How to get fit for the ski slopes, at any age

Ski holidays can be exhausting. There’s an endless list of kit to pack, snow to trudge through and long transfers on winding roads to contend with – that’s all before you’ve even made it to the first chairlift. 

Once on the slopes, skiing is an intense activity – something your body, especially with age, needs time to prepare for. Add to that high altitude and its impact on your physiology and a ski holiday is a significant undertaking. As the season approaches, snow-sport fans are eagerly awaiting their first trip to the mountains, but many will have some trepidation about how they’ll fare this winter.

If you’re a little older, these nerves could be heightened. “Most people start to struggle with their ski fitness in their thirties and beyond mainly because the demands on their lives including work, kids and caring for older parents start to ramp up at this time of life,” says Lucy Macdonald, a physiotherapist with a specialism in snow sports.

“They therefore have less time to exercise and get fit, while at the same time not having the same regenerative rate as when they were in their twenties.”

If you’re tired of feeling tired half way through your ski holidays or are nervous about your on-slope performance this season the answer is to prepare your body during the weeks leading up to your trip. Having a pre-holiday fitness routine will also improve performance and reduces the chance of injuries and falls. 

Specific training is important because winter sports use different muscles to exercise than running or cycling, and many people don’t know how to work them. If you’re in the mid-life bracket, prioritising strength and cardio fitness over flexibility will give great gains on the pistes – so ditch the yoga mat for a few weeks, advises Macdonald.

Other groups that might need extra attention before they hit the slopes include people who have underlying medical issues, like heart or respiratory problems, anyone who is super flexible or ‘hypermobile,’ new mothers, people going through perimenopause, those with poor balance or sensory issues and anyone with bone density issues.

She also stresses the ongoing impact the pandemic has had on our health: “A minority have become fitter, but many people have dropped off their normal exercise routine and may have put on weight and become demotivated. There’s also the impact of long Covid which can hit people to varying degrees with fatigue, weakness, brain fog, breathing and cardiac symptoms, to name but a few.” In 2022, when the majority of skiers were finally about to return to the slopes, there was a record number of injuries and accidents reported by ski patrol.

Performed regularly, the following drills will help improve overall fitness, posture, balance and even technique. When doing them, aim to hold the body in the right position (alignment) for ski and snowboarding, as this trains the body to move efficiently on the slopes. It’s a good idea to try the exercises in front of a mirror (wear shorts or tight leggings), so you can watch, analyse and correct your position.

And start sooner rather than later. “The sooner the better because it takes a minimum of two months to see changes in muscle strength. However, you can see huge benefits to quality of movement, balance and proprioception within weeks and even days,” says Macdonald.

Many of these drills have an accompanying Octopus Clinic how-to video by Lucy Macdonald that can be watched free at octopusclinic.com. Watch the full video before attempting the exercise, and if you experience any form of discomfort or pain stop immediately and see a physiotherapist for help. Videos are free to watch and entail email sign up.

Find the perfect knee position

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 30+ age group.

Why do it? Unless knees are positioned centrally over feet, skiers can’t carve properly because the uphill ski won’t hold an edge, and snowboarders will feel less stable. The knees being out of position also causes knee pain, including problems with kneecaps and tendons.

Try this check: With your feet in ski or snowboard position bend your knees, focus on the centre of the knee cap then visualise a vertical line dropping from there to the floor. It should land in a central position, between the second and third toe, however, most people find it lands closer to the big toe or even between the feet.

Correct with this drill: Staying in the same ski/snowboard position, twist the knees out until they’re pointing forwards, then practise bending and straightening them while keeping them pointing forward. Aim for at least 30 repetitions every day.

Watch this video to practice this exercise in more detail.

Know how to position your body

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 40+ age group.

Why do it? Sticking your bottom out too much or tucking it too far under makes it hard for the muscles of your hips, pelvis and spine to work properly, which is fundamental to good technique and preventing back and knee pain when skiing.

Try this check: Look at your body from the side as you move into a ski or snowboard position and assess whether your bottom is tucked in, or sticking out. It should be centrally aligned in a neutral position, with no arc in your back in either direction.

Correct with this drill: Tuck your bottom under as far as you can, then stick it out as far as you can, then move 50 per cent of the way between the two. The aim is to retrain your hips and pelvis to find the ideal half-way neutral position, enabling muscles to work properly. Next, practise maintaining the pelvic neutral position while mimicking skiing or snowboarding movements, with your knees bent. Retraining a habit – or, more technically speaking, a neurological pathway between brain and body – is all about doing something over and over again, so aim for at least 30 repetitions a day.

Don’t sit down

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 50+ age group.

Why do it? On the slopes weight should be balanced over the centre of your skis, but most people bend too much at the hips and end up in a “sitting down” position. This puts too much weight on the back of the skis, which in turn causes loss of turn control as well as putting excessive strain through your quad muscles, knees and back.

