If you’ve never taken a skiing holiday before, the whole thing can seem a bit daunting especially the cost and the fitness levels needed. However, many of these fears are unfounded if you do a little homework before you book anything.
If I find out I don’t enjoy skiing, my whole holiday will be ruined:
Not necessarily. If you don’t get the chance to try out some skiing before you go (and one of the UK’s many indoor ski slopes) and you get your first taste of it on holiday you may well not fall in love with it straight away. The good news is that many resorts have alternative activities like horesriding, snow tubing, spa baths and shopping that you can take advantage of.
A skiing holiday is out of my price range:
Ski holidays are no longer the preserve of the rich and famous – these days it is possible to get some fantastic deals on ski holidays particularly if you take the self-catering option and avoid the peak holiday times like school breaks.
Global warming has ruined the chances of really good snow:
Not so, well not yet anyway. Experts think that global warming might possibly start to affect European skiing over the next 50 years, but at the moment there is no real evidence that it has started.
Skiing is a dangerous activity and I’m bound to get injured:
The overwhelming majority of beginners who learn to ski with instructors will have a long lifetime of incident free skiing. Accidents do occur, of course, but more often than not ski related accidents are less to do with the actual skiing and more to do with amounts of alcohol consumed and not taking care on icy surfaces etc. If you learn to ski properly, you will also learn to ski safely.
It will be freezing!:
Well, yes, the weather will probably be pretty cold and it will sometimes snow heavily – that’s half the fun of taking a holiday in the winter. However, there are many special clothes you can buy/hire to keep you warm and all that skiing will keep away the cold too.
I might not like the food:
The food in ski resorts isn’t all cheese and ham – and most places offer a huge variety of restaurants and cuisines. Those on self catering breaks will also find good food in many of the local resort shops and markets.
So, if you want to take a skiing holiday then go for it – don’t let fear of the unknown put you off.
Unfortunately, every year many skiers injure themselves almost as soon as they step foot on the slopes and even if the injury is not a serious one it can leave you unable to move for at least a couple of days. Bad news after you’ve spent all that money for your holiday eh? Luckily, you can work on your fitness and strength before you start your ski holiday which should significantly reduce your chances of injuring yourself on the slopes. In order to get yourself slope ready there are three main areas that you need to work on:
*Cardiovascular fitness
*Building up the muscles you will use the most whilst skiing
*Flexibility and balance.
credit: fincher69
Cardiovascular fitness
Your lungs and heart really need to be in peak condition if you are to get the most out of your skiing holiday. Working on your cardiovascular fitness will ensure that you have enough stamina to last you an entire day on the slopes as many skiers end up injuring themselves as they become more and more tired during the day. If possible, try and start any regime at least a couple of months before your holiday to give your body a chance to get used to the exercise. Cardiovascular fitness is basically getting your heart pumping faster so brisk walking, jogging, cycling etc are ideal especially if you can find time to do them every day for at least 20 or 30 minutes. If you are a member of a gym you’ll also have access to running and rowing machines and circuit training classes which are excellent for this kind of exercise. As the weeks progress you should notice a change in your fitness and stamina levels which means you can increase the intensity of your workouts.
Building up your muscles
To help you ski to the best of your ability and for as long as possible, you will need to work on building your ski-specific muscles such as calves, quadriceps and gluteus maximus (your bum). Your stomach, back, and side muscles also need to be as strong as possible to ensure a good range of movement. Obviously the gym will offer the best kind of machines and free weights designed to help you build your ski-specific muscles but there are many exercises you can do at home like hamstring curls, lunges and squats. Improving the strength of your core whilst at home is easy as you can still practice sit ups and other exercises specifically meant for this region of the body.
Flexibility and balance
If there is one sport which requires great flexibility and balance, it is skiing – the more flexible you are, the safer you will be whilst out on the slopes. Luckily, there are many exercises that are brilliant for improving both your flexibility and balance and that can be done in the comfort of your own home such as the one-leg-squat-and-reach exercise. Most gyms also have an area set aside with exercise mats and various pieces of equipment such as exercise bands which are good for improving your balance and the strength of your core muscles. Another piece of equipment that you can often find in the gym is the wobble board which can be used to enhance your physical balance. It is also great for improving your reflexes. There are numerous exercises that can be carried out whilst standing on a wobble board, the most common being to simply stand on the board and move back and forth without allowing the sides to touch the ground. As the weeks progress you should start to notice some real improvements in both your flexibility and balance.
If you work hard to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your ski-specific muscles, and work on your balance and flexibility, you will give yourself the best chance of avoiding injury whilst on the slopes. Furthermore, if you are unlucky enough to suffer an injury, you will be able to recover far more quickly than a skier who has not put in the hard work prior to their holiday.