Calling All Alpine & CX Skiers, Snowboarders, and Snowshoers!
- Are you looking for more steps in your snowshoe adventures?
- Do you know if your hips & legs are ready to turn and burn a full day on the mountain?
- Are your ankles ready for heel and toe turns?
We can help answer those questions and more!
Talk to a physical therapist first:
Are you wondering if a Winter Readiness Assessment is for you? We understand. You are already on the mountain and doing pretty good, but perhaps you are consistently having problems with one aspect of your performance, for example, you left inside edge on a right turn. We would love to help you by inviting you to book a call with one of our Physical Therapists to discuss your personal situation and discover your eligibility and suitability for the program. The call is complimentary and there is no obligation to book the Winter Readiness Assessment after the call is over. Our goal is to help you make the right decision about what to do next for your winter sports performance.
3 Free Things
To get you started I want to give you 3 things that you can start right away. These address the most common issues we see with winter sports readiness. Always realize that an individualize assessment will better pinpoint your specific limitations.
- Side hip strength (glut med) is one of the most overlooked areas of strength and stability for a winter athlete. It is essential for smooth turns on skis and snowboards, and doubly essential for snowshoers as it is responsible for stability when you are on one leg, which is every time you take a step!!!
- Side stepping with a band around your ankles. – Put a short resistance band around your ankles, keep your feet forward and your knees slightly bent, and sidestep in one direction until you feel a fatigue and/or burn at the sides of your hips. Then repeat in the other direction. It is very important that you do not allow your pelvis to rock when doing this exercise.
- Glut max strength (your bum) is the second most important. If you sit a lot, especially for your job, you probably really need this. This strength is your stance endurance on your skis and snowboard and your power in a push off on snowshoes.
Bridging with a plus- Lay on your back with your feet on the ground and your knees bent and put a small ball or rolled up towel between your knees. Engage your pelvis floor and lower abdominals, squeeze the ball between your knees and then raise your hips, hold at the top 5 seconds, then return to the floor and repeat. Make sure both glutes are engaged.
- Core: How can we talk about winter sports without talking about core? Although, I want you to think about it differently. It is not just bracing your whole abdominal wall. It has a bit more subtly to it. It is responsible for keeping your upper and lower body connected and provide you power in all activities.
- The exercise: Put your hands on your abdominal wall, down low at your hip bones, in the area between your pubic bone and your belly button. Now pull your abdominal wall inward in this area until there is a tight band between your two hip bones. Do not let your belly dome up. It should pull in toward your spine and flatten. That is the core abdominal muscle we are interested in. Do this 3 times and hold for 30 sec. Once you get it, do this while you are on the snow, especially if you are in challenging terrain, and you will be amazed at how much it helps!!!
