Most skiers get in only one to three weeks of time on the slopes during the year, according to the Warren Smith Ski Academy website. So it's difficult to improve your form, technique and conditioning unless you augment snow time with dryland workouts. Dryland ski exercises come in two main forms: One is a standard cross-training method using other sports to enhance and augment your conditioning, strength and flexibility; the other form of training is sport-specific training, which enables you to use certain movements on dryland that are similar to your movements on the slopes.
Cross Training
For general fitness and strength, sports that get your heart pumping and legs moving will get you in shape for ski season. Jogging, cycling, swimming, racket sports and soccer are some examples of good cross-training sports for skiing. Pilates and yoga promote flexibility and balance. Weight-training that focuses on the core and lower body allows you to ski with less fatigue on your first day back on the slopes.
Ski Specific Training
Ski-specific training, in many respects, resembles plyometrics, which are exercises designed to give you explosive power. However, ski-specific workouts also focus heavily on technique. One type of dryland training, promoted by the Warren Smith Ski Academy, focuses on a series of exercises based on two-footed leaping movements to the left and the right, an athletic movement similar to skiing short and medium turns. These exercises can be done in the gym or outside on an area that slopes a bit. The exercises are designed to improve both fitness and technique. Examples include execute about 10 ski turn simulation leaps, in front of a friend, or in front of a video camera, to see whether you are keeping your legs symmetrical and your feet no farther apart than your knees. You can increase leg power by doing the leaps with your arms folded across your chest to force the legs to do all of the work.
Cross-country Skiing
If your preference is cross-country skiing, you can cross-train in a number of ways. Walking at a normal pace is good training for the leg muscles for the shuffling technique used in cross-country skiing, and vigorous walking or running prepares the legs for striding movements. A more cross-country ski-specific workout is walking or running up hills. According to a study cited at the website of cross country ski expert Kenneth Roberts, dryland uphill workouts, in which you take big strides and bound up the hill, are better than running in developing a classic striding movement for the snow.
Considerations
If you are a serious competitive skier, you likely will want to use both types of dryland workouts to prepare for ski season, with a focus on ski-specific workouts. The combination gives you a mix of cardio conditioning, strength-training, flexibility and balance, explosive power and specific work to improve your technical skills.
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