Tips Up!
Advice for weekend warriors from the pros
Park City’s world-class competitive athletes know what works on the slopes, so take a page from their playbooks and dial your mountain experience up a notch. Whether it’s gaining the confidence to go from a green to a blue run, tackling the slopes with more strength, or dropping into a halfpipe or terrain park for the first time, check out these top tips from our local pros.
PRESEASON PICKS
Core Competency
“Having a strong core is the foundation of all sports. Strengthening your stabilizing muscles is key to having your back in line and keeping your SI [sacroiliac] joint from being off. If the muscles around your SI joint are weak, it can lead to chronic back pain.” —Jonathan Cheever, US snowboardcross champion, Winter X Games competitor. Recommends: Plank pose, pelvic tilts, and bridge pose, working up to one-armed plank
Blast Off
“Skiing is all about the eccentric load and exploding out of that position (muscles contract eccentrically to brake the pull of gravity on the body), which is the opposite of most of the activities we do. Most people get into trouble because their legs are tired.” —TJ Lanning, US downhill champion. Recommends: Leg presses, foot squats, and regular squats. Then try to explode out of the bottom of the squat as quickly as you can, in a very controlled motion.
Cured Hams
“For women, it is extremely important to keep our hamstrings strong. The fact that our quads tend to overpower our hamstrings increases the chance for a torn ACL.” —Jen Hudak, Winter X Games gold & world champion skier, halfpipe. Recommends: Single-leg straight-leg deadlifts. They can be done with little to no equipment—a ski bag or barbells will do.
The Home Stretch
“The key for me has always been flexibility. I do a lot of stretching in the gym. You’re going to find yourself in thick snow sometimes, or you’ll be skiing slowly with the kids; one little snag, and you’re going to twist your knee.” —Trace Worthington, Hall of Fame skier and sports commentator
Recommends: Adding at least 10 minutes of stretching to your workout
WINNING WARM-UPS
Set the Pace
“A good warm-up is not overrated. It will prevent injuries, remind your heart and muscles how to go hard, and put up lactate blockers so you don’t feel like someone just put 50 pounds of extra junk in your legs.”—Liz Stephen, Olympic cross-country skier
Hot Blooded
“I do some light exercise in the lodge to get my muscles firing and warmed up. Then I do an easy, flat run and make some short swing turns to get the blood flowing in my legs. Once the blood is flowing and my muscles are warm, I’m ready to go out and do whatever.” —Bryon Wilson, Olympic moguls skiing bronze medalist
ON-MOUNTAIN TECHNIQUE
Push On, Ease Back
“Challenge yourself for one run, and then go back to an easier run. That gives you so much confidence. Just up the ante a little bit so you get that sensation of challenge.” —Heidi Voelker, three-time Olympian, Deer Valley skiing ambassador
Do a Good Turn
“Something I still work on today is ankle flexion—ankle pressure in your boots. There is no way to turn or have your skis carve unless you’re going down the hill leaning forward, and that puts you in a good athletic position to do whatever you want to do on your skis—make quick turns, make long turns, or absorb bumps.” —Ted Ligety, Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Cup GS champ
The Middle Road
“If you haven’t yet skied a pipe, you should try because it’s a ton of fun. Start slow and ski up the wall from the middle of the pipe. When you feel yourself slowing down toward the top, just push off and look back toward the middle of the pipe. Then do the same thing on the other wall. Keep your head up and your hands forward, and you’ll do great!” —Jen Hudak, Winter X Games gold & world champion skier, halfpipe
Read Up, Drop In
“At the top there is a sign—and a lot of people don’t read it—but it says all the basic instructions of where to go down the run, what kind of features are in the park, what to do before you drop in, and what not to do—like don’t sit on the knuckle. Read it, and you’ll basically know all the etiquette to the park. Then ease into it, start really small, and move at your own skill level—not your friend’s. You’ll get wrecked.” —Sage Kotsenburg, Winter X Games and Dew Tour snowboarder
Eyes Up in the Bumps
“I think the biggest key is keeping eyes up. Not focusing on the first or second bump, but looking ahead three or four bumps. That allows you to not get caught up in your feet and fall over them. So, eyes up and really stay forward—really feel that shin in the front of the boot.” —Bryon Wilson, Olympic moguls skiing bronze medalist
AFTER BURNER
Live for Tomorrow
“Icing and stretching are key to not being broken down. You don’t feel how sore your body is until the next day. I stretch my legs every which way, and I use a foam roller. Ice where you are sore or wherever you fell. You’ll be glad you did.” —Sage Kotsenburg, Winter X Games and Dew Tour snowboarder
Hibernate
“I have found that sometimes the best recovery for your body after a tough day on the hill is a nap!” —Megan McJames, Olympic alpine skier
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