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The season may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean your technical progression has to grind to a halt. Both beginners and professionals alike benefit from year-long skill development in any sport, and this is especially true for skiing and snowboarding. As one of the most physically demanding winter sports there is, honing attributes like strength, technique, and flexibility are all valuable traits that deserve to be refined.
If you plan on achieving greater balance, tighter and controlled technique, or want to progress to terrain parks or extreme backcountry riding, the best time to start improving your technique was yesterday. So, what can you do in the off-season to maintain peak performance and refine your skills even if you’re nowhere near the slopes?
Learn From the Professionals
While our local ski shops may only be watching our favorite ski and snowboarding films purely for pleasure, you can easily learn refined technique from any quality ski/snowboard film. Analyze how the greatest skiers and snowboarders accomplish specific moves; study the precise form, the improved posture, and the timing of their maneuvers. Whether you’re hoping to master the park or the powder between the pines, find a few videos that demonstrate your preferred style and start paying attention to the details.
Develop a Training Plan
Since skiing and boarding involve cardio, strength, and flexibility, planning an exercise routine for an improved technique doesn’t necessarily have to center around ski/snowboard-specific exercises. Leg day will improve every muscle involved with skiing and boarding. Cardio will prepare you for all-day-long rides, powder day endurance, and improve your lung capacity for the decreased oxygen you’ll experience at altitude. Throw some yoga, core training, and upper body strengthening into your weekly training schedule, and you’ll be one step ahead of the season with added strength, flexibility, and endurance for whatever the mountain brings your way.
Simulate the Experience
For more direct technique refinement, such as coordinated S turns, learning how to ride switch, or to achieve greater pop for rails and jumps, there are a variety of strategies you can use to replicate real-life riding or skiing. In a safe area (preferably with soft carpeting or something to hold onto), you can strap your skis or board on and begin working through techniques you’re hoping to improve upon. For example, if you’re hoping to improve your transitions from regular to switch, you can easily practice doing 180s in your living room or padded garage.
You can also replicate the experience in the off-season with street versions of both skis and snowboards. There are skis with wheels attached, skateboards are great for refining balance and turning technique, and you should consider any other sport that requires focused balanced and lower/upper body coordination. Let your creativity take control, and you’ll quickly find that there are many fun and interesting ways to become a stronger skier or snowboarder wherever you are.
