Warner Nickerson’s More Cowbell: The Fat April Challenge

As the season comes to a close, the snowbanks and perfect pistes begin to melt into strands of grass, flowers and the beauty of spring. It’s a bittersweet time for many. A ski season can be amazing or brutal depending on performance, coaches and your team or group of friends. But if noth- ing else, it’s a moment where you get to take a deep breath of fresh air.

My favorite part of the end of a ski season is “Fat April.” Coined by a former coach and longtime dear friend of mine, Carolyn Beckedorff, Fat April is a month of giving your body a break from the rigors of travel, hardship and competitive racing. There is no doubt in my mind that individual sport — where you are tested day in and day out — is the most intense and grueling industry in the world. Fat April is a chance to stop eating crappy food on the road. You can cook, eat, drink and be merry. It’s a month to give your body some time to repair itself from a tough season.

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Frontpage Image: Sarah Brunson/U.S. Ski Team