Lead Photo Credit: American Pistachio Growers
Hosted by Dr. Mike Roussell, a noted author and nutrition advisor to Men’s Health Magazine, the Friday Fuel-Up Facebook Live series engages with some of the world’s most energetic and interesting people. The goal…to answer the question, “What Fuels You?”
With the American Pistachio Growers as the lead sponsor of the Friday Fuel-Up series, the show takes a deep dive into, “what drives them to succeed in their field, as well as the physical aspect of fueling success,” says Roussell. Each episode the listener will come away with tips that they can apply to their own life.
This Week’s Friday Fuel Up Guest is Jeremy Jones
This week that “interesting person” just happens to be, none other than, renowned Big Mountain snowboarder and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Jeremy Jones.
When it comes to big mountain snowboarding, there are few in the world, if any, that have seen or accomplished more than Jeremy Jones. To perform year in and year out on such a high level, for as long as Jones has, requires a healthy mind and body.
A Preview of What’s to Come
There is no doubt the Dr. Roussell will dive into Jones’ mindset and much more on Friday’s episode. However, to give you a little taste of what’s to come, check out what Jones had to say in this question and answer session beforehand.
What sort of gear do you bring with you on a trip? Is it heavy? How much does that extra weight what you plan to bring for food and water?
“Carrying everything you need to live in the mountains on your back is really heavy, up to 75 pounds. Once we get to a place we like we dump are gear and just bring what we need to climb the mountains, about 20 pounds.”
How do you figure out how much food and water to bring?
“I do not use any formal scales. I know how much food I need for a day in the mountains from doing it for so long. Same with camping. I just make piles for each day and estimate. I always want a little extra incase we want to or need to stay longer. Through the trip I will monitor our supplies and see if we need to cut down on our intake or if we have to much.”
What’s a normal day’s worth of eating like for you on a big trip?
“When we are camping we bring a stove and have hot oatmeal in the morning and some type of warm food, pasta, quinoa, or ramen type food. In the day, camping or just going out for the day I am fueled by different trail mixes, power gels, and bars. When I get back to my tent or tent I will immediately eat pistachios and some form of recovery drink. We are often so tired at the end of a big day that we are stumbling back to camp or our car. I have learned that if I recover/refuel myself right away and get a good night
sleep I can ride hard day after day for weeks on end.”
What’s different between one of your multi-day expeditions in terms of food and caloric planning vs. a camping trip or something similar?
“I do not think there is much difference between other endurance sports other than the cold. I eat similar foods in winter as I would on a summer backpacking trip. The difference is we need to bring so much gear to stay warm and to climb the mountains that we have to be very weight and space sensitive. In the summer I will splurge on bulkier and fresher food. In winter you also burn more calories so you need to bring more food.”
Have you ever been caught out in the backcountry with not enough food? If so, what was that like?
“It’s funny, starting out I brought to much gear and food. This is really common. The more you do it you realize you can bring less. I have had times however when we wanted to ride a peak but the weather came in and we have to extend our trip. In this scenario we will go on rations during a storm and pretty much lie around all day so we do not burn energy and will eat very little food.”
Rich Stoner is the founder of the après-ski lifestyle clothing and media brand, All About Après. No stranger to the ski and après-ski scene, Rich has been a long time contributor for many publications on topics like skiing, gear, beer and food. However, his passion is on the slopes and enjoying good times with good people. You can find him perfecting his craft carving turns and drinking beers in the Green Mountains of Vermont. @allaboutapres