anyone think they have the <absolute best> exercise to prep for skiing?

There is no such thing as "absolute best" exercise. Crossfit seems well suited for skiing or any other sport, but I can see how it can lead to injuries due to a lot of impact and explosive movements. Definitely not for everyone.

One should also remember that recreational skiing does not require a high level of fitness. Skiing technique will make skiing MUCH, MUCH more enjoyable than fitness alone.

For myself I enter ski season in top shape after racing mountain bikes all summer.

TomL to TomB...

I totally agree with that and that's why I said that you need to start with questions - base fitness level, goals, and so on.

But I wouldn't say that means people shouldn't train for skiing. Even if you are not a high level competitor, it is "worth" it for a few reasons.

1. Training for a sport you love is a good motivation to stay active.

You can't work ski technique in August in most of North America, but you can use your desire to ski better to keep you fit if you don't have a summer sport you love. Sadly, a lot of people don't.

2. Antagonistic muscles.

Skiing itself targets certain muscles. The quads will get strong, but the hamstrings less so. Most recreational skiers should focus on the antagonistic muscles that will help keep them stable while skiing. That's why I like power cleans, deadlifts and core exercises.

Of course, I would recommend those to 90% of human beings with desk jobs too, whether they ski or not. A lot of people just let their core strength go completely to hell. If skiing is the excuse to work on that, so be it!

3. Occasional skiers

I'm always surprised at the number of people whose season consists of two weekend trips to a local area "get in shape" and then a ski week at a distant area. I often get lessons at our little area from people who want to "get ready for my trip to Whistler" or some such thing. Many of these folks are in terrible shape but they're ski-obsessed.

Sure, they should be doing something year round for their general health, but they're not. So if they can use skiing as a motivator (see point 1) and do just two workouts a week in the autumn, they would enjoy their ski trip so much more.

4. Fun

I've skied all my life and am pretty good for a recreational skier with four and half decades on my knees. My mom was an instructor and my dad was ski coach. I ran a fair number of gates as a kid. You sure won't read about me in the ski mags, I'm terrible by that standard. But having some good explosive power in my legs and a strong core early in the season makes skiing a lot more fun. I can ski bumps all day early in the season and not feel broken.

My legs are sooo much weaker than they were when I was skiing hard and training hard, but slowing that decline keeps skiing fun for me as I start looking at my 50s looming ahead in a few short years.

Great point!  I think you've just unmasked the big secret of sport-specific training. ;)

In terms of motion sports, this is correct, though I always find it mind-blowing.  There's a whole social and consumer aspect to ski vacas too, so if someone is going just to collect with the family or to see and be seen, but doesn't like sports per se, it's logical.  But if someone loves to ski but has a desk job somewhere, there are lots of motion sports similar to skiing that they COULD do that are basically as enjoyable.  Mountain biking/inline skating/Harb Carvers/longboard skateboards, as noted, may be the best in terms of carryover, but there are several others.

Aside from not being that strong or aerobically fit, most adults are also clumsy, just because they don't do a lot of movement-and-balance based activity.  They can't get that general "neuro-muscular" conditioning in a weightroom.  (Though, interestingly enough, strength training does seem to increase movement efficiency for most sports, i.e. squatting may help you ski better not just through being stronger but through helping your nervous system as well.)

CTKook, Great point! That is so true.

I was out running a rough trail this morning having related thoughts. As I was running down, jumping from rock to rock down steps, I was thinking about how much it's like skiing bumps and that body sense, balance, proprioception and all that is often lacking in people who go to the gym and spend their whole time on machines - leg press machine, bench press machine, elliptical machines. All of them define and constrain motion and therefore are poor training (in my untrained opinion) for anything except working out on machines.

Can we just banish them from gyms? I have trained a lot of people to stand on a stability ball while I toss objects (socks, gloves, medecine balls) back and forth. It's fun, it's good for balance and lower legs, and only modestly dangerous ;-)

One thing I also thought about is a #4

4. TomB is 100% right that people need to learn technique first and foremost, but quite often, their weak and clumsy bodies prevent skills acquisition. It's not a factor for active people, but sadly, "active people" and "skiers" are not overlapping sets! Anyone who has ever taught skiing has seen this a lot!

>>Great point!  I think you've just unmasked the big secret of sport-specific training. ;)

It took me two decades of running "for mountaineering" before I realized that I actually love running "for running". I'm a slow learner.

On 10/31 I posted a comment extolling the virtues of the Skier's Edge.  Several other posters also like the device.  Here is another idea for strength and balance: martial arts.  I'm into Krav Maga because I like it (similar to TOML and others above who do what they like), and because martial arts without rules kinda appeals to me.  Kicks, punches, knees, elbows, wrestling, aerobic training, etc. can't hurt as a method for cross training.  Is this the "absolute best" exercise to prep for skiing?  I dunno.  But you do get great stretching, strength training, quickness, and are usually out of breath.  Plus, you have no fear about telling off some punk and making him wait for the guy he hit to ski down and make a complaint after the jerk ran over a skier and left the scene.
Edited by quant2325 - 11/18/09 at 9:30pm

I saw your comment on the Skier's Edge. I've always been intrigued by it and wanted to try one, but I've never had the chance. Did you buy one sight unseen or did you have a chance to play first?

>>Plus, you have no fear about telling off some punk

:-) Another reason I like the backcountry!