loose. Stay Loose.

Freeskier Jenn Berg cross-trains religiously. Her top four sports make her a stronger skier.

2. MOUNTAIN BIKE: Skiing and mountain biking both require balance, leg strength, and momentum, "With all the quick maneuvering and angulating, mountain biking is awesome practice for looking ahead and committing to your line."

3. PLAY SOCCER: "Soccer moves require tight and quick feet, and being able to cut in different directions on a dime. Having an opponent in your face channels greater focus into those moves-and focus is important in skiing."

4. ROCK CLIMB: "Whenever I'm on a rock face, not only do I feel a bit scared, but I'm able to methodically move up my Line and solve problems, even with all that adrenaline. It gives me confidence for when I'm facing an exposed knife-edge ridge."

5. SWIM: Not only is swimming good for your core, back, legs, shoulders, and arms, says Jenn, but "it helps me develop a strong and steady breathing technique, which helps when you're boot-packing up a mountain."

6. PLAY BASKETBALL: "Gathering energy to jump helps create muscle memory for hitting kickers or cliffs, and exploding to the hoop on a fast break or rebound keeps my leg muscles strong."

7. GET ON THE BALL
If ski fitness has a magic bullet, it's the Physioball--just ask three-time national moguls champ Hannah Hardaway. Like many elite skiers, Hannah stands on one while a partner tosses her a medicine ball. KELLER'S TAKE: "Start with an easier version-stand on a flat-bottomed Bosu ball, but get into a skiing pose and maintain that position while your partner throws a medicine ball or fitball." Catch it; then twist to the side. You'll work your balance, quads, glutes, and core.

8. TAKE GLUCOSAMINE
Warren Miller star Chris Anthony takes 1,500 milligrams a day to cut down on joint pain. KELLER'S TAKE: "Glucosamine is absorbed by your own cartilege, which plumps up over time. The result: less pain from thinning cartilage."

9. DIRT BIKE
Olympic medalists Phil and Steve Mahre used to ride motocross--one of the toughest full-body workouts--to train for racing. Now Steve's son and world-class new-schooler Andy has taken it up. "It builds endurance and helps with reflexes," Andy says. "If something unexpected happens, you have two choices: compensate or crash. Just like skiing." KELLER'S TAKE: "Motocross, like skiing, demands core strength to control the bike. You need to maintain your center of gravity for quick responses."

10. FOCUS ON YOUR LUMBAR REGIONS
To land cliffs--even if they're not the 200-footers that Julian Carr prefers--you need a strong back. Carr's favorite move? Lie facedown with your hips on a Swiss ball, feet touching the wall. Hold your arms at your sides palms-down for five seconds; out wide like a plane for five; and straight in front for five. Repeat to failure. KELLER'S TAKE: "This is an excellent back exercise, but you should engage your glutes and abs before you hold your arms up. As you get stronger, add weights for a bigger challenge."

11. DIVE IN
After a 12-hour day of hiking and skiing, 2004 North American freeskiing champ Lynsey Dyer sits in a bathtub of freezing water for 15 minutes. "I feet revitalized and I don't get sore," she says. KELLER'S TAKE: "Cold baths help control the inflammatory process brought on by overuse," which means less soreness.

12. RAISE YOUR HEART RATE
"I don't let a day go by without getting my heart rate above 150," says Kasha Rigby, a North Face athlete who skis throughout the world. "Even if it's just five minutes a day, it makes a difference, And try to lower your heart rate too--with big breaths to fill your body with oxygen." KELLER'S TAKE: "Work intervals into your cardio--it will challenge your heart muscle and boost your body to the next fitness level."

13. SAY GOODBYE TO BK
When new-school pioneer Mike Douglas cut processed and fast food out of his diet, he got an energy boost and dropped 10 pounds. "I didn't think it would affect my skiing, but it made a huge difference-especially with jumping. Less weight means less impact and wear on your joints." KELLER'S TAKE: Studies show that there are three pounds of pressure at the knee for every pound above the knee. "So when Mike lost 10 pounds, he took away 30 pounds of force when landing those jumps."

14. LUNGE AROUND THE CLOCK
"With one exercise, you can improve agility, balance, muscle control, and strength," says Olympic giant-slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso. Standing in one place, mark 10 spots in a circle around you (every 35 degrees or so). Starting at the center, Lunge with your right foot out to the five markings on the right--and with your left foot to the markings on the left. Always face square to the direction you're lunging. Repeat three times. KELLER'S TAKE: "This is one of the best training techniques for overall ski performance. Because it's multi-directional, it works your quads, glutes, and hamstrings better than straight lunges."

15. SKI FOREVER.
Pepi Stiegler, 69, who won Olympic medals in 1960 and 1964, tore one ligament when he was 15--and hasn't had a serious injury since. "Skiing isn't a matter of going wild," he says. "Use your judgment." KELLER'S TAKE: Listen to your body and never push through 'bad' pain. You'll get hurt.

16. BE THE WARRIOR
Jessica Baker, who recently skied the Grand Teton's 55-degree Ford Couloir, swears by daily yoga sessions--for "heating powers, injury prevention, and mental clarity." Her favorite pose for ski strength: Warrior II, which works the glutes, quads, ankles, and feet. KELLER'S TAKE: "This move strengthens the big muscles in the front leg, and opens up the hip in the rear leg." Make it harder by adding a trunk roatation.

Ingrid Backstrom flashes some of the ballsiest lines in the world--for evidence, check out the Norway segment in Matchstick's new flick, Push. Here's how she handles the pressure.

17. PLAN AHEAD
"If you have an event coming up, or a run you want to try, think about it in a positive light. Don't go over specifics yet--just see yourself in a good, stoked mental space."

18. WORK UP TO IT
"If your goal is to ski a 45-degree line, start with a 35-degree line and work your way up until you feel comfortable on steeper terrain."

19. GET INSPIRED
"Whatever fires you up, get after it--even if it's watching the Blizzard of Ahhh's 80 times in your ski boots, in August, You need to get mentally supercharged."

20. VISUALIZE
"Think about every aspect of your line. Then act out exactly what you saw in your head. It takes some practice to focus, but you'll have a way better chance of sticking it."

By: Evelyn Spence, Skiing, Dec2006