Any other skiers/boarders on here? (partly bike related...)

Stevo_666
Stevo_666 Posts: 58,167
edited March 2010 in Commuting chat
Recently got back from a very good jaunt to the Three Valleys. As usual, food and drink was consumed in large quantities and we were on the slopes for as long as we could manage every day 8)

The difference this year? 6 months of commuting has done absolute wonders for my leg strength and stamina. No more leg burn/jelly legs that usually blights the second half of the day; no need for an after ski snooze to recover; no more walking around like a constipated penguin in the evenings hoping the muscle pain will go away after enough booze and sleep. But best of all - Ieft the rest of them for dust, especially important when 'the last one to the bottom of the mountain buys the beers' :D

Clearly cycling builds up the right muscles needed for skiing, but I was pleasantly shocked as to the difference it made. Anyone else had this experience?

Steve.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]

Comments

  • Yes, but running is even better.

    Best bet though for skiing is to keep your knees forward, so that your weight is supported by the cuff of the boot. Once your knees come back, your weight comes off the cuff and has to be supported by your quads. Which doesn't work out so well over the course of a day.
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • Eau Rouge
    Eau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    I did before, this year I doscorvered that taking the EuroStar all the way to the three valleys, a quick coach trip up the valley to the hotel, followed directly by a few hours on the slopes and standing up all evenig in a pub is not good for your quads, who will moan bitterly the next day. It clears though. :)
  • Stuey01
    Stuey01 Posts: 1,273
    Same for me. I have friends who are both lighter and fitter than me but my snowboarding stamina was significantly better and I didn't get tired or sore legs at all really.
    Not climber, not sprinter, not rouleur
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    Yes, but running is even better.

    although pro-skiers seem to favour cycling as cross training?
  • Eau Rouge
    Eau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    jedster wrote:
    Yes, but running is even better.

    although pro-skiers seem to favour cycling as cross training?

    Cause runnings boring, d'uh :wink:
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    Recreational skiing is odd exercise really. Technique goes a long way - it you are a decent technician you don't need to be very fit for general lift-serviced skiing. On the otherhand, I find that skiing fall-line bumps is basically anaerobic so more akin to balls-out sprinting on the bike than miles in the saddle.

    SKi-touring? Well cycling is fantastic training for up-hill work.

    Actually, I think wrestling with my track-stands has been quite useful to my skiing - heightened sense of balance.

    J
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    jedster wrote:
    Actually, I think wrestling with my track-stands has been quite useful to my skiing - heightened sense of balance.

    J

    trackstanding and wrestling you say eh?

    must try that :wink:
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    trackstanding and wrestling you say eh?

    If you'd seen me track-standing on my SS the comnination would make perfect sense. Let's just say I rarely achieve zen-like stillness :lol:
  • jedster wrote:
    Yes, but running is even better.

    although pro-skiers seem to favour cycling as cross training?

    That's cos pro downhill skiers tend to be fairly hefty, and so unsuited to running any sort of distance, I suspect.
    jedster wrote:
    On the otherhand, I find that skiing fall-line bumps is basically anaerobic so more akin to balls-out sprinting on the bike than miles in the saddle.

    Interesting. That can be because you're inadvertently holding your breath. I found skiing trees remarkably taxing, until someone pointed out that I wasn't breathing. Probably because I was anxious at the thought of clocking a tree full-on. And they were right.
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    That can be because you're inadvertently holding your breath

    You know funnily enough, I had actually been wondering about that.
    :D
    I'm going away at Easter so I'm going to try this newfangled "breathing" that you talk about.
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    Yup, boarder here, and regular cycling really helps.
    Last year I'd been doing lots of commuting and mountain biking, and had none of the dreaded calf-cramp or other afflictions, even when traversing half the Courchevel valley on the heelside trying to get a last lift.

    This year I had done rather less cycling in the couple of months before boarding, and I suffered. Not as much as non-cyclists, but I wasn't performing at my peak :roll: Still had the best snow conditions I've ever seen in the Alps, and off-piste powder boarding's so good I just ignored my screaming muscles :D

    And as for skiing bumps - think of your poor knees !
    Misguided Idealist
  • MattFT
    MattFT Posts: 178
    yup, my boarding has really come on since I started cycling seriously. Particularly the off-piste. My rear leg can take a lot more powder now.

    But I think the best training I've discovered is riding the Victoria line without touching anything (or anyone ;) Works your legs and your balance.
    FCN: 4

    My Condor R.I.P.

    Enigma Echo - everything outside the city
    Genesis Day One Disc - commuter
  • seataltea
    seataltea Posts: 594
    Yes, after a week in the Sierra Nevada I can say that my ski stamina and muscle strength are greatly improved thanks to regular cycling.
    'nulla tenaci invia est via'
    FCN4
    Boardman HT Pro fully X0'd
    CUBE Peleton 2012
    Genesis Aether 20 all season commuter