Before you head out to the ski lodge, it’s essential to make sure your body has the strength, mobility, and endurance to handle the demands of skiing and snowboarding. Our team can help you develop a customized exercise program that focuses on the key muscle groups used in these sports:

• Core muscles, which stabilize your spine and improve balance.
• Quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, which absorb shock during turns and landings.
• Ankles and feet, which help with control and reaction time

Stretching and mobility exercises are vital before and after time on the mountain, as restricted muscles limit control and raise the risk of muscle pulls. This is especially important given the cold weather. We recommend:

• Dynamic warm-ups, such as walking lunges or light squats, before you hit the trail to activate the muscles you’ll use most
• Post-activity stretching helps reduce soreness

If you’re really struggling with mobility, our team offers several both hands-on and instrument-assisted manual therapy techniques to help improve range of motion, decrease stiffness, and keep your joints moving freely.

Falls are a common source of injury in winter sports, but you can work to avoid them with dedicated balance and coordination training. Our team will work with you to improve your response time and quickly stabilize under shifting loads–key skills in both skiing and snowboarding.

We might suggest:

• Balance board or single-leg exercises to train ankle and hip control
• Gait and movement analysis to help identify weaknesses or asymmetries that could lead to imbalance
• Sport-specific training to help you build the skills you need to boost your performance on the mountainside

Good movement patterns protect your body from strain and help you move efficiently on the slopes. Improving how your muscles, joints, and bones work together reduces the stress on vulnerable areas like the knees, hips, and back.

Our team can perform a comprehensive movement assessment that evaluates how you bend, squat, and rotate to identify compensations or weak links. Even small imbalances can affect control and power when skiing or snowboarding!

We’ll then guide you through techniques like:

• Body alignment training to help minimize knee twisting, shoulder strain, and back tension
• Dynamic control drills to train your muscles to respond quickly and smoothly
• Neuromuscular re-education to improve the connection between your brain and muscles, improving coordination and balance for quick reactions on uneven terrain

What you do after you’ve been on the slopes all day also plays a role in having a great skiing and snowboarding season! Proper recovery keeps you ready for the next run while preventing nagging injuries from overuse.

We can help you find the best recovery strategies for your needs, such as:

• Strategies related to hydration, nutrition, and rest to help keep your body strong and resilient
• Active recovery, like walking, light stretching, or cycling, to flush out built-up lactic acid, improve circulation, and reduce stiffness
• Cold and compression therapy to calm inflammation, decrease swelling, and reduce discomfort after intense sessions

The off-season is a great time to clean up technique. Practice controlled squats, lunges, and push-ups to reinforce form and joint stability. Balance drills, such as single-leg stands or step-downs, can help build coordination and control.

You don’t need heavy weights to stay strong. Try resistance band exercises for the hips and shoulders, and include body-weight core work like planks, side bridges, and mountain climbers. Aim for three short sessions per week to maintain muscle tone and stability.

Winter break is a great time to try out other activities you don’t normally have time to enjoy. If you like the cold, try hiking, skiing, or ice skating. Want to stay warm? Sign up for an indoor cycling class or broaden your horizons with dance lessons. No matter what you choose, you’ll keep your endurance up without stressing your joints.