Ski Independence Blog
Archive for December, 2009
Get fit for the ski season with Sno Camp – Part 2
December 30th, 2009To help burn off those turkey sandwiches and Christmas pud, here is part 2 to our get fit for the ski season with Sno Camp, thanks to Virgin Active.
All of these exercises can be performed on or off the Powerplate®. If using the Powerplate® try increasing to 35Hz, Low Intensity. In any case or environment, perform each exercise for 30-45 seconds.
1. Ski Squat with Hamstring Raises – lower body strength & endurance
- Start standing up straight, with ankles & knees about hip width apart, and both them and hips slightly bent.
- Slowly move down in to a deep squat within a controlled range, ensuring that the weight goes backwards, and knees do not go any further than in line with the toes.
- From there, slowly lift your bottom upwards so that your hamstrings lengthen and you feel the tension in them – your knees should still have a slight bend in them; your legs should not be completely straight.
- Repeat the movements for 30-45 seconds, slowly and in a controlled movement.
Points to consider:
- Ensure the abdominals are engaged, by pulling them inwards towards the spine; this also helps to ensure back is straight and flat.
- Keep your head up!
- Ensure to hold each position for 4-5 seconds before changing
2. Eddie the Eagle – lower body strength & balance
- Begin in the bottom phase of a squat: weight goes backwards, knees no further than in line with toes. Extend your arms behind your body and squeeze inwards, so that you feel tension in between your shoulder blades.
- From there, keeping your arms behind you, slowly raise upwards and raise yourself on to your tip toes – hold for 4-5 seconds before returning to start position
- Repeat the movements for 30-45 seconds, slowly and in a controlled movement, ensuring to hold each position for 4-5 seconds before changing
Points to consider:
- Make sure your arms stay extended behind the body for the whole exercise
- Push your arms inwards so that you feel the tension between shoulder blades at all times
- Keep movement controlled and slow
3. Superman – lower back strength
(If performing this on the Powerplate, ensure that the pad is on!)
- Bring yourself on to your hands and knees – your hands should be directly underneath your shoulders.
- Tense your abdominal muscles and pull them upwards towards your spine, so that your back is completely flat like a table top
- Slowly lift one arm and the opposite leg off the ground and extend (i.e. right arm, left leg)
- Bring back to start position and repeat with the opposite limbs
- Repeat the movements for 30-45 seconds, slowly and in a controlled movement, ensuring to hold each position for 4-5 seconds before changing.
Points to Consider:
- Ensure that your back is completely flat throughout the whole exercise
- Don’t worry about speed – concentrate on control and maintaining balance throughout
4. Ski Sit & Hold – Lower Body Endurance
- Stand on the Powerplate, facing outwards (away from the stand & screen)
- Sit against the Powerplate, using the curve of the stand to fit your body in against it comfortably.
- Come down far enough so that your quads are completely flat and horizontal and your calves are vertical – don’t allow your knees to come forward any further than your toes
- Stretch your arms out horizontally to keep the balance
- Hold this position for the 30-45 secs
Points to consider:
- Ensure that your back is completely straight and your head is up at all times
- Do not allow your knees to go beyond your toes
5. Side Plank – core strength
- Start on the floor, next to the Powerplate. Rest your left forearm and elbow horizontally on the Powerplate pad.
- Stretch out your legs and stack up your feet one on top of the other – your body should be in a completely straight line
- Lift your hips so that you are straight, and engage your abdominal muscles by pulling them in towards your spine
- Extend your right arm upwards to maintain the balance
- Hold this position for 30-45 secs before swapping to the other side
Points to consider:
- Ensure that you don’t drop your hips
- Keep your head up
- Keep your abs engaged so that you feel the tension in the obliques (side of the stomach) for the whole exercise
If you’d like to take part in Sno Camp at Edinburgh Omni, please Call Rhona on 0131 550 1650 or drop her an email at rhona.swain@virginactive.co.uk or your visit your local Virgin Active – click here to see participating clubs.
