 Poster: A snowHead
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Here's one for the more fitness/physiologically (rather than brandy drinking!) inclined ones of you....
What is a good way to get warmed up ready for skiing?
I've done some courses where thay have you stretching before you get going, however I always thought that stretching was something you did after warming-up/skiing rather than before. I'm sure going for a run before would do the trick but doing this in ski boots would probably be a little more warming up than I need!!
Any good things that maybe can be done on the slopes to get everything going without too much risk of damage?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Stuarth - I think you are right, stretching should be done after the activity. Warming up is a completely different thing with a different aim. Best way I have found of warming up is to book a hotel a good 15 minute walk from the lifts. Muscles get nicely exercised and the time is not seen as wasted as the walk brings you closer to that point of launching yourself down piste. Glorious - especially on that first morning. Ahh - roll on 22nd December!!!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Best way to get warmed up for skiing .... a nice douvet? 
The best "proper" way = put your jogging shoes on and run (or whatever cardiovascular activity you prefer) GENTLY around resort until all your muscles feel soft & warm, (say 15mins minimum) then immediately get into boots & get yrself to the lift & down a nice gentle piste. You should feel a little puffed, but ready to take on the world. Of course not many skiers actually bother with this, but you did ask!
Re: Traditional stretching. Some people still insist on pre-exercise stretching. However a) it won't "warm you up", b) stretching "cold" muscles is likely to lead to injury during the stretch, and c) a growing body of evidence indicates that pre-exercise stretching can leave connective tissue too loose for sporting activities. Post-exercise stretching, however, is invaluable!!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Book a hotel with no lift and make sure you get a top floor room.
Get ready, walk downstairs and to the lifts. Return, walk upstairs and collect lift pass.
Get ready, walk downstairs and to the lift. Return, walk upstairs and collect wallet.
Repeat until all gear safely in pockets, fully warmed up and at lifts ready to wait for friends who aren't as organised as you.
Obviously, none of this applies on a powder day 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| David Murdoch wrote: |
Book a hotel with no lift and make sure you get a top floor room.
Get ready, walk downstairs and to the lifts. Return, walk upstairs and collect lift pass.
Get ready, walk downstairs and to the lift. Return, walk upstairs and collect wallet.
Repeat until all gear safely in pockets, fully warmed up and at lifts ready to wait for friends who aren't as organised as you.
Obviously, none of this applies on a powder day |
My normal routine already involves all that, plus going back for poles, then repeating for helmet, then gloves!!
But in addition to that what should I do?
I guess the problem is all I want to do was I'm finally up, is to go skiing, 15 mins running around would delay this so no matter how hard I tried the magnetic lure of the slopes would prevent this happening!! Are there any skiing type warm ups that could be done?
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A couple of slides down a blue while your snowboarder mates sit in the snow to clip up usually works for me. Nothing to energetic but enough to get the heart pumping and legs warm. After that few stretches in the lift line helps a great deal also.
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Hmmm, ok, so I'm obviously not with the accepted wisdom, but I do like to do a few gentle stretches before kicking off, then do a gentle blue or two before everyone else joins in. I don't like getting up early normally, but strangely when I'm on a ski holiday I'll be up without alarm at 7am, getting the kids up, making sure they're all sorted for lessons, breakfast at 8am, on the slopes at 9 ready for the first lift.
I've always done the stretching before sport -played a bit of rugby and football - and I found it really helped. If I don't stretch before and after I find I get really stiff and have a really tough day on day 2/3.
Personally I'd stretch out the legs well, also the back, but don't forget your arms and neck which you use a lot more than you think!!
[Cue abuse from the true sports scientists amongst you - c'mon!! I'm ready for ya!!! I'll take you all on!!! Outside now!!]
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| laundryman wrote: |
Then repeat everything for each minor for whom you're responsible! |
Sounds remarkably familiar - I've got 3... , hence my 7am wake up calls!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Legal Steve, if it's very gentle, the stretching you're doing possibly isn't doing you any harm.... although chances are it's not really giving much benefit either.
The research is interesting, in that it promotes the idea that the body doesn't need to be "stretched" in the traditional manner BEFORE sports in order to function satisfactorally (we're talking about slinging yer leg over a fence and pushing until your hamstrings hurt type thing). In fact pre-exercise stretching may encourage the connective tissue to loose too much of it's natural tension - tension required to hold muscles together in explosive sports. But not yet properly proven, so whether you favour these findings is entirely personal.
