skiing Archives - Alpine Spa and Salon

SWEET SUMMERTIME BRIDESMAID HAIR

The Roaring Twenties are in full swing, so get ready to dust off your formalwear and prepare to dance the night away at all those postponed weddings that are finally happening.

For all you bridesmaids out there (we know, it’s never as fun as promised), who love an updo, here’s a breakdown of four different ways to style the front of your updo to bring the heat and glamour all night long.

First look: Center part with loose pieces framing the face

Step 1: Begin at the top of the ear and spray Kenra Hot Spray 20 and create loose curls going away from the face with the flat iron.
Step 2 : As you work your way up, begin to backcomb and spray Kenra Volume Spray 25 to lock it in place.
Step 3: Once you’ve completed the curls on both sides, run your fingers through to soften the hair. Then softly begin to twist and pin back the curls organically towards the center back.
Step 4 : After your pieces are in place, go through with the Kenra Volume Spray 25 and lift the roots with your fingers for a natural look.

Second look: Side part without any pieces out

Step 1: Start at the top crown and begin to backcomb the roots, and spray them with Kenra Volume Spray 25. Then, work your way down, curling pieces away from the face with a flat iron. If you’re not comfortable using a flat iron, you can use a 1″– 1.25″ curling iron.
Step 2: Once you have all the pieces curled, pin the hair back, row by row, detailing and placing hair as you go. By working this way, you will create a dimensional look. As you work up, be sure to direct the hair back instead of down. Repeat steps 1 and 2 on the opposite side.

Third look: Swept back hairstyle

Step 1: Start by sectioning the front mohawk and clipping it aside. Then begin on one side and spray the hair with the Kenra Hot Spray 20 from roots to ends.
Step 2: Curl hair away from the face and up with a one-inch curling wand. Work the hair back with your fingers, spray with the Kenra Medium Spray 13, and pin the sides of the hair in the back. Repeat process on the other side.
Step 3: For the mohawk section, spray the hair with the Hot Spray 20. Then saturate the hair before using a smaller iron to create a tighter curl pattern. Work the curls back with the Medium Spray 13 and secure with bobby pins. Pay special attention to the very front sections and take your time detailing to ensure everything is cohesive and in the right place.

Fourth look: Classic side part with loose face-framing pieces

Step 1: Backcomb the side sections, spray with Kenra Hot Spray 20 and curl with the flat iron away from the face.
Step 2: Comb the flyaways into place. Pull the side curls back, and bobby pin them in place.
Step 3: Take the very front piece and tuck it behind a part of the hair above the ear. Repeat on the other side.

From: https://www.kenraprofessional.com/blog/summertime-bridesmaid-hair

By: KENRA PROFESSIONAL

Make the Most of Colorado’s Mud Season

April 18, 2021
community, hiking, massage stress relief, nature hike, Self Care, shop local, skiing, snowboarding, Summit County

“Make the Most of Colorado’s Mud Season”- Shoulder season means bigger deals and smaller crowds.

In the Colorado high country, mountain folk have an expression for that slowed-down stretch of time after ski season and before the busy summer hike-bike-festivals season rolls in.

Aptly named “mud season” refers to late April through May when spring’s sun melts winter’s snowpack, rivers swell and trails transition from frozen to sloppy to dry.

Here are our top tips for making the most of Colorado’s shoulder season in the mountains.

Focus on the quiet

Take a deep breath of glorious mountain air and revel in the lack of crowds. The beauty of the spring off-season lies in wide-open sidewalks, rested and smiling locals and fewer cars on I-70. Daytime temps can climb into the 50s, making for a nice stroll down mountain town Main Streets.

Mid-May is also a great time to go whitewater rafting in Colorado. The river flows are picking up speed and rafting outfitters are excited to get their boats back in the water.

Spring is when Colorado’s rainbow and cutthroat trout start to spawn, making for optimal fly-fishing conditions. Other do-it-while-it’s-quiet ideas include mountain brewery tours, historic walking tours and hot springs soaking (we recommend Iron Mountain Hot Springs or Trimble Spa & Natural Hot Springs). Be sure to explore Colorado’s four national parks before the summer crowds arrive.

Eat cheap

Many mountain town restaurants that remain open in May offer diners 2-for-1 deals. Buy one steak dinner and get the second one free. It’s the perfect excuse to book a date night and try that fine dining spot you wouldn’t normally splurge on.

Some restaurants throw locals appreciation parties and serve up steeply discounted or free apps and drinks, while others host end-of-season keg draining bashes to sell off winter’s brews before they usher in summer seasonals.

Disclaimer: A handful of mountain restaurants close entirely for mud season. Call before you go.

