I've been lucky enough not incur any major injuries in my 30yrs skiings. Reflecting on this, a part of it, is just luck. I might be lucky that my ligaments and tendons are naturally more durable than others. Many injuries are caused by others skiers/snowboarders colliding with each other and, so far, I've managed to dodge those. Some injuries can be caused by unforeseen terrain underfoot; hidden rocks or potholes in the snow.
However, there are some actions I take to help the body prepare for skiing which helps me to fully enjoy our trips away. These warm up routines can be done in your ski boots before you jump on the first lift or run of the day. Any warm up time is better than no warm up, so whether you have 2 minutes or 10, I'd recommend these light 5 ski warm up exercises to start your day.
On the spot jog - get the blood pumping through the legs:
Straight leg swings: try to spend an equal amount of time on each leg, with some exaggerated stretches on the forward kick and some at the back leg curls.
Lateral leg swing: as above
Ski tip taps: clip into your skis, raise one leg and tap one ski tip either side of your standing ski. Then repeat on the other leg
Ski tail raises: Keeping your ski tips grounded, raise your ski tails off the ground in quick succession
For more tips on pre ski trip exercises and post ski stretching tips, head to our blog page here.