Ski and Snowboard Season is Here! Check Out These Tips to Help You Prepare for the Slopes!
It’s that time of year again where we haul our skis out from the rafters, dust off our snowboards, tune up our equipment, and make sure we are all set with our snow gear. While we often use this time to prepare our gear and equipment, we want to also prepare our bodies to perform their best on the slopes! Whether you're a seasoned skier or a newbie to the sport, preparing your body for the physical demands of skiing is crucial to ensure a safe and enjoyable season. Skiing requires a precise combination of edge control, dynamic weight shifting, and core stability to navigate varying terrain and maintain fluidity at high speeds.Snowboarding demands a unique blend of balance, rotational control, and explosive power due to the sideways stance and dynamic terrain changes. Whether you’re a seasoned shredder or strapping in for the first time, prepping your body can help prevent injuries, improve your control on the board, and maximize your fun on the mountain. At Summit Physio & Performance, we believe that a well-rounded physical preparation plan can make all the difference! Here are our top tips to help you get ski and snowboard ready!
Here are our top tips to help you get ski ready this season:
1. Core Strength: Build a Strong Foundation
Your core is the powerhouse of your body, providing both stability and balance essential for skiing. Incorporate exercises like planks, Russian twists, loaded carries, and leg raises into your routine. The core provides proximal stability in order for you to use your limbs which are essential for skiing!
2. Leg Strength: The Backbone of Skiing Performance
Skiing relies heavily on the strength of your legs. Focus on exercises that target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and step-ups are fantastic for building the necessary muscle strength. Don't forget about calf raises to ensure your lower legs are equally strong. To optimize your skiing performance, it's crucial to incorporate single-leg strength exercises into your regular training routine. This will significantly enhance your ability to execute precise and powerful turns on the slopes. If you have one leg that is weaker,focus on getting your legs symmetrically strong with single leg exercises. Check out our recent Instagram reel on some specific lower body exercises to incorporate.
3. Balance and Stability: Build Both
Balance is key when navigating the slopes. Incorporate dynamic balance training into your regimen. Focus on standing on one leg while moving your other leg as in a single leg RDL. Incorporate upper body movements like lifting a weighted ball into the air. Drills like these will challenge your single leg balance in a dynamic way. These activities will help you maintain control and stability on uneven terrain which you will inevitably experience on the slopes.
4. Flexibility: Enhance Your Range of Motion
For skiing in particular, you want to ensure you have adequate ankle mobility as your ankles will be positioned into more dorsiflexion (bending of the ankle) for a sustained period of time. If your ankle dorsiflexion is limited, you will likely have more discomfort in ski boots and while skiing. A good range of motion in your joints can prevent injuries and improve your skiing technique. Stretching exercises, particularly for the lower body, should be a staple in your routine. Consider dynamic stretches before workouts and static stretches post-exercise to maintain flexibility.
Check out our YouTube video on ankle mobility drills HERE
5. Plyometric Exercises: Develop Power and Agility
Plyometric exercises, which involve explosive movements, can help you develop the power and agility needed for skiing. Box jumps, jump squats, and lateral jumps are great for improving your explosive strength and quickness. It is best to include a mix of double leg and single leg jumps into your routine and vary your focus to include jumping for height and speed.
Here are our top tips to help you get snowboard ready this season:
1. Ankle Stability: Control Every Turn and Transition
Unlike skiing, where rigid boots and bindings offer substantial support, snowboarding boots are softer and rely more on your ankles for balance and control. This means strong, stable ankles are essential for steering, carving, and absorbing terrain changes. Add single-leg calf raises, lateral band walks, and balance board exercises to your routine. These strengthen the muscles around your ankles and improve proprioception for smoother edge transitions. Better ankle stability equals better control, especially on icy patches or when landing jumps.
Snowboarders also tend to experience unique ankle stress due to the constant shifting of weight between the front and back foot. Pay attention to any asymmetries in strength or stability and target weaker areas to ensure both feet are equally prepared for the ride.
