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Ski season is quickly approaching and it’s not too late to get ready. Preparation isn’t just gear. Sure, having your gear ready is important, but it’s not about the skis. Fitness and body prep is so important to starting the season o> ready and avoiding injury. Having your strength and mobility primed can get you out of trouble when you drop in to a line you probably should have waited a few more weeks for. Here are some of my favourite movements to get primed to chuck my carcass opening day!
Lunges:
These are killer for ski season and require no equipment. There are infinite variations to lunges and they’re all good to get those quads and balance in mid-season form. Add jumping to improve your pop off the lip or your explosiveness out of the turns. Change your base width for more balance focus or hip mobility. Elevate your back foot or place some kind of balance device to change the burn. Use your imagination and pump those lunges out. Your opening weekend self will thank you when you charge a T to B at the end of the day. I like to do at least 10 reps per leg up to a more tabata style of 30 seconds consecutive, depending on the variation of lunge. Repeat 2-5 times. The burn now will equal longer runs come December/January!
Plank:
Core strength is so important for skiing (and crashing). This is one of the best and most basic core exercises you can do. For plank, I like to turn it into a plank circuit of 30 seconds front plank immediately into 15 seconds on each side, finishing with 15 – 30 seconds front again. Repeat 2-3 times. Work up to it – don’t sacrifice form for a long hold!
Uphill treadmill or hiking:
I would way rather be in the mountains hiking and getting my legs and cardio ready for touring or those long cat track traverses for the stashes, but I find myself in the city and a treadmill will have to do. Set the incline to 10%+ and the speed to a brisk walk. I like adding a weight vest to add more leg burn and imitate having my pack and gear on. Throw on a ski movie (or two) and walk for as long as you like. I aim for a minimum of 20 minutes each time I am on the treadmill.
Kettle Bell Swings:
This is my favourite movement to get ready for ski season. This movement works a lot of the body and gets the heart rate up. I like that it is an explosive movement and has the impulse at the bottom. The tensing and relaxing through the movement is so beneficial for skiing. If you don’t have access to a kettle bell, you can get creative and look for alternatives to load this movement. I like to do 6-10 reps depending on the weight. If I’m doing less reps, I will generally do more sets (4-5), and if I am doing higher reps, I will do 2-3 sets. I really focus on being explosive with this movement instead of swinging heavy weight.
Trampoline:
I love tramp time. Getting your feet o> the ground and maintaining that air awareness is a fun way to hit the slopes charging. It is also a good workout! Try new flips and rotations. Lock in those grabs. But, have a spotter for those bigger, new attempts. Don’t hurt yourself on the tramp!
Side note:
Caveat! Make sure you focus on form and don’t overload. Injuries are so counterproductive to getting ready for ski season. Research and start light or work with a trainer to ensure you have good form and won’t hurt yourself.
Conclusion:
To summarize, leg and core strength are crucial to having a good ski season and skipping the first week fatigue. I train in the gym five days a week, doing full body sessions, but varying what I am focused on each day. I listen to my body and use that to dictate if I need to take a day o> or change up the program. The biggest part is to have fun and not get hurt.
Gear is important and will compliment your fitness preparation. Go to Gearhub and talk to the amazing staff to tune your current setup or get a new one. Stay tuned for my gear prep blog coming soon!