Try this check: Still looking at the body from the side in the mirror, check whether you are in a “sitting” position, with your weight drifting back.

Correct with this drill: To correct yourself, straighten the hips and shift both hips and pelvis forwards to bring weight to the front of the feet, till you feel almost as if you’re going to tip over. Add this movement to the pelvic neutral movements above, and repeat at least 30 times a day.

Watch this video to practice this exercise in more detail.

Build leg strength

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 30+ age group.

Why do it? The quadricep (front of thigh) muscles work in two ways on the slopes, helping as you both bend and straighten the knees. The controlled lengthening of the quads from straight to bent is called eccentric training and is a fundamental and often neglected component of ski/snowboard training. Cyclists should note that quads are not worked eccentrically on a bike.

Try these drills: Step downs and split squats are both great ways to work quads in the ski/snowboard way. Use the posture exercises above to make sure you stand correctly as you do them and start with 30 repetitions. Then add weight gradually, by holding weights -–or if exercising at home, by wearing a backpack containing tins of food for example. Work the muscles to fatigue, then take two days off so they to recover between workouts. Don’t, however, bother with sitting against a wall squats – they can lead to skiing with weight too far back. For snowboarders this can make it harder to turn on the toe edge.

Watch this video to practice step downs in more detail or this video to follow a split squat exercise.

Activate unused muscles

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 40+ age group.

Why do it? The lateral hip muscles, in particular the gluteus medius (buttocks), are an important part of your pre-ski holiday training because they’re not used in the same way in any other sports so are often weak. When skiing we repetitively twist our hip joint inwards and outwards to edge our skis. Twisting the hips outwards like this uses particular parts of the buttock muscles in a way that they are not used in running or cycling, for example.

Try these drills: First is the clam exercise. Lie on one side with your hips and knees bent. Keep your ankles together and lift the top knee, then lower it again, like a clam opening and closing. Your hips and pelvis should not rock backwards as you open the knees, and you should feel the muscles working on the upper side of the buttock. Repeat 30 times on each side then practise a similar movement in a standing position, so you learn to use the same muscles in the way you would on the slopes.

Second is the wall ball exercise. Stand with a wall at your side and a long mirror in front. Put a ball between your knee and the wall, then twist both knees out slightly as you lift the foot on the ball side up behind the same knee. Push yourself away from the wall gently using the knee, keeping shoulders squarely over hips (no leaning). If you feel an intense sensation in the outside of the buttock furthest from the wall you’re doing it correctly (stop if you feel pain anywhere else). Next, bend and straighten the knee ensuring the knee stays in line with the second/third toes. Repeat until you can no longer maintain the alignment or sensation in the buttock. Aim for 30 on each side, but it’s better to do a few reps perfectly than many with poor alignment.

Watch this video to practice this exercise in more detail.

Be explosive

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 20+ age group.

Why do it? Once you’ve built up strength, it’s time to move onto propulsive movements – being able to propel yourself into the air is particularly important for off-piste steep slopes and moguls.

Try this drill: Jump sideways onto then off a step, starting with a low step and gradually making it higher, always making sure your body and knee position, as above, is perfect of course.

Watch this video to practice this exercise in more detail.

Improve spacial awareness

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 50+ age group.

Why do it? The body’s positional sense is called proprioception, and it’s particularly important for skiing and snowboarding in bad visibility. Improving it is also one of the best ways to prevent injury – WHY?

Try this drill: Stand on one leg with your eyes closed for two minutes twice a day. When this gets easy, add some small movements, such as little knee bends or brushing your teeth. Hover your hands over a stable surface, so you can grab it if you lose balance. Progress this exercise by doing it on an uneven surface like a wobble board or squashy disc.

Watch this video to practice and progress this exercise in more detail.

Train your heart and lungs

Who for? Everyone, but particularly skiers in the 50+ age group.

Why do it? If alignment is correct, the body works so efficiently you can get away with a lower level of heart and lung – aka cardiovascular – fitness. However, most of us of are still on the path to perfection, so training is still important. Interval training increases your efficiency because it puts maximum strain on the heart and lungs to make them fitter, and takes the least time.

Try this drill: Cycling or using a step machine works some of the muscles used in skiing and snowboarding. Aim for three to four 20 to 30 minute interval training sessions a week, working harder to increase the heart rate for two minutes, then working less hard to drop it right down for a minute before doing the same again, throughout the session. Remember to build up the exercise slowly and incrementally.

Lucy Macdonald is a physiotherapist with a specialism in snow sports. She offers one to one consultations and tailored programmes for enhancing performance and preventing injury, as well as treating injuries and pain. She practised in Val d’Isère, France, for four seasons and works with all levels of skier and snowboarder from novice to pro. For more information visit octopusclinic.com.