So when do you pause for the day to refill your tank and keep going? What if it's a powder day and you haven't seen any of your friends in hours, your legs are gassed, and you have hammered out 25000 vertical feet and don’t want to stop for anything? You also have no friends on a day like this. Having resources with you to wring out every last run you can is clutch. I have a standard line up that has solidified over 20 years of riding.
1) The fig cookie
I will first pay homage to the fig cookie. Before your fancy power bars and gelatinous energy slimes I had the fig cookie. Dirt cheap on volume, and with 4 or 5 for the day I would be good. If I fell down on the hill, or in the lift line which seems to be my go to, they were able to withstand a beating and if they froze a bit it wasn’t the end of the world. On my meager student budget a full deck would last me more than a weekend and when held in juxtaposition with my next snack it was a beautiful marriage. Possible substitutes: Sesame snaps, peanut butter with crackers, granola bars.
2) Oranges
Soccer moms have it figured out! Inexpensive, easy to quarter and slam into a Ziploc, and an absolute champ at curing me of a dry mouth. Lets face it, the fig cookies are dry like Drumheller. I have shared an orange slice with an absolute stranger on the lift many times and always had rave reviews. When restoring yourself on the lift, snacks needs to be easily consumed. I don’t want to risk a wrapper contaminating the beauty while my hands freeze trying to unsheath a processed delight. If I drop an orange peel I look at it as more of a composting from height scenario. Possible substitutes: Apple slices, squares of chocolate, dried fruit.
3) Pocket Bacon
Having covered off a couple of carbs I would now like to address the ultimate item in my arsenal: POCKET BACON! I cannot claim any ownership of this as it was brought to my attention by other seasoned vets a few years ago but it is now a regular in my line-up. Bacon is a thing that brings most people together in state of bliss. I know a girl who is a proclaimed vegetarian in all aspects of her life except BACON. I guess she may have been overpowered by its magical salty-fatty-goodness. You can get a side of bacon most anywhere you grab your morning sustenance and like the orange and fig cookie it is easy to procure and consume while on a lift. Possible substitutes: None. Nothing compares 2 bacon.
So now I combine my three essentials and I have a triptych masterpiece to carry me through the marathon days. I like to run the tank empty letting my physical conditioning dictate when I stop for the day; this typically happens around 2pm when I have a “near miss maybe you should slow down you're way too bagged” type of moment. What snacks do you covet? Share them around and lets all keep our tanks topped up as long as possible.
I'd take fresh cord over powder every day of the week! ;)
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