24/7
Info Hotline:
 747-0233

More Area Ski Action:
Far West Ski Assoc.
Sierra League

Local Info:
Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce
City of Reno
City of Sparks Washoe County State of Nevada

Weather/ Roads:
CalTran
NDOT
CBS NBC ABC
Gazette-Journal 
Reno Airport: 775.328.6400
Weather Forecast

SKIING

Recreational Skiing	Ski Racing	Cross-Country Skiing
Ski Equipment	Far West Ski Association, & member links	Links to other great skiing websites

Skiing and Racing with the RS&RC

 Upcoming ski trips     Ski resort information

(Back to top)

Ski Racing

Race Information

Racing schedule

Club and individual race standings

Sierra League Web Site

(Back to top)

Cross-Country Skiing

(Back to top)

Ski Equipment

RSRC classified ads;   Reno Mountain Sports;   Reliable Racing

Ski equipment manufacturers links

(Back to top)

Far West Ski Association Members

(Back to top)

Links to other great skiing websites

(Back to top)

Shaping Up For Ski Season

Although the weather in September doesn’t often remind us of the approaching winter snowfalls (especially in the west where Indian summers are frequent), we need to start to get into condition for skiing the “steep and deep.”  It generally takes approximately six weeks of working out to get in shape for skiing.  And by starting early, you will get in better shape and reduce injuries during the season.

Regular workouts at the gym are great for getting and staying in shape.  Strength training and cardiovascular workouts will improve your fitness year round.  But getting to the gym is not always easy so it would be good to have some effective exercises that can be done simply at home.  So read on for some suggestions on ski-specific drills that can be done in your family room.

Stretching – Before doing any strenuous drills, you should warm and stretch the muscles.  Each stretch should be held at least 30 seconds to be effective.  Start by lying on your back and bringing one knee up toward the chest and hold (for the back), then alternate to the other leg.  Repeat the movement and extend the leg to the ceiling and hold (for the hamstring), then alternate to the other leg and repeat.  Bring both knees toward the chest and then drop them both to the right (again for the back) then alternate to the left.  Roll over onto your side and bring the heel back towards the butt and rotate the hip forward (for the quadriceps) and then alternate to the other side and repeat.  Now roll over and lie face down with your elbows underneath your rib cage.  Elevate the chest (for a back extension), lower and repeat.  For a more intense stretch, place the hands under the shoulders, then by straightening the arms, elevate the chest, lower and repeat.

Lateral Movement – skiing consists of primarily lateral (side to side) movements. An effective drill for reproducing these movements is simply hopping back and forth over a stack of books or magazines.  Please wear athletic shoes when doing this drill (no bare feet).  You should clear the stack with both feet but land and spring back off of one foot only.  Typically you want to land on the outside foot, but it is good to land on the inside foot occasionally for balance.  Try varying the height of the stack, the speed of your hops and the flex of your knees when landing.  Of course, this drill will get your heart pumping as well as work your legs.

Balance – the better your balance, the better you will ski…makes sense.  You can improve your balance greatly by…standing on one foot!!  It’s not as easy as it sounds.  The goal is to stand exactly centered on your foot with no rocking to maintain your balance and this takes practice.  Alternate to the other foot about every minute.  Also, vary the flex in your knees (good skiing is done with the knees bent).  Use your arms to help.  This exercise will probably make you sweat too.

Strength – Skiing uses all of your major muscle groups (upper body, core, and legs).  Improving your strength will not only improve your skiing but will reduce nagging injuries.

Upper body – effective pole-plants will help set up the rhythm of your turns and can help to control your speed down the hill.  So you need strong shoulders for those pole-plants.  Simply hold your arms straight out and let their own weight help strengthen the shoulders.  If you need more intensity, then grab hold of two water bottles or cans of soup.  Vary the drill by holding the arms out in front, to the side and towards the rear.

Core (abdominals and back) – your core keeps you in balance.  Sit-ups have always been a uncomplicated drill to strengthen the abs.  And strong abs will help keep your back healthy as well.  Just tuck your toes under the couch, put your hands in back of your head and begin.  Raise your torso to a half-way position and hold for a count of 4, then lower to the floor and repeat (don’t pull on your head, your hands are only there to support your head).  If you feel any discomfort in your back, then modify by doing a crunch (that is, lift your shoulders several inches off the floor, hold for 4 counts, lower and repeat).  You can further strengthen your back by doing a reverse sit-up.  Lie face down with your hands behind your head.  Keep your toes on the floor while elevating your chest off the floor.  Hold for 4 counts, lower and repeat.

Legs – legs connect you to the snow and they are constantly in motion for direction down the hill and balance through variable terrain.  An overall drill for the legs is sitting with your back in contact with a wall.  Begin by leaning against a wall and lowering into a sitting position.  The knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle and the knees should be directly over the ankles.  Maintain a good breathing rhythm and just sit there until it hurts.  The goal is to increase the duration of this drill with each repetition.  Another variation of this drill is done with an inexpensive exercise ball.  The ball is placed in the small of the back and you do the wall sit as described above.  Continue by doing one small dip down and  returning to the sitting position.  Then do two dips down and return.  Continue increasing the dips 1 at a time to a total of 10 then decrease 1 at a time back to one.

We all have spare time during the evening, don’t we?  The time to do these simple drills is minimal but they are effective in conditioning our bodies for skiing activities.  Give it a try and see if you don’t improve your skiing in the upcoming season.