As the temperature begins to drop and the days get shorter, many people cringe at the thought of the upcoming winter season. Not us skiers. Those of us who love the thrill and adventure of racing down a powdery mountain feel like kids again every time that first snowfall begins. Many skiers are counting down the days to their next trip out west. But with the adventure of skiing, which many classify as an extreme sport, comes a fair amount of risk.

In fact, skiing is one of the riskiest sports in which adults routinely take part. The exact amount of risk can vary quite a bit based on skill level, conditions, equipment, and training. But no matter how seasoned of a skier you are, there will be a point that gravity wins and you find yourself on the snowy ground. Thankfully, there are some ways to minimize the chances of serious injury so that the only thing hurt during your yard sale across the trail is your pride. 

Pre-season training

It’s no news that skiing is a workout. After that first day on the mountain your legs are often SORE. That’s because the muscles you’ve been using for other activities during the spring-fall seasons are likely different than those you need for skiing. Even if you’re in shape, you’re likely not in shape for skiing, and the weaker you are, the more likely you are to get injured.

So what should you focus your training on?

Quads

Quad endurance is especially important as you essentially hold a squat for the length of each trail. In addition, you use your quads to absorb the forces that come back up from the ground as you go over bumps. Try out these exercises to improve your quad endurance:

• Wall Sits
• Bosu Squat Holds

Hamstrings

Our hamstrings are often weak compared to our quads, which can place increased stress on the ACL—one of the most commonly torn ligaments during ski season. Strong hamstrings create more stability around the knee. Try out these exercises to strengthen your hamstrings! 

• Resisted Leg Curls
• Swiss Ball Curls

Core

Core stability is needed for good balance and overall stability on your skis. Core stability can be improved through these exercises:

• Pallof Press
• Planks

Don’t Forget the Glutes!

Especially your glute med, which is responsible for keeping your knees in good alignment (particularly for you crazies that like to go off the high jumps). Try out these exercises to target the glutes:

• Hip Thrusts
• Lateral Band Walks

Warm up

We’re not talking cozy mittens and heavy jackets, we want you to warm up those muscles! As we previously said, skiing is a workout, so treat it like one. You wouldn’t jump right into a soccer game or walk into gym and start squatting heavy weight right away. You’d warm up and prep your muscles for the activity you’re about to do. The same should be done for skiing.

Opt for dynamic moves rather than static stretches. Dynamic stretching is better at getting your muscles primed and can increase the force your muscles can produce. This decreases your chance of injury by providing better stability and control about your joints. Static stretches, on the other hand, can reduce a muscle’s ability to produce force and may thereby increase your chance of injury. Save the static stretches for after the workout when you want to relieve tension and relax your body. Some great dynamic warmup activities for skiing are:

• walking lunges with or without trunk rotation
• squats (wide and narrow)
• knee to chest
• hamstring scoops

Protect your noggin, but also use it!

The good news is that 83% of skiers wear helmets nowadays. And that rises to 89% in the Northeast. Helmets reduce the incidence of mild injuries by 30-50%. Wearing one can also reduce the severity of a head injury. So, essentially, it can prevent mild concussions and turn more severe injuries into milder ones.

However, don’t get too confident! Serious injuries and even fatalities can occur even with helmet usage.. And if you feel off after hitting your head during a fall or collision with another skier, call it quits for the day. If you’ve already sustained a concussion and you’re not operating at your best, a second fall is more likely, and second impact syndrome is very serious—potentially fatal. That’s a good reason to head back into the lodge to rest   up with some hot cocoa. 

Learn the best way to fall

As much as none of us like to admit it, there will be a time when you go down—whether it’s because you got distracted, you hit a pile of powder after a stretch of ice, or a beginner cut in your path- let’s go with that. Definitely the other skier’s fault.

Either way, don’t try to fight the fall. Accept it, bend your knees slightly, and do your best to fall uphill onto your hip. Many times, your natural instinct when fighting the fall is to straighten your legs while the rest of your body keeps flailing and twisting to stay upright. This twisting on an extended knee can lead to an ACL tear. The other natural reaction is to sit straight back on the ends of your skis, but this causes your ski boots to push forward on your tibias. And guess what that can lead to? Also an ACL tear. It can make a pretty lame looking tumble turn into a season-ender. 

Toss your poles

Another important factor within falling! We often wear those handy pole straps around our wrists to prevent losing them both on the chairlift and on our way down the trails. But this makes it difficult to get rid of our poles during a fall. Falling on an open hand with your pole can lead to a broken wrist, a broken arm, or an ulnar collateral ligament tear in your thumb (also known by many as “Skier’s thumb”). Tossing the poles and taking the fall on your shoulder is much safer. Just don’t throw your poles so far that they end up under someone else’s skis and cause a domino effect down the mountain.

Listen to your body

Most injuries occur after 3:30pm, but no, it’s not coincidental. It happens for 2 main reasons. One, conditions start to go downhill (pun completely intended) as the afternoon wears on. The temperature starts dropping, so the snow gets harder and icier again after softening during the day. Plus, the trails have been skied on all day, so there’s a patchwork of ice and powder drifts.

The other reason that ski patrol can count on a number of calls in the late afternoon is fatigue. Most injuries occur at the end of the day when you’re tired but want to squeeze just one or two more runs in. Your body is tired and your reflexes aren’t as fast so you’re more likely to lose control and fall. When muscles get fatigued and aren’t firing correctly, all of the force coming back up from the ground can’t be absorbed by them and goes to your ligaments instead. Then your ligaments may take more force than they’re prepared for and tear. So listen to your body and call it quits when you’re tired. At the very least, it’s definitely not the time to try out that black diamond. Go for an easy run and you’ll be more likely to make it back the next day.

Get a Movement Screen!

Start your ski season off right by coming in for a movement screen! Our dedicated Doctors of Physical Therapy can perform a ski-specific movement analysis, which highlights any muscle weaknesses that could bring down your performance. Not only will we enhance your endurance and performance, but also reduce your risk of injury on the slopes!
Click here to make your appointment today!