Snowga - ON IN LONDON

A ski trip is a time for blissful relaxation, an opportunity to burn a lot of calories (that are later neutralised by celebratory après-ski drinks) and to develop a thigh burn that lasts for days on end.

Like many of you, I try to make the most out of every trip by hitting the slopes early and vigorously parallelling all day. It is only when I try to peel my sweaty long underwear off at the day’s end, that I marvel at how sore my body is. The vows I make to stretch never seem to amount to anything as I exhaustedly surrender to the closest sauna and perhaps a little bit more après-ski. This is a “vacation” after all. Who stretches on vacation?

Why are our muscles so sore after skiing anyways?

Chances are, skiing is not something that you do regularly. For me, it is now a once a year activity. Not preparing our bodies for skiing is a bit like showing up to a marathon without having trained. While skiing is most certainly a full body workout, there are a few muscle groups that sweat a little harder than others.

– Flexed abdominals and obliques are essential to providing balance and in turn, confidence when skiing.

– The glutes begin twerking into overdrive – flexing, helping rotate the hips, legs and inner thighs, all the while trying to stabilize the whole body.

– Hamstrings are responsible for controlling knee bends and protecting vulnerable ligaments

– Quadriceps prevent excess knee rotation and help straighten the legs.

– The feet and ankles steer the skis into the proper direction.

– Shins and calves help you to incline forward with confidence.

This year, I resolved to not return from skiing with a more battered body than I left with. My plan was to enrol in Snowga, an ashtanga yoga series, that takes the traditional stretching off-piste.