What should you train before a ski trip? Ski machines, fitness, and what coaches suggest

The short answer

• Are indoor ski machines worth it: yes for getting a feel early, learning how the board goes on, and getting used to boots. No if you expect to step onto real snow riding naturally.
• What to train: flexibility and core come first, then leg and back control. Flexibility matters more than muscle mass.
• No exercise habit at all: at minimum do squats and stretch, and watch a few teaching clips.

Are indoor ski machines worth it?

It depends what you want out of it.

For a beginner a ski machine gets you to skiing early: how the board goes on, what boots feel like, what standing on a board is like. On either discipline the biggest beginner problem is controlling the board, so expecting a machine to get you riding naturally the moment you reach real snow is a stretch. As a way to try it first, it works fine.

How a ski machine differs from real snow

The big differences are continuity and gravity. A ski machine is like a treadmill: you ride on the spot against a moving belt. Real skiing goes downhill, and brings pitch, temperature and snow conditions with it.

So even after time on a machine you still walk through the normal learning order once you are on snow. Trying to copy the machine movement straight onto the mountain rarely gets you where you wanted.

What to train in the month or two before you go

Build general fitness and work on leg and back control. But two things matter most: flexibility and core.

Stiff muscles mean riding that never looks natural. What skiing needs most is continuity through the body, and that comes from flexibility rather than from how big the muscles are.

The bare minimum if you do not exercise at all

• Do squats
• Stretch, which cuts down the soreness after a day on snow
• Watch some teaching clips first, so you have a picture in your head and feel less daunted

FUYU's YouTube channel (@Fuyuskischool)

Which sports carry over best

The answer may surprise you: hiking.

Hiking is the closest thing to skiing, minus the board. It teaches you where your weight belongs on a slope. Plenty of students reach the mountain, strap in, and have no idea where their centre of mass should sit. People who hike pick that part up naturally.

After that: yoga, pilates and swimming. What they share is coordination, and coordination is what skiing asks for most.

Next

Will I fall over constantly on my first day?

Skis or snowboard? How to choose for your first time