It is highly recommended that before you arrive you do a ski-specific strength and fitness programme. Being stronger and fitter leads to a smoother body motion and enhances your skiing and riding.

At the Rookie Acadamy, we start day one on the ground skiing. If you are not adequately prepared for a full day skiing and riding it will slow down your progress and make you more susceptible to injury. We recommend starting a ski-specific strength and fitness programme at least 8 weeks before you start skiing with us. Skiing and riding is unlike almost any other activity we do - which is why it is important to make sure what you are doing is Ski Specific.

A Ski Specific Strength and Fitness programme should consist of five main elements.

Strength - Strengthening your body will help you hold your posture and assist you with your technique. It is especially important when skiing and riding off-piste, through choppy or technical terrain. Have strong Quadriceps, Hamstrings and Glutes will help you generate power through your turns while keeping balance. Strong muscles also help support your joints so it lessens your chance of injury.

Muscular Endurance - By increasing your muscular endurance you will suffer much less leg burn and soreness the following day. As our legs start burning we start standing more upright which affects our ability to turn our skis/boards and ability to use our legs as shock absorbers.

Flexibility - Good flexibility gives you a larger range of movement, which will help improve your performance up the hill. Increasing your flexibility will also help increase your strength by helping you recruit more muscle fibres due to being able to move more freely across your joints. Flexibility is often overlooked or forgotten about however it will also assist with injury prevention due to your increased strength and range of motion

Cardio Vascular Fitness - When we are skiing we are often skiing well above sea level. Here at Treble Cone, you will be between 1260m and 1960m above sea level. This is important because the higher we get above sea level the less oxygen there is in the atmosphere. Having a strong cardiovascular system will help you absorb more oxygen thus decreasing the effects of skiing at altitude.

Core Strength - Skiing or Riding requires stability, power, coordination, and agility in all three planes of movement to protect the entire back against load, torsion, and shear. This type of training will improve the stability of the hips, trunk, and shoulder girdle and give you more dynamic strength. The upper & lower core muscles help to provide a stable platform for the extremities to work off of and protect your entire back and pelvis against injury during activity. You will also find having a strong core will help with upper and lower body separation.

If you would like more information or to get started on your ski-specific programme check out www.getsnowfit.com or email info@getsnowfit.com.

Matt has been working with Skiiers and Snowboarders of all ability levels and ages since 2012. Matt is able to assist people in person or with programmes/zoom training online.