First turns of the season in Steamboat
December 21st, 2009Here is the first of our reports straight from Steamboat, Colorado. Jenny O’Farrell, Steamboat’s International Sales Manager, will be bringing you regular updates during the course of the season on what’s what on and off the slopes in Steamboat.
Saturday 19 Dec.
19/12/2009 | Bluebird days over Steamboat | Photographer: George Danellis
“Today I finally put away the golf clubs and acknowledged winter’s obvious intention to stick around for a few months, and boy, am I glad I did! My first turns on the mountain this year were so much fun! As we spoiled rotten long-time locals often do, I’ve been waiting for that first epic dump of Champagne Powder snow for my season debut, but a text from my pal Tele Kelly this morning inviting me out for a few runs changed my timeline. The 64 inches/162cm of natural snow that have fallen so far, the excellent work of our very talented Steamboat snowmaking crew, and the sustained sub-freezing temperatures have combined just perfectly for some great early season skiing and riding conditions.
After having checked to make sure I had remembered all of my gear, we headed up the Gondola. I was thinking of heading down Vagabond to confirm muscle memory from last April, but Kelly convinced me to head down Rudi’s Run to Blizzard to the Storm Peak lift to head up the mountain instead. And right she was! My first turns on Rudi’s had me hooked all over again, and we enjoyed some fabulous runs. Buddy’s Run is smoothly groomed with about 1 inch /2.5cm of soft frosting from the flurries that have been falling all morning. Cyclone, on the other hand, is a challenging mogul field, but I was connecting my turns quite well mostly, with one gentle face plant about halfway down.
Mogul training on Voo Doo for the Olympic Trials this week. | Photographer: Larry Pierce
Even Tornado Lane, known to be a bit firm on the best of days, had perfectly adequate coverage and some loose snow for carving on the flatter bits. We rode Storm Peak lift again to cross over to Sunshine Peak, where we enjoyed a fast descent down High Noon and across Rendezvous Saddle to Rolex. Rolex was a bit messy, with quite a few pine saplings showing their tips, but the snow was sweet. Next we rode Elkhead up and made our way down Heavenly Daze, which is in great shape, and on to See Me, where we stopped to admire the jumps being built on the moguls course for the Olympic Trails coming to Steamboat December 23-24. They’re huge! Then it was down Stampede and back to my desk to tell you all about my day.
Steamboat is ready for you – come check us out!
Happy Winter – Happy Holidays!
Jenny!
Are you covered?
December 17th, 2009
Ski Club warns skiers and boarders to take out appropriate insurance cover for holidays.
Today the Ski Club of Great Britain launches a new ‘Get Covered’ campaign warning of the risks of skiing or snowboarding without the appropriate cover for wintersports. A recent survey states that 75% of British holidaymakers don’t check the terms and conditions when purchasing travel insurance and 56% fail to buy cover at all*
For ski and snowboard holidays this has serious implications. Not taking out any insurance can result in huge bills for medical expenses, transport from the mountain or repatriation to the UK.**
But what can often catch skiers and snowboarders out is not reading the small print and taking part in, and getting injured in, activities they are not covered for. “Skiers and snowboarders often get caught out when it comes to insurance. Buying a travel insurance policy is often not enough. The Ski Club urges people to check that they are covered for wintersports and that they read the small print to ensure all activities they will be participating in are covered.” Said Caroline Stuart Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club of Great Britain. The Ski Club offers the following tips for buying snowsports travel insurance:
- If you think you may be taking part in any extra winter activities such as off-piste skiing or snowboarding, tobogganing, ski touring, glacier skiing, heliskiing or even just hitting the snowpark, make sure your policy covers you for this.
- Check what the provider means by off-piste. Does it cover off piste without a guide?
- If you, or your children, are taking part in fun races with the ski/ snowboard school ensure this is covered in your policy. Many policies do not cover racing, even fun, recreational races.
- If you are going on a ski mountaineering, hiking or trekking trip at high altitude check that your policy covers you. Many policies will limit cover to 3000m or less. If you are trekking above this height you will not be covered.
