“Snowboarding is one of the only sports that the average person will only do for 1 week a year and will ride for 8 hours per day on average which is 56 hours in a single week! This means pre conditioning and fitness is essential to prevent injury and maximise performance.” Says Hayley Jasper, Snow Sports Specialist at Six Physio.

 

The right conditioning and fitness training can also prevent the most common Snowboarding and snowboarding injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), which accounts for 30 – 40% of all alpine snow injuries[1]. 

 

What elements of fitness should you be looking to improve (i.e endurance, lower limb strength etc.)?

 

The key areas to work on pre Snowboarding are as follows:

 

1.       Core strength in specific positions

 

2.       Glutes endurance strength

 

3.       Eccentric quads control and endurance

 

4.       Hip range of movement to allow optimal carving and edging

 

5.       Balance and proprioception

 

 

 

What are your top exercises/workouts for areas of fitness noted above?

 

My favourite exercises for these key areas are:

 

1.       Squat holding a med ball and lift over head on the extension with straight arms  (high reps)

 

2.       Glute medius hip external rotation pulses with ball against a wall in single leg squat (high reps for endurance)

 

3.       Single leg lowers from a step or bosu ball with long holds

 

4.       figure 4 stretch lying supine and prone

 

5.       Upturned Bosu ball single leg squats and step down

 

 

 

What are the most common ski and snow boarding injuries?

 

The most common injury when Snowboarding is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which is the ligament in the centre of the knee joint that joins the tibia to the femur and restricts excessive anterior/posterior translation. The other commonly injured ligament in skiers is the medial collateral ligament (MCL) which is along the inside of the knee joint and is most commonly injured with knee rotation like with 'catching an edge'.

 

Boarders tend to more commonly injure the upper body and most commonly wrist sprains and fractures. The other common injury in boarders is acromio-clavicular joint injuries which is the small joint on the very top of the shoulder that tends to get sprained and sublux with falls onto an outstretched arm.

 

What are your top tips to prevent these injuries?

 

The best way to reduce the risk of these injuries occurring is to ensure you ski within your limits and maintain control at all times. The other way to help have greater control over your skis especially on more challenging terrain is to prepare your body well and specifically for Snowboarding.

 

Are there any après ski exercises to prevent injury?

 

Before your après gets into full swing try and take 10 minutes to hop on your travel foam roller and roll out your quads, illiotibial bands and calves!!

 

For more information on Six Physio visit the website