2. Rotational Core Strength: Power Through Your Turns
Snowboarding is all about rotation—whether it’s initiating turns, carving on steep slopes, or spinning off a jump. Your torso plays a critical role in linking your upper and lower body while transferring rotational energy to the board. Exercises like Russian twists and woodchoppers directly simulate the twisting motions you’ll need on the slopes. Add in dynamic movements like landmine twists to simulate the rotational demands of snowboarding.
Pro tip: train both directions of rotation, even if you have a preferred stance, to maintain symmetry and versatility on the board.
3. Lower Body Strength: Stay Low, Stay Powerful
In snowboarding, your legs are your shock absorbers, balance point, and power source. The sideways stance adds unique demands on your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, especially during edge control and landings. Focus on squats, Romanian deadlifts, and Bulgarian split squats to build strength.. Don’t forget to train asymmetrically, as your leading and trailing legs may experience different stresses during snowboarding.
Snowboarders spend more time in a crouched stance to maintain balance and control, which requires significant isometric strength in the legs. Incorporate wall sits or weighted holds into your routine to simulate this demand. Single-leg work, like step-downs or lateral lunges, is also key for improving balance and addressing any side-to-side strength discrepancies caused by your lead and trailing foot positions.
4. Balance and Stability: Stay Upright and In Control
Snowboarding challenges your ability to stay balanced as you shift edges and move through varied terrain. To prepare, focus on improving your proprioception and stability. Incorporate single-leg RDLs, stability ball rollouts, and BOSU ball drills into your routine. These exercises train your ability to adapt to changes in terrain, especially during unpredictable snow conditions. Pair these with dynamic balance drills, like a single leg balance while swinging a kettlebell, to simulate the constant adjustments you make while riding.
5. Plyometrics: Explosive Power for Tricks and Turns
Whether you’re popping an ollie, launching off a jump, or snapping into a sharp carve, snowboarding demands explosive power and the ability to absorb landings. Plyometric exercises like lateral hops, box jumps, and broad jumps build the quickness and strength needed for these dynamic movements.
For snowboarders, lateral power is particularly important to enhance edge transitions and carve with precision. Incorporate lateral box jumps and single-leg bounding to mimic the explosive side-to-side motion of shredding. Land softly to train your muscles for controlled landings, a crucial skill whether you're coming off a jump or absorbing a mogul.
Check out our recent Instagram reel on some specific lower body exercises to incorporate.
General tips that apply to both ski and snowboard prep!
Warm-Up and Cool Down: Essential Practices
Never underestimate the importance of warming up before hitting the slopes and cooling down afterward. A proper warm-up increases blood flow to your muscles and prepares your body for physical activity, while cooling down helps reduce muscle soreness and aids recovery. Many skiers and snowboarders skip the warm up and this puts us at an increased injury risk, especially those first few runs. Additionally, after performing your warm up, take it easy on the first few runs with a green or blue run instead of a black or double black run.
Check out our previous reels on ski and snowboard warm ups:
Cardiovascular Conditioning: Boost Your Endurance
Skiing can be incredibly demanding on your cardiovascular system. Prepare by engaging in regular aerobic activities such as running, cycling, or swimming. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or doing regular METCONS can also be beneficial in improving your stamina and overall fitness.
Injury Prevention: Focus on Prehab
Preventative rehabilitation (prehab) can reduce the risk of common skiing injuries. Work with a physical therapist to identify and address any potential weaknesses or imbalances. We can formally assess your range of motion, strength, and stability during a physical therapy evaluation. Customized prehab programs can include strength training, stretching, and specific exercises to enhance joint stability or help with any pain that you may be experiencing. Consider scheduling an appointment with a physical therapist for a comprehensive assessment. We can provide personalized recommendations and exercises tailored to your specific needs and skiing goals.
If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, you may do so here:
By following these tips, you can ensure that you're physically prepared to enjoy a fantastic ski and snowboard season. At Summit Physio & Performance, we're here to help you every step of the way. Whether you need a personalized training plan, injury prevention strategies, or hands-on therapy, our team of experts is dedicated to helping you reach your peak performance on the slopes. Stay safe, stay fit, and happy skiing and snowboarding this season!
-Dr. Tessa Kothe, PT, DPT and Dr. Cat Cui, PT, DPT
