Top tips for a pain free skiing holiday
Mike Pride has over 24 years skiing experience in cross country and downhill skiing and has competed at The British Army Infantry Downhill skiing championships.
Fresh air, fresh snow, fresh injuries. How can you make the most of your skiing holiday without coming back feeling worse than when you went? Here are a few little tips to have a great time and reduce the amount of injuries sustained while on holiday
Train before you go skiing
Skiing is a hard, physical activity and required cardiovascular endurance, strength, balance and co-ordination. Therefore, any pre-skiing fitness program should combine elements of all of these aspects. Extra strength in your legs will not only make each turn easer but the muscles around joints help protect the joint and reduce the chances of picking up an injury from a crash. Upper body strength is required to carry all the equipment and also comes in handy if you fall over! The more strength you have the easier it is to get back up after a fall. In both skiing and snowboarding balance is essential, training this before you go will make you better at dealing with changing and uneven snow conditions and the more balanced you are the less effort is required for skiing a run!
Take decent shoes with you
Especially for Southerners! We aren’t used to snow and often you find British holiday makers slipping on ice and snow because they are wearing inappropriate shoes.
Spend time getting boots that fit
Ski boots have a reputation for being uncomfortable. If you have your own boots: great but if you are renting: getting perfect boots should be an absolute priority. Be critical, spend time at the shop and don’t be afraid to go back as soon as they don’t feel right. Ill fitting boots can affect blood flow to the feet which can cause them to swell and become painful. Also as soon as you get a blister you will change the way you ski to avoid putting pressure on the sore parts of your feet. This changes your skiing and changes the forces going through you knees and hips.
Warm up at the beginning or the day
Ski boots have a reputation for being uncomfortable. If you have your own boots: great but if you are renting: getting perfect boots should be an absolute priority. Be critical, spend time at the shop and don’t be afraid to go back as soon as they don’t feel right. Ill fitting boots can affect blood flow to the feet which can cause them to swell and become painful. Also as soon as you get a blister you will change the way you ski to avoid putting pressure on the sore parts of your feet. This changes your skiing and changes the forces going through you knees and hips.
Stretch at the end of the day
Before you settle down in front of the fire or head out to the bars: spend a few minutes stretching off after the day on the slopes. Stretching at the end of the day helps the muscles to recover and stops you getting sore and stiff in the evening.