If like me you are already getting excited about the upcoming skiing season but have started to see the weeks slip by with little or no exercise then fear not – below are the perfect tips for ski fitness.
Cycling
This glorious English summer is the perfect excuse to dust off the bike in the shed or even ditch the hot sweaty public transport and hop on a Boris bike to work. I’m lucky enough to have a 20 minute cycle ride every morning and it really is a complete joy so hop to it while this weather is so glorious. So why is biking so good for keeping you in shape for when you start your mountain adventures? First, biking makes you use the quads and core muscles you use heli skiing, while being easy on the knees. Second, biking is a great aerobic exercise and, like skiing, bike riding requires short bursts of intensity to raise the heart rate.
Yup that’s right – heli skiing in our Summer, what’s not to like! This really is the perfect way to make sure you keep your ski fitness for next season’s off piste skiing and this year there have been fantastic reports of huge snowfall already. We are still taking bookings with the season only just starting out in Chile so get in touch if you would like us to look at availability.
Training in the Park
I’ve never enjoyed going to the gym and after the usual wasted year’s membership where I went about four times I decided to do training in the park instead. It has all the variety that is perfect for skiing fitness and pushes you so much harder than you would ever push yourself. The other bonus is it is only an hour which in my mind if far more manageable. One Element is a great place to start and encompass all ages and ability levels – they ensure that each session will challenge the fittest, but be achievable for all.
Follow our Pure Powder Ski Fitness Programme
Need I say more? We have created a fantastic ski fitness programme with top chiropractor Craig McLean. It covers everything you need from not only getting ski fit but also staying that way throughout the summer. In preparation for heli skiing it is particularly vital to stay on top of your fitness as it involves up to 6 hours of actual skiing rather than sitting on a chair lift for the half the day. This means you could be skiing as much as four times the height of Everest in one week!
Wherever you are heading on your summer holiday (if it isn’t heli skiing in Chile!) there will inevitably be some walking/hiking to discover. Don’t panic there is still plenty of time for the carefree summer holiday with poolside barbecues and reading your favourite book on the sun lounger but why not set aside at least an hour a day of walking, playing tennis or swimming a few lengths. I always find getting this done in the morning is a huge bonus as I tend to loose motivation as the day goes by….
If you’d like your summer fitness to involve heli skiing, contact the off piste and heli ski experts at Pure Powder.
