Top 10 Tips To Ski Strong & Prevent Injuries
The 2023–2024 ski season has officially started in Park City, Utah. It’s pure joy to be sliding on snow again and catching up with friends.
On opening weekend, two friends mentioned feeling out of shape, tired, and less resilient than they used to be. Lucky for them, there are still 132 days left in the season — and they happen to have a performance coach as a friend.
Here are my top 10 tips to help you ride strong, recover faster, and prevent injuries this winter. Each is rooted in sport-science principles, and future blogs will explore them in greater depth.
1. Hydration: Drink Water or Herbal Tea With Breakfast
Even mild dehydration, as little as 2% of body weight, reduces aerobic capacity, coordination, and mental focus. Studies by Armstrong and colleagues show that dehydration increases perceived exertion and delays reaction time, two key risk factors for ski injuries.
Hydrate before you shred — ideally with water or herbal tea during breakfast and on your way to the mountain.
2. Top Off Your Fuel Stores: Eat Breakfast
Skiing demands glycogen, your body’s stored carbohydrate. A hearty breakfast restores overnight glycogen depletion and provides the glucose your brain and muscles rely on for coordination and decision-making.
Opt for whole grains, beans, greens or fruit, and healthy fat for steady energy. A breakfast burrito with avocado or a mixed-berry oatmeal bowl are excellent choices.
3. Less Is More: Gradually Build Your Load
No amount of off-season training perfectly replicates the eccentric, multiplanar forces of carving turns on snow. Gradually increasing your on-snow time allows connective tissue to adapt and reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Progressive loading builds resilience while minimizing overuse injuries.
4. Stop Before You Get Too Tired
The “last-run injury” is real. Fatigue impairs neuromuscular coordination, slows reaction time, and alters joint mechanics. Research on ski injuries shows that most occur late in the day when reaction speed and strength decline.
Listen to your body and stop while you still feel strong, not when you’re depleted.
5. Rehydrate As Soon As You’re Done Skiing
Pack a recovery drink. The ideal formula for muscle and glycogen recovery is a 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, shown to accelerate glycogen resynthesis and reduce soreness.
Examples include Recoverite, Endurox R4, Vega Sport Recovery, or chocolate soy milk. Water restores fluids, carbs refill glycogen, and protein repairs muscle fibers. Continue sipping water afterward until comfortably rehydrated.
6. Refuel: Have a Plant-Strong Balanced Meal
Your body needs calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients to replenish what was burned on the mountain. A colorful, plant-forward meal (grains, beans, greens, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats) provides the ideal post-ski recovery blend.
Plant foods deliver antioxidants and polyphenols that combat oxidative stress from altitude and cold exposure. Think Asian rice bowls or vegan pho - my personal favorite!
7. Foam Roll: Give Yourself a Massage
Foam rolling improves short-term flexibility and reduces muscle soreness by enhancing blood flow and breaking down fascial adhesions. Target your calves, hamstrings, back, and quadriceps.
Studies confirm that self-myofascial release increases range of motion without impairing strength, making it perfect pre- or post-ski.
8. Stretch: Lengthen the Muscles You Used on the Slopes
After skiing, take time to slow down, breathe deeply, and stretch your feet, calves, quads, hips, and back. Flexibility training restores muscle length, maintains joint mobility, and reduces next-day stiffness.
Static stretching after exercise has been shown to reduce muscle tone and support recovery when paired with adequate hydration and nutrition.
9. Cold Therapy: Reduce Inflammation and Speed Recovery
Cold exposure, from cold showers to ice baths, triggers vasoconstriction, reducing inflammation and muscle soreness. Rewarming afterward enhances circulation, delivering nutrients to recovering tissue.
While not essential for every athlete, cold therapy can be useful after high-volume or back-to-back ski days to control swelling and accelerate recovery.
10. Recovery Nap or Yoga Nidra: Rest and Reset
Sleep and relaxation restore the nervous system and enhance motor learning. Even a short nap improves alertness and coordination. Yoga nidra — a guided, deeply restful meditation — lowers cortisol and balances autonomic nervous system activity, promoting cellular recovery and mental clarity.
Your Turn
Pick one of these tips and try it consistently for a few days. Notice how your body feels, how well you sleep, and most importantly, how strong and smooth you feel carving turns on the mountain.
Performance isn’t just about training harder; it’s about recovering smarter and respecting the science of adaptation.
Reference Summary
Armstrong LE et al. (1985) J Appl Physiol 59(3): 935-940. Even 2% dehydration impairs performance.
Burke LM (2015) Sports Med 45(Suppl 1): S13-S22. Breakfast and glycogen availability improve endurance.
Johnson RJ et al. (2008) Am J Sports Med 36(11): 2079-2084. Most ski injuries occur late in the day due to fatigue.
Beelen M et al. (2010) Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 20(6): 515-532. 4:1 carb-to-protein recovery drinks accelerate glycogen resynthesis.
Pearcey GE et al. (2015) J Athl Train 50(1): 5-13. Foam rolling reduces soreness and improves flexibility.
Bleakley CM et al. (2012) Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2: CD008262. Cold water immersion reduces post-exercise muscle soreness.
Fullagar HHK et al. (2015) Sports Med 45(12): 161-186. Sleep is essential for athletic recovery and performance.