Maintaining Skills in the Off-Season

[AchtungSki]

This season was my first season skiing and I had a ton of fun! Sadly the ski season is pretty much over here in lower Michigan. I made some excellent progress in my opinion but now I'm worried that I'm going to lose a lot of it in the intervening time before next season. Are there any other activities that are cross functional with skiing that help maintain your coordination?

I have a pair of SkiA balance trainers which I've found pretty useful so I can at least use those on a regular basis to maintain balance skills but I'm wondering about something more dynamic, ice skating perhaps? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[James]

Ice skating, roller blading, mountain biking downhill.
Slack lines.

Learn how to walk. Ie, do you walk duck footed? Get your feet straight. Inside lanes. A pilates teacher can help with that.

 

[T-Square]

A Skiers Edge will help. Practice cross overs and cross unders with it.

I bike in the summer to keep the legs in condition.

Bosu ball is good for balance and ankle strength.

Vew-Do board is great for balance work.

Anything to work balance and core strength.

Enjoy.

 

[PNWRod]

If you are a boater- skiing, boarding and wakesurfing (dynamic, pop the wake 180s, 360's, pump back in, not the stand behind the boat drink a beer kind) and slack line is fun.

Pump up the Bosu ball and flip it upside down and do squats till your thighs give out. Great for balance.

 

[Swede]

The honest answer, there aren’t really any cross functional activities that work if you are thinking about skiing technique. Use the summer to build up and improve your core and leg strength and general athletic fitness. Don’t worry. It’ll all come back quickly once you are on snow again.

 

[jack97]

IMO, this is the most dynamic balance board. Something I use every day.

 

[MikeW Philly]

The honest answer, there aren’t really any cross functional activities that work if you are thinking about skiing technique. Use the summer to build up and improve your core and leg strength and general athletic fitness. Don’t worry. It’ll all come back quickly once you are on snow again.

This is definitely the best advice I can give being a recent returnee to skiing. I was in Tahoe a month ago for skiing. First time I've skied outside of 2 days in poconos, in 9 years. Took me a few runs but I was going down black diamonds by end of trip. Not as smoothly as I would have a decade ago but still without too much trouble.

That said my calfs were definitely sore by the end of the two days skiing. Staying in shape will definitely help, the skills will return quickly once you get on slopes in 2019/2020.

 

[cantunamunch]

Absolutely you should skate.

 

[Wilhelmson]

If you really want to impress your neighbors look into the cross country skis with roller blades wheels attached to the bottom. A spandex suit is essential to convince them you have completely lost your mind.

Otherwise just stay in shape.

 

[Mike King]

There is the southern hemisphere....

 

[Kneale Brownson]

The honest answer, there aren’t really any cross functional activities that work if you are thinking about skiing technique. Use the summer to build up and improve your core and leg strength and general athletic fitness. Don’t worry. It’ll all come back quickly once you are on snow again.

In my 70-plus years of skiing, the only summer routine I've used other than activities that keep core strength like carrying ladders has been to do step-ups on a stairwell. I got into this when Vail Resorts started requiring a physical conditioning test, which they gave up on after a couple years. Part of that test was stepping up and back down on a 12-inch rise at a brisk pacer for five minutes. I find that doing it on a normal stairstep keeps the legs in shape for everything except the pressure around the shins from the ski boots.

 

[Dwight]

This season was my first season skiing and I had a ton of fun! Sadly the ski season is pretty much over here in lower Michigan. I made some excellent progress in my opinion but now I'm worried that I'm going to lose a lot of it in the intervening time before next season. Are there any other activities that are cross functional with skiing that help maintain your coordination?

I have a pair of SkiA balance trainers which I've found pretty useful so I can at least use those on a regular basis to maintain balance skills but I'm wondering about something more dynamic, ice skating perhaps? Any advice would be appreciated.

Mount Bohemia until May.

But everything else that people are saying.

 

[Fuller]

If you're inclined, a general fitness weight lifting program does wonders for just about any physical sport. But stay lean, ride the bike hard and get on the skates.

 

[Seldomski]

Like most sports, there is a skill component and a fitness component to skiing. Rollerblades will definitely help with maintaining the skill component. But using them also for a workout is not so reliable - it depends a lot on where you live. Can you skate safely in your neighborhood multiple times a week? Probably not due to weather, traffic, or state of roads/sidewalk in your area.

For fitness, do whatever keeps you active and having fun. Maintain fitness for general well being and happiness first. You can add some ski specific training if you want, but better to be happy going to gym/hiking/biking/whatever than burn out and stop going because ski specific exercises you find are boring and/or cause injury.

 

[AchtungSki]

I do lift and work out regularly so I'm not so worried about the fitness aspect, more just the maintaining coordination and proper body positioning when I'm sliding down a hill with two large planks strapped to my feet

I do have an indoor ice skating rink that's open year round near me so maybe I'll go check that out. Plenty of good suggestions so far. I take it though that skiing is a bit like riding a bike.

 

[cantunamunch]

I take it though that skiing is a bit like riding a bike.

Fitness aside, I never have days on the bike when just about nothing works the way I want it to. YMMV, of course.

 

[LuliTheYounger]

I do have an indoor ice skating rink that's open year round near me so maybe I'll go check that out.

They might have adult intro-level skating classes - even if you can skate pretty comfortably already, having a coach that can introduce new edge drills & correct your position can be really fun.

 

[trailtrimmer]

Three more weeks to go, possibly four if Boyne pushes it.

I've found that between my bike, kettlebell workouts, tennis and the stair mill at the gym, I'm in really good condition for ski season. I really ramp up the kettlebells and stair mill time mid-October. And no lazy bike routes, hills are hard but they make you hard.