This wasn’t how the season was supposed to end. In a good winter, the arc is gradual and you ease your way out. But this year in Colorado, winter didn’t fade so much as it stopped. Trails went from thin to unskiable in a heartbeat. For many skiers, the season ended not with a final long glide, but with a sense of something unfinished.
If you’re feeling like you didn’t quite get your best days, your best fitness, or even your fill of being out there, you’re not alone. And it’s exactly why this moment, the early edge of spring, matters more than it usually does.
There’s a tendency, especially after a winter that underdelivers, to react in one of two ways: shut it down completely, or try to make up for lost time. Coaches see both every year, but in low-snow seasons, the swing can be more pronounced.
“The instinct is to either detach completely or double down,” says endurance sports athlete and coach Matthew Klick, Ph.D., of Red Elephant Racing. “But neither is really productive. I strongly encourage a de-tune period in April or even into May. That doesn’t mean doing nothing; it means doing different things. Swim, play tennis or pickleball, go for a bike ride with friends. Step away from structure and reconnect with other parts of life.”
A Gradual Pivot
Start by giving the season a clean endpoint, even if the snow didn’t. One last intentional effort helps close the loop: a long run in the mountains, a hard interval session on dry trail, even just a final gear clean and reset. Without that, the transition can feel accidental, and harder to control.
“At the end of the season, when race objectives are done, I like athletes to keep getting on snow—but without the pressure,” Klick says. “It’s a chance to build snow feel in different conditions, work on lingering technique issues, and just enjoy skiing again. I often tell athletes to leave the heart rate monitor behind and go have fun.”
From there, the goal isn’t to cling to ski fitness, exactly, but to translate it.
That begins with backing off intensity for a couple of weeks. You’re coming off months of structured work and, for many, a quiet build toward races that never quite materialized. Resist the urge to “cash in” that fitness right now.
“During this period, weekly structure should loosen up and overall volume should drop,” Klick says. “That time is better spent on sleep, nutrition, and recovery—whether that’s yoga, physical therapy, or just recharging.”
Instead, shift toward frequency and variety. Keep moving most days, but change the stimulus. Running, biking, hiking—activities that maintain your aerobic base without the same neuromuscular demands—become the backbone of spring.
Workout with Intention
“I usually introduce a couple of short, easy runs during this window to help athletes reacquaint themselves with those muscles,” Klick says. “But it has to be gradual—running is where people can ramp up too quickly and lose time to soreness or injury.”
Spring is also the right time to address what skiing exposes but doesn’t fix. Mobility limitations. Strength imbalances. Small aches that never quite rise to the level of injury but never go away, either.
“Spring is a great time to revisit the gym,” Klick says. “We go back to basics, but also add variety—exercises that target opposing muscle groups, stability, and mobility. It should feel fresh and even a little experimental, with low overall volume.”
Just as important is the mental reset. A short season can leave a low-grade frustration—goals unmet, days missed. The instinct is to chase that feeling, but Klick advises racers to ditch the heart-rate monitor for the time being.
“There’s good evidence that performance improves when athletes aren’t overly fixated on a single objective,” Klick says. “Taking time for hobbies, friends, and other interests helps people come back more balanced and ultimately perform better.”
Paradoxically, one last hurrah can also do wonders to close out a season.
“I love it when athletes can cap the season with some kind of adventure—whether that’s a ski tour to a peak or just a big day in the mountains,” Klick says. “It can tick a box that maybe wasn’t possible during extreme cold or less daylight, and creates a kind of ceremonial ending to the season, and a mental reset for what comes next.”
There will always be another season. The goal, Klick says, is to return to structured training healthy, mentally refreshed, and with good energy balance—ready to start building again, step by step.