Fall Conditioning Helps Prevent Winter Falls on the Slopes

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Last year we saw a large number of ACL reconstructions during the winter ski season at our physical therapy clinic. I blame this on two factors. For one, we experienced early and persistent firm conditions that caused people to ski fast, lose control, and land hard. Secondly, people didn’t participate in a pre-season conditioning program and were therefore unprepared for these conditions and the normal demands of skiing. We’ve heard common suggestions for avoiding injury, like taking a break at midday so you are rested for your afternoon turns and eating a good lunch so you have fuel for your muscles to burn. Drink water during the day to stay hydrated and keep muscles pliable. Stretch out and take warm-up runs to get your muscles loosened up. And, of course, always SKI UNDER CONTROL.

One of the best things you can do is engage in specific forms of pre-season conditioning to prepare your muscles for the unique demands of skiing and snowboarding. This will help you stay under control in any conditions and prevent early fatigue. Here are three suggestions for exercises to help hone your strength, balance, and agility.

1. Strength in skiing prepares you to last the entire day. Focus primarily on building quadriceps strength, but also make time for the hamstrings and hip musculature. To gain strength you need to overload your muscle until it reaches fatigue. I like doing held squats on top of a BOSU ball. You can also use a foam roller as a substitute. Start by holding for 30 seconds and then build up your time from there. As you progress, try doing it with your eyes closed. Do 3-5 repetitions.

2. Balance involves your body’s ability to recognize where it is in space and how it maintains its center of gravity over its base of support. Balance will help you maintain control of your edge while making turns. A good exercise for this is a single-leg forward bend while reaching across your body, as if to pick something up off the floor. Do 3 sets of 10 and attempt to maximize your distance and improve control.

3. Agility is another component of a conditioning program that is very important. This is the ability to change position or direction quickly while maintaining control. A good exercise for this is lateral jumps over a line. Go back and forth, working on quick transitions and quiet, controlled landings. This will save you in the trees and from varying conditions on the run. Do for 30 seconds, 3 sets.