Prepare Your Body and Mind For Ski Season in Sun Peaks

General Tips to Start Your Season Right

Sun Peaks Legend and Ski Icon, Nancy Greene Raine

Nancy says:

As the ski season approaches, there are many ways to get ready so that you get off to a good start! Hopefully you have stayed active all summer, but for skiing, it is good to pay particular attention to your leg and stomach muscles. Burning thighs halfway down a ski run is common so the stronger those muscles are, the easier it will be. Stomach muscles may be even more important, as they are what allows you to stay in balance, so critical for efficient skiing. You really do need strong core muscles, especially so that you can recover when you lose your balance.

Personally, I like to use a variety of activities to stay in shape for skiing and I find that the crisp fall air invigorates me. I find cycling and skating are fun things to do for the ski muscles. Plus, of course daily sit-ups or other core exercises.

Sun Peaks Sports School Director, Ian Logan

Ian says:

The fall season is the time to start getting ready for the snow to arrive and we get to go riding. In preparation for this, here are some general tips to help you get started.

First, get your equipment ready! If you are not a tech expert, take advantage of local shops in the village to get your gear checked out, waxed, sharpened and ready to shred!

Next, look over your clothing to make sure it is in good repair. Remember to locate your gloves, goggles, face scarfs, boot warmers, toque, lip balm, sunscreen, goggle cloth, under clothes (try high % merino wool) and socks. If you find things are missing, take advantage of the many pre-season offers on social media sales sites, or go check out local shops in Sun Peaks for some pre-Christmas personal gifts!

You’ll also want to make sure your pass is purchased and loaded the way you want! Online purchases or Guest Services are great resources to get this part squared away for seamless riding on Opening Day!

Begin Well-Rounded Fitness Training

Winter Fitness Tips from Meghan Kolodka, Sun Peaks Alpine Fitness

Megan says:

The best way to prepare your body for ski season is to begin training as early as possible, but it’s never too late to start! A well-rounded exercise program that incorporates strength training, cardio, mobility, and flexibility will help you feel your best on the slopes. Injury prevention and endurance are key to making the most of your ski season, and if you’re not sure where to start, our personal trainers can help guide you in the right direction.

Here are a few ways to get ski/snowboard-ready:

1. Build lower-body strength.
Strong quads, hamstrings, and glutes are essential for stability and control on the mountain. Focus on squats, lunges, step-ups, and hamstring curls, all of which can be done using our upgraded strength machines or brand-new dumbbells.

2. Improve endurance.
Skiing/riding is a full-day workout that challenges your heart and lungs. Mixing steady-state cardio with intervals on the treadmill, bike, or rower will help you build stamina for long runs without fatigue.

3. Focus on balance and core control.
Balance is key for carving and reacting to changes in terrain. Try single-leg exercises, stability work, and core strengthening moves like planks and rotational exercises. These can easily be built into a gym routine or one of our Glutes & Core Yoga or Yoga Fit classes.

4. Don’t skip mobility and flexibility.
A flexible, mobile body moves better and recovers faster. Stretching your hips, spine, and ankles can reduce stiffness and improve your form on the slopes. Our Flow Yoga and Yoga Fusion classes are perfect for this; open to all abilities, and designed to keep your body supple and strong.

5. Train for injury prevention.
Building stability in your knees, hips, and core helps prevent common ski injuries. Controlled strength training and low-impact conditioning (like our Mountain Fit and Summit Strength classes) are great options to build resilience.

We are stoked to announce that Sun Peaks Alpine Fitness has recently upgraded several cardio and strength machines, and replaced our entire dumbbell setup with state-of-the-art equipment! Machines are an excellent, user-friendly way to focus on specific muscle groups, especially for those just starting out.

Release Tension, Build Strength, and Find Relaxation

Local Yoga Guru Kayla Alfred, Sun Peaks Yoga

Prepare Each Part of Your Body

Here are some of the best ways you can start training your body for ski season with yoga! If attending my classes isn't possible, I recommend the following 5 poses to be done every day:

1. Chair pose - Sit in an imaginary chair with a yoga block or ball between your knees to bring stability through the pelvis. As a bonus, try tilting the pelvis back and forth to check in with core engagement.
2. Active and passive reclined twists - Lay on your back with a block or ball between your knees, and shift legs side to side so the core remains engaged as the legs are shifting over. Repeat a few times each side and then rest, letting the legs drop all the way to one side – rest the lower leg on a pillow or second block if low back pain is a concern – and then do the same resting pose on the other side. Make sure the core is properly engaged to switch sides, and find your sweet spot in the pose by feeling sensation but keeping your breath flowing steadily in and out. 

3. Work the feet - Ski and snowboard boots can take some getting used to if you haven't put them on in a while! Help ease this shift by wearing them around the house or out for short walks. Strengthen and create flexibility by practicing picking up things and putting them down with your feet. Start small, with a face cloth or pen, then try larger things like shirts, towels, blankets, small humans, pets... really push yourself! Also practice lifting the toes, spreading them out, and putting them back down with a good amount of grip into the floor. When you do this, keep the heel firmly on the floor and think about drawing the ball of the foot and toes toward the heel. The arch may lift a bit when you do this correctly. 

   Stretch or massage the feet after with a tennis ball or lacrosse ball, or come onto hands and knees and slide one leg back at a time, with your toes tucked on the ground, and gently shift the heel back extending through the back of the leg.

    

4. Warm up your ankles! - In standing or chair pose, with or without the block between your knees, practice lifting and lowering your heels. You can make this a bit more spicy by standing on a step and dropping the heels a bit lower! Stay in control, slower is better to train the body and mind together. If you enjoy these exercises, I have more fun stuff to do in my Mountain Feet classes!
5. Build strong balance - Especially early in the winter season, there tends to be more obstacles and people around that may throw you off balance. To improve your balance, try standing on one leg, with one hand on the wall or a chair, and explore moving your lifted leg around in all directions. Think about keeping a tall stable stance from your standing leg all the way up through the top of your head. 

Find Relaxation and Breathing

It is also so important to prepare your mind for the winter season. There are many meditation techniques I teach, but the simplest is sometimes the best. 

First, remember that there is always time for one deep breath. Usually there is time for three or more. Taking that breath reminds your body that you are in control, filling the lungs to fully soften the tension that can sometimes aggravate our vagus nerve. Relaxing this tension by taking deep breaths brings ease to the nervous system as well. 

Yoga teaches us to regulate our emotions and find calm in the face of excitement or high stress. Feel the emotion! Get stoked! Then take a breath, and maybe look around. If you find it difficult to guide yourself through deep breathing we are lucky enough in Sun Peaks to have some of the best smelling air around – the snow and the trees smell SO GOOD – so taking time to smell the fresh air will work just as well as any other breath technique. 

Try A Yoga Class in Sun Peaks

I have developed a few classes specific for the slopes including all of the classes coming up as part of the UpLIFTed yoga weekend during Opening Weekend, November 18 to 23.

For my regular classes, I live here in Sun Peaks and recognize that the majority of people are here to enjoy mountain sports along with me, so all of the classes I teach take that into consideration and are designed for mountain folk. 

Ready for a Great Season?

Once you’ve ticked off your Opening Day checklist, there’s just one thing left to do: Hit the Slopes! Opening weekend will be full of fun activities, from first chair and free cinnamon buns to Après and Ales! 

Opening Day Schedule 2025

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