The first good snow report comes in.

Your gear comes out of storage.

You start checking the mountain forecast more frequently than you’d probably like to admit.

And suddenly you’re thinking about your first day back on the mountain.

But there’s one question worth asking before you strap into your skis or snowboard:

Is your body as ready for the season as your gear is?

I train year-round, but what my training looks like changes depending on the activities I’m preparing for. As snowboard season gets closer, I shift my focus toward the specific demands I’ll face on the mountain. I start lifting heavier to continue building lower-body strength while also increasing my cardiovascular training to improve the muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness I’ll need to snowboard all day.

There’s a specific reason I do this.

My goal isn’t to work myself into shape during my first few days on the mountain. I want to arrive in shape so I can enjoy my time on the mountain.

For recreational skiers and snowboarders, the six to eight weeks before the season can be an important opportunity to prepare your body for demands it probably hasn’t experienced since last winter.

Here are five areas I believe deserve your attention.

1. Build Real Leg Strength

Skiing and snowboarding place significant demands on your legs.

Your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves repeatedly produce and absorb force as you turn, change terrain, and control your body down the mountain.

And this isn’t happening for ten minutes.

A day on the mountain can mean hours of repeated loading.

This is why I believe strength training needs to involve more than light resistance and high repetitions.

You need to lift heavy.

This is an area I see many recreational athletes avoid. Heavy strength training is difficult. It can make your legs sore, particularly when you’re getting started, and it requires effort.

So people gravitate toward what feels more comfortable.

But if you want your legs to tolerate a full day of skiing or snowboarding, they need adequate strength and capacity.

Some of my favorite lower-body exercises include:

• Bulgarian split squats
• Single-leg deadlifts
• Lunges in multiple directions and planes

Notice the common theme.

They’re heavily focused on single-leg strength.

Skiing and snowboarding require you to constantly shift force and control between your legs. Training each leg independently can expose differences between sides while developing the strength and control needed on the mountain.

2. Don’t Confuse Cardiovascular Fitness With Leg Endurance

You can be capable of running several miles and still have your legs burning halfway through your first day on the mountain.

That’s because cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance aren’t exactly the same thing.

As the season approaches, I increase my cardiovascular training because I want both my heart and my muscles prepared for longer periods of activity.

Think about what happens during a full mountain day.

You ride down.

Get on the lift.

Ride down again.

Repeat.

Then repeat it for several hours.

Your legs need to repeatedly produce force even as fatigue accumulates.

Running, cycling, intervals, hiking, and other cardiovascular training can complement your strength program and help prepare your body for that prolonged workload.

The objective isn’t simply surviving until the lifts close.

It’s having enough capacity that your final runs still feel controlled and enjoyable.

3. Train Power: Yes, That Means Plyometrics

This is one of the areas adults often eliminate from their training.

I frequently hear some version of: “I don’t jump anymore.”

But if you ski or snowboard, your body still needs to produce and absorb force quickly.

Plyometric training can help develop power, coordination, and your ability to manage rapid changes in force.

Think about moving in and out of turns.

Navigating uneven terrain.

Responding when conditions unexpectedly change.

Or working through deep snow on a powder day.

Those activities require more than slow strength.

They require power.

Plyometric training doesn’t mean you need to start jumping onto the highest box in the gym.

It can begin with appropriately selected jumping, landing, lateral movement, and multidirectional drills based on your current ability.

Like strength training, plyometrics should be progressed.

The goal isn’t performing flashy exercises.

It’s preparing your body to produce and absorb force when the mountain demands it.

4. Don’t Sacrifice Mobility and Core Strength

Strength alone isn’t enough.

I believe a good fitness program needs multiple components if you want your body to function at a high level.

If you train hard but never work on mobility, you may begin feeling stiff and sore.

If you only run but never strength train, your legs may not have the capacity you need for a full mountain day.

And if your trunk and hips fatigue, maintaining good control becomes increasingly difficult.

This is where core work becomes important.