- Check that you have legal expenses cover – this will cover your legal costs if someone injures you and you need to take legal action.
- Don’t just go for the cheapest travel insurance policy. Cheaper policies, even those specialising in ‘wintersports cover’ may not actually cover the winter activities you’re planning.
Ski Independence offers full comprehensive insurance with all of it’s holidays. For further information, please contact the reservations team on 0131 243 8097.
*Age Concern Survey 2008 – ageconcern.co.uk
**If you do have an accident and you are not insured you may end up with a frightening bill.
Potential costs for European accidents:
• Cost of an air ambulance: £5,000 – £10,000
• Repatriation to the UK (with family escort): £200 – £800
• Repatriation to the UK (with stretcher): £3,350 – £3700 (This can increase by up to £2,000 if the airline apply a surcharge)
Potential costs for accidents in North America:
• Cost of an air ambulance: £30,000
• Repatriation to the UK with upgraded seats (required for leg injuries): £2,000 – £5,000
Off Piste in Scotland?
December 7th, 2009Not often do the words off piste & Scotland fall into the same sentence, however we are delighted to be partnering one of Edinburgh’s hottest venues, Hawke & Hunter, for Off Piste ’09 – an alternative Christmas celebration.
Off Piste ’09 is a recreation of an Alpine village inside an Edinburgh Georgian townhouse, complete with individual ski chalets (all named after our favourite resorts), snow-covered trees, and a star-lit sky. Off Piste ’09 is all things to all party-goers – it’s food as theatre, live music in performance, a party in the street, and mulled wine which will bring memories of the slopes flooding back!
The event launched last week, here are some photos from the launch party:
If you fancy heading along to get in the festive spirit then quote Ski Independence at the time of booking to receive £5 off per person on lunch or dinner. More info
Delirium Dive is Open! Are you brave enough?
December 4th, 2009The world-famous Delirium Dive opened yesterday – the earliest opening in its ten year history!
Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village by Richard Hallman
As one of Sunshine Village’s three freeride zones, the Dive offers some of the most extreme inbounds terrain in North America. This week it was named one of the ‘World’s Scariest Ski Slopes’ by MSN, to add to its many other accolaides. “We’ve had fantastic snow this season enabling us to open the Dive earlier than ever before. Expert skiers and snowboarders will be very happy!” said Dan Markham, of Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine.
Within the Dive’s 600 acres of terrain, natural features include 20 metre cornices, frozen waterfalls, stepped pillow drops, jagged rock spines, and 25 metre cliffs. These natural hazards are unmarked and exist throughout the area. Skiers and snowboarders need to use good judgment, know their skill level, and understand that mountain conditions may change quickly. Entry is only permitted for those with a shovel, transceiver and buddy.
With some of the best snow in 30 years, the conditons at all three resorts are great on beginner and intermediate terrain too. After opening in October for weekends only, Mt. Norquay is opening full time tomorrow.
The Lake Louise Ski Area is proud to host the FIS Winterstart World Cup Women’s Races this Friday to Sunday. The races are free to watch, plus there’ll be music and celebrations all weekendlong. This is the chance for everyone to come out and cheer on Olympic hopefuls as they fine tune their skills at Lake Louise!
If you want to try your nerves on Delirium Dive this season then call our reservations team on 0131 243 8097 or email ski@ski-i.com.
Get fit for the ski season with Sno Camp
December 2nd, 2009Whether it’s your first time on to the slopes, or you can cruise down a black run with your eyes shut, there’s nothing like the right preparation for the ski season, and we’re not just talking about buying cool salopettes. Virgin Active, the UK’s most innovative and exciting health club brand, has introduced Sno Camp – a programme to prepare you for powering down the piste without panting for breath!
