(Published January 10, 2001, Owings Mills Times)

Fitness on the Slopes

By Stephanie Dray

It's winter. Your first instinct might be to curl up for the season with some hot chocolate and a box of cookies. But snowfall doesn't have to force you into retreat from your fitness goals. Winter is no reason to hibernate. Be brave; bundle up; go outside! After all, for skiers this is the best time of year. In fact, according to Chris Dudding of SnowTime Inc., this is the best ski season in almost ten years. "We have tons of snow. This is the year that everybody's been waiting for."

Dudding was a ski instructor for nearly twenty years, and explains that skiing is a great all-body sport. It can exercise all muscle groups and be either aerobic or anaerobic depending on your methodology and your level of expertise. Skiers may be so entranced by the fun and scenery of the sport that it might not feel like exercise at all, but experts say that skiers can burn between 300-1400 calories per hour skiing depending on their weight and the effort they put into it. And calorie burning isn't the only health benefit of the sport. Skiing improves balance and coordination, and it exercises seldom-used muscle groups.

These health benefits are particularly important for young people whose balance, coordination, and muscle groups are just developing. Dudding says, "Skiing is just such a great sport for young people because it gets them outside into the winter when most people would rather lock themselves inside. It's good to be out in the fresh air and it gives you mental exercise as well as better balance and coordination. You have to be alert and decide where to go and where to turn. Skiing is also a great social thing. Young people love to ski together and it's a chance to get together with other kids. Some of them form lifetime friendships through skiing."

How young can you start kids skiing? Some experts say you can start them as young as two or three years old as long as all you're really doing is letting them play around in the snow with skis on their feet. Make sure to let them drink a lot of hot chocolate afterwards and they're sure to associate skiing with family fun.

But not all of us are so lucky to be introduced to skiing by our parents. If a youngster isn't from a skiing family, he or she is likely to be introduced to skiing by a friend. "The sport's best advertising is word of mouth," Dudding explains. "The other way that kids get involved is through school ski clubs."

It may come as some surprise that neither Owings Mills High School nor Pikesville High School has a ski club, but local students shouldn't despair. The Baltimore Ski Club is open to skiers of all ages. They hold regular meetings for local ski enthusiasts on the first Tuesday of every month from September through April at the VFW Hall in Parkville. The meetings begin at 8:00pm and the club organizes ski trips and adventures that people of all ages might enjoy.

Some people know how to get involved in skiing, but are putting it off for financial reasons. But these days, skiing doesn't require as much in the way of investment. Dudding advises, "Actually, at first you don't need to buy much of anything. Just wear warm winter clothing and rent the equipment. The rental equipment is specially designed for beginners anyhow. A typical beginner's package goes for about sixty-two dollars for an entire day of skiing."

If you do want to eventually purchase your ski equipment, you'll need skis, boots, bindings, poles, and goggles or some sort of eye-gear such as sunglasses or goggles or a mask. The cost of this equipment will range from a few hundred dollars on the low end to a thousand dollars if you're buying top of the line. However, if you don't have that kind of cash, you can probably find a bargain at the annual ski swaps held every fall where skiers barter, trade or sell used ski gear for the new ski season.

Once you have your equipment, it's time to choose a place to ski! Only an hour from Baltimore, Liberty Mountain Resort and Conference Center stands ready to entertain skiers and snowboarders alike. Located in Fairfield Pennsylvania, it has a slopeside tavern, a hotel and scenic mountaintop decks. Just a little farther away is Ski Roundtop in Lewisberry Pennsylvania. At Ski Roundtop, once you've exhausted yourself on the trails, there's also snow tubing and paintball to entertain you. The more upscale Whitetail Resort, located in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, is an hour and a half away from Baltimore. Whitetail's focal point is an enormous mountain, and the resort itself is nestled in a scenic valley. It features fine dining, a children's camp, and activities in the off seasons such as mountain biking and fly-fishing.

For a more encompassing winter adventure, you may need to travel a bit farther. The Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located in Champion Pennsylvania, is about a three and a half-hour drive from Baltimore, but it may be well worth the long ride. In addition to the slopes, Seven Springs features a game room, a bowling center, a massage parlor, handball and racquetball courts, hot tubs, an indoor swimming pool, miniature golf, a fitness center, roller skating, and sleigh rides!

So, you've picked your resort, bought your package and you're ready to hit the slopes. That's all you need for seasonal fitness, right? Wrong. Sure, you may be eager to get onto the slopes and zip down the hills, but if you're not careful, you could come back from your outing on crutches, or worse. A split-second fall due to weary untrained muscles could cause serious injuries that take weeks to heal. Here are some tips from the experts to keep in mind for a healthy skiing season:

* Stretch before you ski! Muscle strains and sprains are the most common skiing injuries and they can be avoided by simply warming up. The best stretches for any snow sport work the quadriceps, hamstring, back, and heel cord.

* Stretch after you ski, too! It works the lactic acid out of your system and minimizes delayed-onset muscle soreness.

* Incorporate variety into your routine at the ski resorts. Alternate downhill skiing with cross-country or snow boarding. The more muscle groups you work, the better.

* Strength-train between ski trips. Keeping your muscles strong will help you weather the inevitable falls that accompany the sport. Experts recommend pushups to strengthen your arms and hands. You'll need that strength to hold onto those ski poles and brace against bad spills.

* Continue your cardiovascular exercise routines. You need to give your heart a good work out on a regular basis, even when you're not skiing. Riding a bike, using a ski machine, or going for a jog not only strengthens the muscles you'll need for skiing, but also builds up your endurance.

* Don't neglect your skin! Any time your skin is exposed to the sun and the elements you should be using sunscreen. Even in the dead of winter. Lip balm is good to keep on hand for chapped lips as well.

* Don't goof around on the slopes. We've all heard the stories of people being seriously injured or killed by skiing into trees. "Most of the people who were skiing into trees were doing things that they shouldn't have been doing, and gave the sport a black eye," Dudding says.

* Dress in layers. Keeping warm is important, and by dressing in layers you not only maximize the body heat that you keep close to your skin but you can also regulate your body temperature by simply taking things off if you get too hot.

* Don't try too much too fast. It's better to start off slow and get a moderate work out than to push yourself too hard and get an injury that keeps you off the slopes. Most injuries occur at the last run of the day when your muscles are fatigued and you're cold and tired.

Keeping these tips in mind, get out there and take advantage of the ski lessons and beginner introductions that ski resorts have to offer and have a healthy and fit winter season!

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