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Are you just about ready to get on the mountain? I am! To get myself in the mindset of snowboarding and hanging out in the fun mountain towns, I spent some time the other day searching for pictures & videos of Seth Wescott, the 2006 Olympic boardercross gold medalist. Yum! Okay, besides the fact that he’s this hot snowboarding guy, with an Olympic medal to boot, I was really into the amazing footage of him hitting the acres of untouched powder in Alaska. The guy is a fearless and talented rider who is a great inspiration to all of us “stuck” here in these warmer climates!

Aside from all the fun snowboarders to meet when we hit the mountain, there is of course, hours and hours of riding to be had every day. If you haven’t boarded since last spring, like me, then you’re probably going to need to get yourself in a little bit of shape for the mountain. Since Mammoth and many other resorts are not likely to open for at least another few weeks, there’s still time to begin some strength, balance, and flexibility exercises that will help you gain confidence, ride better, and hopefully prevent injury.

Remember that your legs need to get used to being in a permanent “squat” position with your knees bent. Obviously, you need to ride this way to keep your center of gravity low and your shock-absorbency potential at its maximum. The only thing is - keeping yourself in this position requires some endurance and strength! Try these exercises now to get ready for the season. (NOTE: I am not a doctor or a physical trainer, these exercises have worked for me in the past. With that in mind, please, before embarking on any new exercise program including this one, ask your doctor if the following exercises are appropriate for you to do.)

Strength

Begin your strength training with at least 5 minutes of warm-up - fast walking on a treadmill at 3.5MPH or more is usually sufficient.

• Standing Lunges - Lunges will likely leave you in pain the next day, but they’re effective full-leg strength and overall balance builders. Standing with feet together, hold at least a 5-lb weight in each hand (more if your legs are already pretty strong), and step forward one foot at a time so that you end up in a lunge position with that leg’s knee directly over the heel. Do not go any further than that to avoid damaging your knee. Step the foot back to both feet together (starting position.) Do 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
• Squats - know them, love them. Squats will help your quads and hamstrings develop the strength and stability they need to keep you in that crouched position for hours on end while you enjoy endless runs. You can do squats using the leg-press machine, or standing up and using dumbbells. Again, avoid bending the knees too deeply to avoid injury. You should use enough weight so that you can still do 3 sets of 10 reps apiece, but you’ll be a little sore the next day.
• Calf raises - you probably realize that your calves play a big role in helping you control your transitions between your toe and heel side. Strengthening your calves will offer you more control in those transitions. Just stand with your toes on the edge of a stair or bench (hold something for support) and, one foot at a time, raise your body up and down. Your own body weight should be enough to start with, but as you get stronger, add a 5 or more lb. dumbbell.
• Crunches or ab exercises, plus lower back exercises - Ah yes, the core. Strong ab and back muscles are helpful in your overall stability and help you maintain control in landing after jumps. Do plenty of crunches and other ab work (god knows there are plenty out there.) And don’t forget your back! Too often, people make the mistake of developing their abs without equally focusing on their low-back muscles. This results in somewhat “lopsided” core strength. Both sets of muscles work together to provide balance and stabilize your posture. To work your lower back, practice yoga poses such as Bridge or Plank (using the correct form). You could also try “swimming” - lay on your stomach w/ your hands out in front of you, then slightly contract your back to raise your legs & arms off the floor. Keep your face towards the floor w/o arching your neck. Raise the right arm in conjunction with the left leg, then lower both and switch to the left arm and right leg. Repeat this for 10 times on each side.
• Tricep dips/pushups - What? Arm exercises? You heard me. Unless you have step-ins, you’re gonna spend a fair amount of time sitting at the top of the run strapping in. Once your gear’s all set, you gotta push yourself up off your seated position… over and over! Getting your arms prepped will prevent you from being too sore the next day. Tricep dips are good for this, so are pushups - with pushups’ added benefit being some good core strength training.

Balance

Balance and flexibility play a big role in a snowboarder’s control and performance on the mountain. To develop balance skills, you can practice with this exercise: take two little cones or other objects so you can mark two spots on the floor. With your feet hip-width apart, place the cones about 6″ in front of, and 8″ to the sides of, your feet. (Picture your body being at the center of a clock, and put the cones about at the “10 and 2 o’clock” positions.)

Now, stand on your right foot, and slowly bend your knee and crouch down so that without bending over too much, you can reach your left arm across your body and touch the cone (or almost touch it.) Straighten up and then bend the right knee again, but this time reach across to the left side with your right hand. Keep repeating this for a total of 10 knee-bends (5 reaching with right and 5 reaching with left.) Now switch to the left foot and do the same. You don’t have to touch the cone, the object here is to develop your balance skills (and to some degree more leg strength) in an off-center position.

Flexibility

Finish up your strength regimen with a cool-down of 5 mins on the treadmill, then be sure to spend some quality time stretching out. Don’t push too hard, because exerted muscles are more likely to be injured. Breathe deeply, and on each exhale, stretch just to the point of tightness - don’t force yourself. Try these to target the leg muscles you just worked, courtesy of About.com: Head-to-Toe Running Stretches

Following a strengthening program for 3 days a week (allow 1 day to recover between workouts), before you get on the mountain will get you in better shape for a great season. While there’s no substitute for riding as much as you can to get better and stronger, these suggestions are likely to help you build a solid base!