Secrets of water

Reading Trencher's reply on essential skiing equipment made me realize that many skiers have no concept of the importance of fluids while skiing.
A university study on survival indicated that we should drink 20 liters a day. That is while we are doing our everyday activities. Imagine while skiing.

The idea is not to drink like a camel.....store up water in the morning for the whole day but rather to drink like a bird! A little every hour!

I have two metal thermos bottles. In winter I pour tea with honey and bring thermos in a pack sack to the run I ski on! I drink ever 30 minutes. I also have a bar of sucrose not candy. It melts emmediately and provides energy! You can get this at the local pharmacy!

In spring, I have two bottles of 50% water and 50% apple juice. One bottle at top and one at bottom of ski run! Every 30 minutes I take "gulp"!
I have found it is wortwhile to indicate on label on the outside of bottles, " AIDS DRINK" to avoid any loss of liquid, especially in late spring when everyone is sweating and restaurant is 3 km. away!

With regular "drinks" you will ski better, last longer and avoid those "cramps" and "tired" feeling!

One suggestion please!
Do not leave bottles at slope! At end of day pick up empty bootles since plastic takes years to degenerate!

Do not drink alcohol while skiing!

More good stuff - you should write a book! :lol:

Although apparently less common nowadays, French mountain cafes will often offer a "citron presse" - a fresh squeezed lemon with a pitcher of water and a cube or two of sugar. Perfect for getting loads of fluid onboard, with the added bonus of a vitamin C boost too! If that's not available then a bottle of water and a bottle of fruit juice are ideal.

Skiing with a bottle of water is good - regular breaks are even better to avoid fatigue and dehydration.

Absolutely agree about alcohol - nothing else will impair your performance quicker and anything more than a single measure is, IMO, nuts. Drinking and Skiing go together about as well as Drinking and Driving - don't mix them.

I find that with modern sweat wicking materials, you don't realise how much you are sweating. I really should use a hydration pack on warmer days. A ski jacket with a small hydration pack built in would be nice. It would be less bulky than than a pack with a harness worn underneath a jacket.

My other main sport, whitewater kayaking does not go with drinking alcohol either. We often rescue day tripping canoeist from the rapids. We rescue the people, thier boats and thier gear, but the beer cooler is often left to float down stream. Many sports (including skiing) have a calculated risk factor for yourself and for others around you. You can not calculate those risk if you are drinking.

Trencher