Stay for less

Reduced rate lodging is another prime shoulder season perk. Hotel, condo and resort discounts can often range from 30 to 50 percent off. Call ahead, check online and follow your favorite mountain properties on social media—they’ll throw out offers to loyal fans.

Score gear deals

Spring is a fantastic time to spruce up your outdoor gear collection. Ski and apparel shops are slashing prices, pushing out last season’s gear before the new biking, hiking and running garb comes in. If you’re in the market for a new snowboard, boots or skis, May is the time to wrangle a deal.

For those who get bored and miss the buzz of tourism and trail traffic, don’t worry, it will be back right around Memorial Day. Hang on tight and get your fill of rafting, mountain biking, camping and hiking—summer in the mountains flies as quickly as the wildflowers bloom and the rivers flow and ebb.

By Lisa Blake

“Make the Most of Colorado’s Mud Season”
From: https://www.coloradoinfo.com/blog/colorado-mud-season

MASSAGE FOR WINTER SPORTS

March 17, 2021
deep tissue massage, Massage, massage stress relief, Self Care, self care stress, skiing, snowboarding

MASSAGE FOR WINTER SPORTS – Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who participate in many outdoor winter sports do not properly prepare themselves ahead of time for the stress these activities can place on their bodies. Furthermore, most do not live close enough to an area where they can engage in these activities on a regular basis.

At best, they end up hitting it hard on the weekends or, more likely, packing as much activity as possible into sporadic stints of a week here or long weekend there. As a result, a combination of a lack of proper preparation and intermittent yet intense periods of activity can frequently lead to post-exercise soreness, strained and pulled muscles—or worse.

A sports massage therapist can do a few things to help this type of client. there are four different types of sports massage: general massage, pre-event massage, post-event recovery massage and injury massage. For most individuals involved in winter sports, massage can be consolidated into two categories: general pre-activity massage and post-activity recovery massage.

For both types of sports massage, it is useful to go through a series of range-of-motion tests before the session to look for areas that may be tight and restricting normal movement, and again after the massage to examine how the treatment has impacted these restrictions.

General Pre-Activity Massage
General pre-activity massage should focus on loosening up the muscles that are primarily engaged during that sport and preparing the body to perform the best it possibly can. The work should combine slow, controlled strokes with compressions and kneading. The pressure should be deep enough to be effective, yet not so deep that your client’s body fights you by resisting and tensing up. It is also beneficial to incorporate some assisted dynamic stretching, such as Active Isolated Stretching, into part of your session.

Post-Activity Recovery Massage
Post-activity recovery massage should be geared toward helping the body recover more quickly from an activity, while at the same time addressing any muscle strains or pulls. It should combine flushing strokes using moderate pressure with trigger-point therapy and movement techniques, such as pin-and-stretch or Active Release Technique. Static stretches of 30 to 45 seconds can also be incorporated after massaging a muscle or region. A cold whirlpool or ice bath for 10 minutes is a great way to top off the end of the session.

Regardless of which type of massage you are giving, it is important to understand the muscles that experience the most stress for each of the more popular winter sports. Outlined below are five recreational winter activities and the primary muscles that are engaged during those activities.

Downhill Skiing
The entire way down the mountain, downhill, or alpine, skier is essentially maintaining a quarter-squat position. The rectus femoris, vastus intermedius and gluteus maximus bear the brunt of the workload, as they are in a constant state of contraction. A large part of the massage should focus on these two regions.

Other muscles that are stressed in the lower body during downhill skiing include the peroneus longus, biceps femoris, adductor longus and gluteus medius. Although the upper body is usually not heavily involved, it may also be worthwhile to check certain muscles around the shoulders including the rhomboids, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, pecs and deltoids as well as the erectors down the spine.

Snowboarding
Snowboarders stress their bodies a bit differently than downhill skiers do. The core plays a key role in moving a snowboarder down a slope. As a result, the low back has to do a significant amount of work.

You should start by working the quadratus lumborum, multifidi, external obliques and psoai. The gastocnemius, soleus and tibialis anterior of the lower legs should also be massaged, as they are fundamental to the heel-toe motion that occurs when snowboarding. The hamstrings and quadriceps muscles should also be checked.

Beginners who fall a number of times also stress their wrists and shoulders. Snowboarders who end up spending a lot of time on the ground usually require work on the forearm flexors and extensors as well as supraspinatus and subscapularis.

“MASSAGE FOR WINTER SPORTS”
About the Author
Mark Fadil is the co-founder of Sports Medicine Institute, a performance center which focuses on sports and orthopedic massage, in Palo Alto, California. He is also the founder of PHLX, a comprehensive foam roller system that empowers the user to recreate hands-on techniques utilized by skilled massage therapists. He wrote “Sports Massage for Runners” and “Massage for Golfers: Keep Your Clients on the Course” for MASSAGE Magazine.