It’s always ski season.
Dr. Bill Roberts and his wife take a ski trip every year. It’s enough to keep him motivated to work out year-round. “I spend a lot of my year staying fit so that week or two of skiing is more comfortable,” says Roberts, a professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and the Program in Sports Medicine. Many other recreational skiers aren’t so proactive, and most are more accustomed to sitting from 9 to 5 than exercising from dawn to dusk. “Unless you ski nearly every day, you’re going to do some muscle damage,” Roberts says. Here’s how to tackle your trip with less soreness and have more fun:
1. Prepare.
While staying fit year-round is optimal, if your training’s gone downhill since your last run downhill, take heart: Stepping up your game for a few months or even weeks can make a big difference. First, take the stairs as much as possible — especially down, Roberts suggests. Other quad-strengthening exercises like squats, wall sits and leg presses will boost your ability to handle difficult terrain, says Ryan Balmes, a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association. He recommends reflecting on past trips to inform what you can improve, be it aerobic capacity, flexibility, agility or leg or core strength. “A physical therapist can help with tailoring a program to your needs,” he says.
2. Make a plan.
Failure to plan is planning to fall — or worse. “No matter how experienced you are, whenever you show up to a new ski area, ask questions, grab a trail map and know what your responsibilities are,” says Tony Cammarata, the director of ski patrol at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Colorado. Then, plot out your trip to account for both out-of-practice (but eager) legs early on and fatigued (but more experienced) legs later. If your trip is more than three days, consider taking a middle day off. “You’re going to enjoy your vacation more if you take a reset,” says Lewis Sundquist, a corporate lawyer in Richmond, Virginia, who coaches a freestyle ski team in Minnesota on the weekends.
3. Wear a helmet.
Concussions don’t only plague football players. In fact, they’re among the most common injuries Cammarata, a paramedic by training, sees on the mountain. “We recommend people do some initial looking into the benefits and limitations of winter sports helmets,” he says, since the gear can help prevent serious injuries like open skull fractures, but don’t give skiers permission to throw caution to the wind. “A helmet isn’t going to do anything for you if you hit a tree at 80 miles an hour,” Cammarata says. Make sure you also get fitted for skis, boots and bindings that suit your height and skill level, the American Physical Therapy Association reminds.
5. Hydrate.
If you were running a marathon in the summer, you probably wouldn’t have to convince yourself to down a cup of water at every aid station. When you’re skiing, however, the thought or desire to drink isn’t always top of mind. “You don’t think about drinking water when it’s 18 degrees and you’re bundled up,” Sundquist says. But you should: Hydration is critical not only to replenish fluids lost, but also to lessen symptoms of altitude sickness, keep you alert and help your muscles repair. Sundquist recommends beginning to up your water intake in the days leading up to the trip to benefit most.
4. Warm up.
The snow is fresh and powdery, the lift lines are short and you’re eager to start the day on the biggest, baddest runs. Resist. “Start out easy, let your legs warm up — don’t just go out blazing,” says Sundquist, who likes to begin his days with a light jog to prepare his muscles, joints and heart for what’s ahead. Once afternoon hits and you’re tempted to take “one last run,” resist again in order to prevent injury, suggests Sundquist, who says that 3:30 p.m. tends to be the busiest time for ski patrol. “Saving that run for the next day really can make difference,” he says.
6. Don’t fight the fall.
In skiing, falling is not failing — it’s part of the sport. Plus, it’s a research-backed technique to prevent injuries, especially those of the knees like MCL and ACL tears, the two most common skiing injuries, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. If you feel a fall coming, “you should go down and dust yourself off,” Cammarata says. “You can do more damage by trying to fight it.” Once you get back up, aim to keep your hands and weight forward, your legs parallel and your hips, knees and ankles equally flexed, the APTA suggests.
7. Eat, drink and sleep properly.
Some of the best advice for a good ski trip can seem like some of the worst for a good vacation, but the type of recklessness you might get away with in Cancun will only hurt you in Colorado. Experts emphasize getting plenty of sleep, limiting your alcohol intake, eating healthy, easy-to-digest foods and entering the hot tub at your own risk. Sleep deprivation can make you shaky on the slopes, alcohol can further dehydrate you and interrupt sleep, a 22-ounce steak dinner is more likely to cause digestive distress than to fuel you and hot water is the opposite of what’s advised for sore muscles: ice.
8. Listen to your body.
When it comes to soothing tired muscles, think RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation. Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, compression garments and foam rolling can make you feel less sore too, but feeling better isn’t a reason to ignore tough ski conditions or tackle runs outside of your skill set, says Balmes, founder of a sports rehab clinic in the Atlanta area. If your aches are more like pains, take some time off and visit a clinic if needed. “If something is painful, that’s your body telling you to rest,” Cammarata says. “There’s no amount of ibuprofen at night or bloody marys in the morning that are going to prevent you from hurting yourself more.”
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8 Insider Tips to Crush Your Next Ski Trip Safely originally appeared on usnews.com
