Lightweight Backpacking: An ExampleWritten by Steve Gillman
I was in Weminuche Wilderness Area when snow came. It was my second day out of Silverton, where locals told me it rains or snows every day in August. I made a note to myself to do some research next time. Then I made a note to myself to find trail. I was lost again. Lightweight Backpacking I came to San Juan Mountains in Colorado to try my new gear. I used a tarp shelter, and a light down sleeping bag. The first rainy night I stayed dry. A good start, but now above trees, I was lost in rolling tundra, unable to find trail under several inches of snow. I had my ultralight rainsuit on, though, and I was fine. It was beautiful, with mountains appearing all around at every break in weather. Eventually I found myself on map. The sun came out, and there were white mountain tops rising out of green forests everywhere. Mountain goats played on cliffs with me. The fourth morning, I was on my way up Mount Eolus. In Colorado you can go up 14,000-foot mountains without climbing gear. They call them "Walk-ups," but some require more than hiking. The "catwalk" on Eolus, for example, is easy, but only if it's easy for you to walk a three-foot-wide edge, with a drop to your death on either side. I made it to top. Sunlight Peak, a couple hours later, required a leap across a thousand foot drop to reach summit. At least it was an easy jump. Chased off by a thunderstorm, I didn't get to go up nearby Windom Peak.
| | The Ultimate Golf Swing Training ProgramWritten by Ronald Burke
GET FIT TO GOLF – THE ULTIMATE GOLF SWING TRAINING PROGRAMWhy isn't your golf swing improving? Have you ever had your golf swing analysed? That's not just having a golf professional look at your swing but check out your golf swing plane, posture, your spine angle, balance and general biomechanics. If you haven't you are not having a true swing analysis done. You understand basics... how to hold club, where to stand, but things go wrong from there. The reason your golf swing goes astray when you take your club back is because your biomechanics are faulty. For example, if you have a functional short leg on your left side, when you take your stance your hips will rotate resulting in an open stance. You might think that you are square to target line, but you are not. With your poor biomechanics club is being forced into an out-to-in swing so you will hit ball with a clockwise spine. Correcting your hip and spine angle will square club face at impact so you can hit ball with an anti-clockwise spin. The hips and shoulders must return to a square position this will not only cure your slice but you allow distance from more power being generated from correct body turn and square club face. If your hips are rotated you will not be able to align your feet, hips and shoulders square to target. If your posture is corrected your muscles will groove your new swing so you will naturally return to a stance with a square club face. Also if your hips are rotated your centre of gravity will not be right this will force your shoulders to turn too quickly with an open stance due to a poor hip rotation body will be in front of ball. If your spine angle is wrong you will not setup with your head behind ball you will begin your downswing before you have complete your back swing with your arms. Every golf swing fault can be analysed this way. That's why your golf swing is not improving. You are not addressing your main piece of golf equipment...YOUR BODY...and how it affects your golf swing. This is why you have difficulty repeating a good shot. Your biomechanics aren't grooved to a good swing. Muscle memory is going to return you to a poor posture unless it is retrained. Your golf professional is telling you to have good balance, keep good posture and maintain your spine angle throughout shot. But how can you maintain your golf swing if your body won't allow it? You need your golf swing analysed from a biomechanical point of view to determine how your posture and muscle imbalances are affecting your swing.
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