Snow Skills

Here’s an off-hill exercise that will produce excellent results in your skiing. Leg lifts are way better than a home gym. Cheaper, too.

Find a stair and stand with both feet on the step, facing up. Now slide your body back so that your body is over the stair edge; set one foot fully on the stair and the other with the forefoot at the stair edge. The ball of your foot should be fully on the stair edge, the heel should be fully off the step. Slowly raise and lower your body, using primarily with the rear leg/foot. You’ll feel the muscles in your shin extend and retract, as your heel alternately changes location from above your forefoot to below. Practice three sets of 20 reps for each leg. When it becomes easy, load a backpack with your ski/snowboard boots to increase the effort.

According to a doctor friend, the stretching and compressing is mostly being accomplished by the tibialis anterior, a long muscle that extends all the way down your shin from the knee to the ankle. The “tib” allows you to change the alignment of your foot in relation to your leg, providing the stability and strength to develop balance from different positions.

The ability to make this adjustment is essential to maintaining balance on pitched and uneven terrain, especially while moving. All balance for all activities begins at the foot and the tib is the crucial connection between it and the rest of your body. Strengthen the front of your shin and you’ll be a stronger skier!