Each week we will bring you a new section of the course thanks to Rhona Swain, a Personal Trainer at Edinburgh’s Omni Virgin Active Club, who is currently running the 2009 leg of the new Sno Camp course;
“Sno Camp is a great new pre-ski training course, which is part of Virgin Active’s new ‘Tribe Training’ scheme. The course is based completely on the Powerplate® and Virgin worked closely with the Snowsport GB to design the programme, so we know it works! The Powerplate® creates instability in the body, as it moves in all 3 planes (up & down, side to side, forward & back) therefore it promotes balance and mimics transfers of movement which you might expect to encounter on the slopes. The course really focuses on improving mobility and movement, strength and power in the lower body, stability and balance, and core strength; all of the skills which need to be enhanced for your skiing or snowboarding season. Each week we progress each exercise and will put you through your paces.”
Week 1.
All of these exercises can be performed on or off the Powerplate®. If using the Powerplate® keep the settings on 30Hz, Low Intensity when you first start – you can gradually increase the Hz and intensity as you progress. In any case or environment, perform each exercise for 30-45 seconds to begin; you can then progress on to +60 seconds.
1. Ski Squat – lower body strength
• Start standing up straight, with ankles & knees about hip width apart, and both them and hips slightly bent.
• Slowly move down in to a deep squat within a controlled range, ensuring that the weight goes backwards, and knees do not go any further than in line with the toes.
• Repeat the movements for 30-45 seconds, slowly and in a controlled movement.
• Points to consider:
- Ensure the abdominals are engaged, by pulling them inwards towards the spine; this also helps to ensure back is straight and flat.
- Keep your head up!
- Imagine you have your ski poles in your hands – keep them clasped in front, elbows tucked in under your torso.
Ski Squats
• Start in the same position as the Ski Squat, standing facing the Powerplate® handles or something you can use to hold on to if not using Powerplate®.
• Holding on to the handles, lift 1 leg off the ground so that the knee is bent at 90°. From there, bend the knee of the supporting leg so that your body moves downwards.
• Bring your suspended leg round so that it curves in arc behind your bent supporting leg. Perform for 30-45 seconds on each leg.
• Points to consider:
- Engage those abs!
- Keep your head and upper body upright
Single Leg Squats
3. The Plank – core strength
• Lie on your front on a mat. Bring yourself on to your forearms and elbows; from there lift yourself on to your toes. Your body should be in a completely straight line.
• Pull your abdominal muscles up towards your spine and raise your hips so that your back is completely flat, like a table top.
• Hold this position for 30-45 seconds
• Points to Consider:
- If using Powerplate® your forearms should be on the plate
- In any case, ensure that the hips do not drop too low or lift too high – they should be lifted just enough so that your back is absolutely flat.
The Plank
4. Single Leg Balance with rotation – stability
(Try to perform this on an unstable surface if you do not have access to a Powerplate®)
• Stand with 1 leg on the ground, and the other leg lifted so that the knee is at 90°
• Extend your arms either side to balance your weight
• Slowly, and in a controlled motion, bring your bent knee across your body, rotating the standing knee very slightly
• Hold for 5 seconds before returning to start position. Perform for 30-45 seconds on each leg.
• Points to consider:
- Take it slowly – the slower the better and the more beneficial the exercise
- Keep your head and upper body upright
- Only rotate the knee very slightly, to the point of very mild tension in the knee – do not over-rotate
Single Leg Balance with rotation
5. Ski squat with side leans – lower body strength & endurance
• Assume the ski squat position (Exercise 1) ensuring that your weight is in your heels, your hands are clasped and your elbows are tucked in under your torso
• In a slow and controlled movement, transfer your weight on to 1 leg so that your upper body leans in to the movement.
• Hold this position for 5 seconds before returning to centre point, and carry out the same movement to the other side
• Points to consider:
- Ensure that your head is up and looking straight ahead, and that your knees do not go forward beyond your toes at any time
Ski squat with side leans
So, print this off and get in training!
The course has been so successful that Rhona already has a list of names on a waiting list for her next course in January 2010, so if you’d like to take part at Edinburgh Omni, please Call Rhona on 0131 550 1650 or drop me an email at rhona.swain@virginactive.co.uk or your visit your local Virgin Active – click here to see participating clubs.
Check back for Week 2.
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