When most people think of winter sports things like skiing and snowboarding come to mind. They are fun activities that allow you to hit the slows and tear down a mountain at fast speeds.
It is fun, exhilarating, and the added bonus is that the activity also counts as exercise. The only problem with these two activities is how expensive they are.
The price of a season pass at a good resort is about the same price as buying a new Mac computer that will last you years! But for athletes who love the snow and ice, there is another activity that provides you fun, excitement, and even calories burned.
Ice skating is a great sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. You can go with a group, by yourself, or on a date.
Ice skating is not just gliding around in a circle (though that’s just fine too); but you can play hockey, limbo, tag, and do some crazy stunts in the middle of the ice. The best time of year is when your local pond completely freezes over and you can skate of fresh ice.
Some people even spray water on their streets and let it freeze over night so they can slide around in the morning. You do not need a ton of snow to push into hills, you just need some water and below freezing temperatures.
When you think winter activities, snowboarding and skiing probably come to mind. There is however another snow sport that is often just thought about for kids.
Sledding is an adventurous activity that actually requires you to work pretty hard. When you go sledding, you do not have the luxury of riding a ski lift back up to the top.
Instead you have to hike your way back up the hill, over and over and over again. This uphill climb is actually a cardio workout because your heart rate is increasing and your body is working hard to get back to the top.
The intensity, of course, depends on how steep the hill is, how far you have to climb to sled back down, and how long you are out there for. In addition, sledding is something that the whole family can do, no matter their age.
With skiing and snowboarding, kids have to be a certain age to be able to control their board or skis, and even then you have to keep a close eye on them just in can they fall and other riders are coming down the mountain.
With sledding you can ride alone, or with others. You can race and fall and not have to worry too much about injury.
It is also significantly less expensive than hitting the slopes. You do not have to buy lift tickets, boards, bindings, helmets, and everything else that comes with skiing and snowboarding. The only equipment you need is a sled and warm clothes.
When the temperature drops and snow begins to fall, many avid boarders begin to turn their thoughts to the ski slopes. However, because many boarders are so excited to hit the slopes they don’t stop to prepare their equipment or their bodies.
Fatigue and carelessness often result in accidents and injury on the slopes. Preparing before the season starts ensures that when you do finally get to the slopes with the first fresh powder of the year, you’ll be able to enjoy it more and be able to spend more time hitting the jumps and riding the powder rather than resting off to the side, fixing your equipment at the lodge, or worse yet injured for the season.
Knowing a few tips before you hit the mountain can save your snowboarding season.
- Get in shape. Working out before the snowboard season can make it much more enjoyable. Leg presses, squats and running are great work outs that help build leg strength while building cardio stamina. Getting oxygen to all that muscle at high altitudes is key.
Trail running will not only build leg strength but will also improve your agility. Also don’t forget to work out your core. While the specific types of exercises you do aren’t important, what does matter is that you work on building your cardio, agility, and overall body strength.
Many sports medicine businesses are holding ski/snowboarding conditioning classes. If your not one who likes to hit the gym a lot there are other fun ways to build snowboarding strength such as long boarding and balance boards.
- Check your equipment. This can help you get the most for your money by keeping you on the slope instead of tightening and repairing equipment. At least a few weeks before you head up the mountain, look to see if there are any major dents or scratches in your board as this will directly impact your speed and performance on the mountain.
If you do have large dents and scratches to your board you will need to take your board to a local snowboard shop and have them resurface the bottom of your board. Next, make sure to tighten all the screws that are being used to hold both of your bindings in.
Then make sure all the little bolts on your bindings are safely secure and tightened as well. Last, wax your board making sure to use the appropriate kind depending on the conditions of the day.
- Make the snowboarding season affordable. If you’re an avid boarder getting a season pass is a must. Call your local resorts and check prices. You usually only have to go 3 or 4 times in a season and it will pay for itself.
In addition, lots of discounts are usually available if you are a student or served military duty. If you don’t think work, school, or family obligations will allow you to go frequently enough to buy a season pass then there are also individual preseason tickets that are available at a discount.
- Schedule days to hit the slopes. Getting the most out of the snowboarding season starts with planning which days you will go ahead of time. If you don’t mark down on your calendar which days you are going, other activities will fill up your schedule.
Surprisingly, most people are able to get their tasks done in time if their schedule has been marked as busy ahead of time. Also, start looking at your work or school calendar to see when you have days off and which holidays you have free. Don’t forget to start banking up those sick days.
- Who are you going to ride with? You say your buddies of course but have you checked to see if your schedules line up? Start talking with work and school buddies now to see which resort they have passes too and what their schedules line up with yours.
Getting people to go with you will make your days on the slope more enjoyable and riding with people of the similar or better skill level will help you improve too. This will also help you keep your commitment to go those days you scheduled if others are going with you.
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