Top 10 Tips To Ski Strong & Prevent Injuries

The 2023 - 2024 ski season has officially started in Park City, Utah. It’s so much fun to be sliding on snow again and catching up with friends. I had a blast. Two friends were complaining that they felt out of shape, tired, and don’t bounce back like they used to. Lucky for them there are 132 more days to this season and they have a performance coach as a friend.

Here are my top 10 tips to get the most out of this ski season to ride strong and prevent injuries. This blog touches briefly on each tip. Future posts will go into further detail with more specific examples.

1. Hydration: Drink Water or Herbal Tea With breakfast
   As little as a 2% loss in body fluids causes decreased performance; reduced ability to concentrate, fatigue, and poor recovery. Hydrate before you shred preferably during breakfast and on the way to the mountain.

2. Top Off Your Fuel Stores: Eat Breakfast
   Get to the mountain fully fueled and energized. Have a hearty breakfast full of grains, beans, greens or fruits, and healthy fat that will sustain you. A breakfast burrito or a mixed berry old fashioned oatmeal bowl are great options.

3. Less Is More: Gradually build up your load.
   No matter what dry-land training you do in the off-season, nothing can simulate the load and forces generated by carving and sliding on snow. Allow your body to ease into the season by gradually increasing the amount of time you’re on snow.

4. Stop Before You Get Too Tired
   The last run is usually when people get hurt. Stop earlier while you still feel good. Avoid skiing or snowboarding until you are fatigued and no longer have the strength, power, and quick reaction time to stay out of trouble. 

5. Rehydrate As Soon As You’re Done Riding
   Pack a recovery drink. Research shows that the ideal recovery drink has a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1. Examples include Recoverite, EnduroxR4, and Vega Sport Recovery. Water in the drink replaces body fluids. Carbs refill energy stores in the active muscles. Protein rebuilds and repairs muscles. After finishing your recovery drink, continue sipping on water until you feel comfortable.

6. Refuel: Have a Plant-Strong Balanced Meal
   Your body needs energy aka calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to replace all that was burned in your shred sesh. When you’re ready to eat, have a colorful meal of grains, greens, beans, colorful veggies, fruits, and healthy fats. There are tons of options. Asian noodles or rice bowls are awesome. Vegan Pho is one of my favs!

7. Foam Roll: It’s Like Giving Yourself a Massage
   Focus on rolling out your active muscles in the calves, hamstrings, back, and quadriceps. This warms your muscles, helps loosen the joints and tissues, and increases range of motion to help protect you from injury.

8. Stretch: Lengthen The Muscles You Used On The Slopes
   Take time to slow down, breathe deeply, and relax. Comfortably stretch and release your feet, ankles, calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, hips, back, chest, shoulders, and neck. Stretching will help you recover faster, by maintaining your full range of motion and decreases risk of injury. 

9. Cold Therapy: Reduce Inflammation and Speed Recovery
   Cold therapy including cold showers, ice baths, and cryotherapy reduce blood flow to the area of focus. This can significantly reduce inflammation by stimulating vasoconstriction (or narrowing of the blood vessels) which helps speed recovery.

10. Recovery Nap or Yoga Nidra: Rest and Reset
    Taking a recovery nap listening to binaural beats or brainwave entrainment will allow your brain and body to recalibrate. This state of homeostasis or equilibrium in the body and within the cells is also attained in yoga nidra. Nidra is sanskrit for sleep. Yoga nidra is a guided meditation and conscious relaxation session that is incredible for recovery.

Pick one of these tips. Try it consistently for a few days. Notice how your body feels, what is your sleep like, and most importantly notice how you feel cruising on the mountain.