VAIL, Colo.—Chris Del Bosco stopped into the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail on a recent afternoon to get in one of his last workouts before he heads to Vancouver.
The 27-year-old from Eagle-Vail was working on moves that will help him burst out of the gate during the Olympic skicross event.
“The starts for Chris are probably the most important part of his routine,” said John “J.C.” Cole, director of strength and conditioning at the club. “The ability to explode out of the gate faster than his competitors.”
That “explosive” power has perhaps never been more important. Del Bosco will participate in his first Olympics Feb. 21, competing for the Canadian ski cross team (he has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada). His goal is singular.
“To get a gold medal,” Del Bosco said. “That was my goal from the outset, from as long as I can remember.”
This slopeside gym at the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail has been a training ground for plenty of Olympic athletes, including alpine star Lindsey Vonn.
Del Bosco is one of many local Olympians who have worked with Cole. When Cole started training with Del Bosco three years ago, Del Bosco was bursting with raw talent but he wasn’t big on working out, Cole remembered.
“Chris has transformed himself into a bit of a gym rat,” Cole said. “This is a good escape for him.”
Del Bosco has logged so many hours in the gym, he’s built up his weight from 185 to 215 pounds, Cole said. Del Bosco’s workout routine consists of weight and flexibility training, “Olympic lifts” with barbells, Cole said.
Del Bosco said he spends most of his time on the road with the Canadian skicross team but when he isn’t traveling, he lives—and works out—in the Vail Valley. Sometimes he practices on a start gate his dad, Del Del Bosco, keeps in his Eagle-Vail yard. Having recently returned home from the X-Games in Aspen, Del Bosco has been working out every other day at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, before leaving for Vancouver.
Even Olympic athletes don’t feel motivated to workout sometimes, and on those days, Del Bosco tries to think about one day at a time.
“I tell myself: You’ve just got to do it today,” he said. “I try not to think too far down the road. You overwhelm yourself if you think too far down the road.”
Looking ahead to the Olympics, Del Bosco said his strengths are his confidence and his experience at the venue. He competed on Cypress Mountain in the World Cup in February. His weakness, he said, is that he can’t be sure what to expect from his first Olympics.
“I’m just going to try to treat it like any other race,” Del Bosco said. “I’ve been working really hard. Time will tell. It’s been a really cool experience. I’m going to try to enjoy it and have fun.”
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Information from: Vail Daily,
