It has been a challenging season for winter sport addicts so far with regards to snow, and the recent Pineapple Express weather systems haven’t really made it better. Some cross-country ski areas in the Sea to Sky Corridor like Ski Callaghan are still open to the public, but many people have started thinking about spring and summer activities. Don’t give up yet! March might bring just the right amount of white stuff so we can happily get our skinny skis out again and maybe even enter an end-of-season race or loppet.
But how is one supposed to stay in shape when snow is slowly disappearing from the trails? There are a lot of off-snow activities that will keep your skiing muscles busy. First and foremost: Change it up. To stay strong for a full-body sport like cross-country skiing, you want to keep training all muscle groups, lower and upper body. You can get your heartbeat up when going for a run or swim, taking your bike out, or hiking up a mountain with your walking poles. Start slowly to readapt your body to those activities and to avoid injuries.
Keep working on your balance and coordination with activities that closely match the motion and drills of cross-country skiing. If you live in an area with good paved trails, try rollerskiing or Nordic skating, switching your winter pole tips to summer ones (don’t forget a helmet and wrist guards). If not, take your ice skates and work on your sprint skills and endurance at your local ice rink. Backcountry skiing is a good way to keep your cross-country muscles occupied, so get out and skin up one of our mountains (but be aware of backcountry hazards and always go out with people who know their way around). If you have access to a gym to enhance your training, focus on upper body, weight and resistance training, and do not forget your core muscles.
For your cardiovascular training, refine your workout by switching paces and including interval drills. This is much more efficient than keeping up the same pace for an extended period of time and will help increase your metabolism, improve fitness and build up muscles. Exercise as many times a week as you would hit the cross-country trails. This will help you maintain and strengthen your cardiovascular and muscular base.
Lastly, fight that little voice that says that winter is over. Get on your feet and do the snow dance instead – another great way of staying in shape until we can ski again.
