Thanksgiving week normally marks the beginning of the ski season, but most of us don’t start thinking about it until there is a heavy coating of snow on the ground. For those of us who are winter outdoor enthusiasts, we should be preparing now even before the snow flies! Whether you are a seasoned skier or a beginner, the following information will hopefully help you stay injury free this winter.

John Guay, director of skier services for Deer Valley Resort in Utah recommends these tips for avoiding injury and staying safe:

Prepare your Body: Do exercises that strengthen the muscles you’ll be using;

Start out easy: Keep to the easier slopes on your first day out, don’t start out with the black diamonds;

Practice the skier code of conduct: Each Mountain has its own rules -know them and abide by them;

Know how to use the lifts: Make sure you know how to get on and get off and where they lead;

Take breaks and stay hydrated: Listen to your body- know when to quit for the day and drink plenty of water;

Let yourself fall: If you fight the fall you can often get hurt worse. Lean into the hill and sit down;

Take a lesson: If it has been many years since you skied, or you are a beginner, always take a lesson. You have to learn how to fall and get back up.

So as you can see, preparing the body is key. It’s best to allow four to six weeks before you hit the slopes to give your body time to get stronger. Start by doing at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular fitness training on most days of the week such as brisk walking, biking, kayaking or running to improve your endurance. This really should be done year round but it is never too late to start.

If you can’t do 30 minutes all at one time, break it up into ten minute bouts. You should also prepare the body by doing strengthening exercises for the lower body such as squats, lunges, calf raises, and hamstring curls. Do 1 set of 10 repetitions, working up to 20 repetitions. You should strengthen the core by doing wood chops, ab crunches, quadrapeds, and balance exercises on an unstable surface. And of course, stretching. Make sure you do at least a 10-minute warm up such as marching in place to prepare the muscles before you work them.

Downhill isn’t the only direction one can go as cross country skiing is one of the best cardio and full body workouts there is. If you don’t prepare, every muscle in your body will be screaming at you for the next week. To repeat: you should be doing cardiovascular training year round and throwing in interval training (high intensity for short durations followed by an active recovery) to build up your heart and lung capacity so you won’t be so out of breath.

You’ll also want to do exercises that strengthen your upper body like tricep extensions, bicep curls, deltoid (shoulder) press, and rows. Focus on building lean muscle, rather than bulk, so use lighter weights and high repetitions. Of course the real power comes from your lower body and core, so doing the exercises for Down Hill skiing listed above should be done as well. If you do other winter sports such as ice skating and snow shoeing, all the listed exercises will help you too!

Some other safety tips: if you are working up a sweat, you will need your first layer of clothing to be of the wicking nature. This draws perspiration away from your body so you don’t get as chilled. Wear a helmet no matter your age or how long you have been skiing.

Getting your equipment tuned up professionally is important not only for better performance but also if your skiing ability and your weight have changed, you need to adjust for this. After the day of fun on the slopes many of us just get in the car and drive back home, sometimes several hours. Be sure to stretch after you take your gear off before you get in the car, and drink plenty of water on the way back. This will help you not be as sore that next day. All this information will hopefully help you get strong and stay injury free this winter.

For more information and assistance with conditioning for the upcoming season, contact Mary Baudo at 207-357-3563 or marybaudo@msn.com.