However it's definately the gentle cardiovascular activity that's important to prime the muscles and connective tissues, and to encourage the increase in heart and lung activity that prepares the body to sustain more intense use. Walking rarely provides sufficent benefit, unless you're seriously unfit (in which case you'd need a note from your doctor to go skiing!). You need something like gentle jogging, cycling, or even gentle skiing, for about 15 mins so that you're puffing a bit and starting to glow. Stretching sadly just won't achieve this. But your gentle runs down the blues very probably are! Sorry, but you're on the ball and didn't realise it!!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Legal Steve, BTW, you should definately still be stretching AFTER exercise.
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Warm up with a couple of Jagermeisters, if that doesn;t work then move on to the JagerTee (Xplosive Mix) and maybe wash that it down with a Gluhwein or 3 
On the stretching side there has been well publicised research (earlier this year) by Australian Scientists who concluded that stretching before does not reduce the risk of injury !
Just do a search on google with 'australian stretching army recruits" and you can read the many reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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stanton, I tried that once.  The memory has stayed with me.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Stroh 80. Drink it to warm the belly, light it to provide warmth to other areas of the body. Nuff said.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A couple of years back I tried reducing the amount of beer I drank each evening. Even to the point of drinking water (you know, the transparent liquid in jugs on the table) at dinner. BIG difference each morning. Haven't had the willpower to do it since however... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ski, How could you do that on a skiing holiday 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I try and do my Pilates class warm-up and cool down every day, also like snowskisnow, I used to have the family warm-up. lost gloves. Running up and down six flights of stairs in Belle Plagne because the lift wasn't working and the kids had forgotten their gloves, soon warmed us up, but I felt like I was having a heart attack because of the altitude. Last year we warmed up one morning by skiing back down the Luc Alphand black in Serre Che, because I lost my hat on the chair on the way up, and no 1 son had left his goggles behind and it was snowing like mad at the top !!!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Don't know if it is true or not but it was always said that Glencoe had the lowest incidence of ski injuries in the old days of any scottish resort because you had to walk accross the plateau to get to the skiing from the top of the access chair.
It is still sometimes quicker than taking the tow if there are a lot of beginner boarders waiting to fall off
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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IMHO the best way to warm up for a particular exercise is to start doing that exercise at a gentle pace and then gradually increase the intensitey over 10-15 minutes. For skiing I would start off on a gentle slope, and then gradually increase the intensity until I was hitting the black runs.
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Opinion's divided about this, you hear different and convincing arguments, the only thing I'm convinced of from experience is that some mild exercise after skiing leaves me feeling better for the next day. It's the major downside of living here in some ways, you ski, then jump in the car and drive home which must be about the worst thing you can do.
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Cheers Manda - I'll certainly continue doing the stretching after skiing (usually followed by sitting in a large comfy chair in the bar!!). Guess my "two blues" routine in the morning was doing me more good than I knew!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Having had a think about it, I don't think opinion is as divided as this post indicates.
Point 1) Warm up. This means gentle cardiovascular exercise until you're puffing and, quite literally, warm. Kramer's advice above is ideal.
Point 2) Once warm, stretch if you feel you must. But do it gently. Prepare snowballs to aim at someone like me telling you you're wasting your time.
Point 3) Once warm, don't let your body cool down before setting off on your main activity.
Point 4) Stop main activity, cool down, then warm up a little again as per Point 1, and THEN stretch gently. Repeat point 4 as often as necessary until muscles have returned (somewhat) to normal.
Point 5) Stroll to bar. You know the rest.
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| Quote: |
Point 5) Stroll to bar. You know the rest.
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I find I'm quite expert at point 5)!! Nice one - thanks Manda. I'm quite a "new boy" to the whole skiing lark, but totally hooked.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I like to do a nice blue run first, it helps me warm up and find my ski feet. Then I'm set up for the day
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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While waiting for others to get ready, try running on the spot (with skis on). You don't have to lift the skis too high, but surely this would help to warm you up
Aside from that, everyone elses comments about starting slowly sound pretty spot on.
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There are a few exercises that you can do whilst skiing down a gentle blue run that will improve your technique and also help you warm up.
Try skiing down on one ski only, with the other one raised off the ground. Halfway down, swap to the other leg.
Practice snowplough turns - a lot more difficult than you may think after being able to ski parallel.
Try skiing backwards on your twin tips.
Try ulra short radius turns, literally hopping backwards and forwards from one edge to the other, swapping edges as soon as the skis start to turn.
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FAQ
Or,should this prove a problem for some 
borrow one(there's always plenty going spare by the second morning!!)Endless running around for the simplest of items;loads of pole,ski,hat,glove,food,drink,etc carrying.Plus last min toilet stops and the missing child game(always a favourite 
)Always warms me up nicely;usually to boiling point 
