Hard-core climber and backcountry rider Jarod Cogswell is offering Shred Hood readers a $50 discount on his FIT Academy’s new dryland training program for skiers and snowboarders.
Cogswell is a Portland Mountain Rescue volunteer who got into search and rescue after enduring a memorable night on the summit of Mount Hood in a blizzard. His new FIT Academy in Beaverton is decorated with beautiful images of the mountain, including a shot by Richard Hallman of the legendary Oregon climber Mark Cartier, who died on Mount Hood in 2012.
Cogswell launched FIT Academy at 9140 SW Hall Blvd. in Beaverton this past winter with the goal of creating more than just another gym. His SnowFit dryland training course focuses on strength, flexibility, stability and injury prevention, emphasizing muscles used on the mountain.
“Whether you’re a skier or a boarder we are going to treat you like an athlete,” Cogswell says. “To prepare you for the backcountry, for the the steeps, to give you confidence that you can do it.”
Cogswell learned the importance of targeted training back when he was a fitness buff and backcountry rider in down at Mammoth in California. “I thought I was in great shape from the gym but those backcountry guys would just kick my butt out there,” he says. “That’s because I was just basically lifting weights, I wasn’t training specifically for ski mountaineering.”
SnowFit will incorporate a variety of drills to get people moving in unpredictable ways, simulating the quick adjustments you need to make constantly when you’re ripping down the mountain at high speed. moving in all directions. “It’s all about giving people the tools to train and react to different terrain,” says Cogswell. “A lot of skipping, a lot of ladder work, getting people to move in patterns they are not accustomed to, just moving in all directions.”
Group classes begin November 10, Monday evenings or Friday mornings. The regular price is $149, but if you mention Shred Hood while registering, you can join up for $99. For more info or to register, e-mail FIT Academy or call 971-371-3666. Signing up gets you full access to the facilities, plus six group sessions over six weeks.
“There’s a lot of power in working in groups,” says Cogswell. “It helps people be held accountable, and it helps build community.”
Last modified: October 28, 2015
