As you slide off the ski lift for the first time this season, your heart races with anticipation. You're thinking of the exquisite freedom you are about to experience once on the slopes - the exhilaration borne from the knowledge that you are in control. You're in control because you have prepared...
Preparation is what separates a glorious day on the mountain from a sore and cautious one. In the weeks before the first run, the smart skier builds the legs and the wind for it - squats and lunges for the quads and glutes, core work for balance, and steady cardio so the altitude does not steal the fun.
Warm up before the first lift, hydrate more than feels necessary, and know when to call it a day. The best skiers are not the fearless ones - they are the ready ones.
Originally published in View AZ Highlife Magazine, Dec 2007 / Jan 2008.