J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by iLoveSkiing

Souldrive, The Pal-Arinsal ski pass gives you access to Arcalis aswell IIRC but you do need to arrange your own transport to and from Arcalis or if you are going via a tour operator like I did then you can pay to go on their arranged excursion.

Don't forget the upper body, strengthen chest and shoulders. Sking subjects the body to g forces all over so inorder to resist unbalancing forces the entire body needs to be strong. Obviously improving techique through practice and lessons will mean you are in a balanced position more often.

Exercises to strengthen your leg muscles and your stabiliser muscles are:

1) Leg extensions for quads
2) Leg curls for hamstrings (important to do these with 1 to maintain muscle balance)
3) Calf raises

4) Abductor and adductor exercises to strengthen the inner and outer thighs to improve stability and balance and thus help avoid falls

5) Strengthen core muscles, crunches for abdominals and back arches for lower back.

6) Squats are useful but must be done correctly to avoid injury and it's easy to do them with wrong technique. High reps and lower weights are preferrable for skiing.

7) Steppers, elyptical walkers, etc are great for building leg endurance and toning the stabiliser muscles.

If I had the funds to do it I'd go somewhere non-english speaking so I could ski in the morning and early afternoon and then have foreign language lessons in the late afternoon say from 3-5pm from monday to friday if possible. However I don't think language tutors at ski resorts are that common. For me two months is plenty of time to ski so there's no need or hurry to ski all day every day.

Ise, I'll keep your recommendations in mind if I ever consider snow shoeing. So far I've unfortunately only been on two 1 week ski holidays so I'm reluctant to try anything else that eats into precious ski time.

ise wrote:

I wouldn't personally, ski trousers are a bit warm for snow shoes for me but it might be that my snow show trips are more vigorous :D

http://snowslider.net/2006/12/30/zinal-cabane-du-petit-mountet/

but you're right, ski trousers are much more practical than ordinary trousers.

I'd wear salopettes and unzip my jacket to cool down. Out of interest ise what do you wear when snow shoeing? Waterproof hiking trousers?

ise wrote:
For snow shoeing you can rent the kit of course. The thing to bear in mind is that the shoes will throw bits of snow up onto the calf area and will soak your trousers which will be very unpleasant.

won't AndyB & family be wearing salopettes for show shoeing? I would but would it look odd, ise?

bandit wrote:This is what I was thinking of.......

http://www.snowandrock.com/shop/activity/ski/accessories/tools_and_accessories/products/SEI0003.htm

They do work, and if you buy some, remember to take a waterproof bag to store them in whilst you ski, since they get grubby with the walking :D

I've seen people unclip the shin buckles or the powerstrap and thread the loops of the cat tracks through them then redo them up so no need for a bag, give it a try first.