Training for Ski Season

With the changing of the seasons, we are ready to welcome the snow with open arms and get ourselves back on the slopes! Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding, split boarding, back country, cross country, uphill, downhill-- you’ve got to get yourself ready (mentally and physically) to make this winter your best season yet.

No matter how experienced you are, spending the time training for a new season, new terrain, or new sport will take you so much further. We talked with Certified Exercise Physiologist, trainer, and Kate’s Real Food ambassador: Erin Storck, to bring you some of the best ski training exercise tips to gear up for your ski season.

1. Aerobic Base + Speed Training

For the ski season, your body needs to be ready for low impact excursions for long periods of time. In order to build, you have to start with a base-- in this case, your aerobic base. Continual training makes for a strong base-- you need to be working on it on and off season.

Erin suggests implementing cardiovascular training into your daily adventures along with gym training. Take up cycling or hiking during your off season and enjoy the mountains all year round.

2. Eccentric Training

There are two types of contraction: eccentric and concentric. This article defines concentric contraction as ‘muscle tension ris[ing] to meet the resistance, then remain[ing] stable as the muscle shortens.’ and eccentric contraction as ‘muscle lengthen[ing] as the resistance becomes greater than the force the muscle is producing’.

To simplify it, think of a basic squat. The way down would be your eccentric contraction and the way up is concentric contraction. Erin recommends a lot of focus on eccentric moves for ski related sports. A lot of time on skis is spent in a contracted, eccentric position. With extra attention paid to your quads, add some eccentric focused exercises to your workouts.

3. Core

To keep you stabilized and strong on the hill, you have to rely a lot on your core strength. And we don’t just mean abs. We are talking abdominals, back, and glutes. A strong and stable core keeps you balanced through the tough terrain and helps you carry those heavy loads for longer treks.

4. Rest and Recovery

Daily movement and exercise is important, but it is also important to give your body the recovery it needs. Erin tells us that most athletes require at least 1 day a week for rest from typical training days. It may look different for each person, but here are some of her recovery day suggestions:

• Light yoga
• Foam rolling
• Stretching
• Leisurely walks or hikea

Overall, respect what your body is telling you and give it the rest it needs after doing the best ski training exercises you can get from an expert.

Training is more productive and easier to stick with when you have a great trainer like Erin Storck. Erin offers customized training for all outdoor athletes. She provides online training with True Coach as well as one-on-one sessions through The Front Climbing Club or a mix of both! Erin is offering a 6-week Ski and Snowboard Conditioning program that can be done online from anywhere! If you sign up for the program before October 19, 2020 you get a swag bag including Kate’s Real Food organic energy bars which are the best energy bars for skiing. Check out the circuit below to get yourself started!

Kick-start Circuit:

Reverse lunges: 15x each leg
Squat Jumps: 15x
Mountain Climbers: >15x each leg

Rest: 30sec x3 sets

To learn more you can follow Erin on Instagram, or reach out to her directly at erin.storck@thefrontclimbing.com.