Planks and side planks are simple exercises I continue to incorporate into my own training because your trunk needs to provide a stable foundation while your arms and legs move around it.

We frequently see recreational skiers and snowboarders come into Seattle Rehab Specialists with knee and low-back pain.

Often, one piece of the problem is inadequate hip or core strength combined with spending more time on the mountain than the body is prepared to tolerate.

Your body doesn’t care how badly you want one more run.

It only knows whether it has the capacity to handle it.

5. Train for the Mountain Before You Get to the Mountain

There’s common advice that everyone should take it easy during their first few days of the season.

I don’t necessarily agree.

It depends on what you’ve done before that first day.

If you’ve spent the previous six to eight weeks preparing your body and you’re conditioned for the demands of the sport, you may be ready to ride hard.

If you haven’t trained appropriately, your first day probably shouldn’t be a seven-hour test of your body’s limits.

This is why preseason preparation matters.

You shouldn’t have to spend January trying to get into snowboard or ski shape.

Train now so your body doesn’t spend January trying to catch up.

What About Soreness After Your First Day?

Even with good preparation, your first few days back may challenge your body differently than your normal workouts.

Some muscular soreness afterward can be expected.

As a general guideline, I tell people that soreness or discomfort should be improving within approximately 48 hours and generally shouldn’t persist beyond 72 hours.

It also shouldn’t be sharp or significantly limit your normal movement.

Sharp pain, significant swelling, instability, or symptoms that aren’t improving deserve more attention.

If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing is normal soreness or an injury, getting evaluated by a qualified medical professional can help determine the appropriate next step.

Why This Matters More Than Just Your First Day

For me, training isn’t simply about being able to snowboard harder.

It’s about longevity.

I have two young daughters, and part of why I train is because I want to continue being active with them as they grow up.

Someday, I’d like to be the dad and hopefully grandfather who can still get outside, move well, and participate rather than watch from the sidelines.

Snowboarding is part of that.

I don’t want my body to simply tolerate a day on the mountain.

I want enough strength and endurance to ride all day, recover, and be ready to enjoy the next opportunity.

That’s a very different goal than simply avoiding injury.

It’s training to continue doing something you love.

Your Preseason Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect

You don’t need to become an elite athlete before opening day.

And you don’t need to train every day.

But your program should address the actual demands of the activity you’re preparing for.

That means developing:

• Lower-body strength
• Single-leg control
• Cardiovascular fitness
• Muscular endurance
• Power and plyometrics
• Core strength
• Mobility

The right balance will look different depending on your current fitness, injury history, age, and goals.

The important part is starting before the chairlift does.

Final Thoughts

Skiing and snowboarding are demanding sports.

We just tend to forget how demanding they are because they’re also incredibly fun.

Going from your normal weekly routine to spending an entire day on the mountain is a significant increase in physical demand.

Your body needs to be prepared for it.

So this fall, don’t just tune your skis, wax your snowboard, and check whether your jacket still fits.

Prepare your body too.

Lift something heavy.

Build your endurance.

Work on your mobility.

Train your core.

And yes, do some jumping.

Train now so your body doesn’t spend January trying to catch up.

At Seattle Rehab Specialists, we work with active adults who don’t simply want to be pain-free. They want to keep skiing, snowboarding, running, hiking, and doing the activities that make living in the Pacific Northwest so much fun.

If pain, an old injury, or uncertainty about how to prepare is keeping you from feeling ready for the upcoming season, physical therapy can help identify where you need to build strength, mobility, or capacity before you get back on the mountain.

References

Hewett TE, Myer GD, Ford KR, et al. Biomechanical measures of neuromuscular control and valgus loading of the knee predict anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes: a prospective study. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2005;33(4):492–501. doi:10.1177/0363546504269591.

Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014;48(11):871–877. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538.

Suchomel TJ, Nimphius S, Stone MH. The importance of muscular strength in athletic performance. Sports Medicine. 2016;46(10):1419–1449. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0486-0.