Balance is Basic

The first step is to make sure that you are balanced. The more centered you are, the further you can be displaced by external forces (i.e. the ice crust) and still use the force of the carving turn to keep you on your feet. That means finding a neutral spine and pelvis, and activating your core!

Here is the postural sequence from Fit to Snow. Practice this one 5 times daily and you??l find yourself able to stay in balance whether pushing it on rubber, snow or rock!

1. Stand sideways to a mirror without your shirt on. Your back should have two curves, slightly outward or convex at your shoulders and upper back, and slightly concave or inwards in your lower back. Imagine that someone is pulling upwards on your hair. Don?? just lift your chest but rather lengthen through your spine and watch in the mirror to see how standing tall smoothes out the curves in your spine. If you currently have back pain this should feel better immediately as you increase the space between your discs.2.Check that your pelvis is underneath you by placing your hands on your hip bones. When you look downwards, your pubic bone should be in the same plane as your hip bones, neither behind it as most women stand, or in front of it as most men do. You can use this technique to check your posture any time, as it?? easy to feel your hip and pubic bones even through your outdoor clothing. Check it each time you do your standing tall exercise. If your pelvis is aligned correctly you will be able to generate a lot more strength with your glutes and leg muscles.

3.Use your core to hold your newly corrected posture. Do this by drawing your lower abdomen in and up slightly. Your muscles should tighten without any hollowing or bracing. Make sure that you can still take a deep breath and move your rib cage; it?? only your lower abdomen that is doing the work.

4.The final step is to add the pelvic floor. This muscle can be hard to isolate, but having a strong pelvic floor has lots of benefits. The easiest way to learn how to contract your pelvic floor is to try and stop the flow when urinating. Once you know how the movement feels you can practice it any time, as there is no outward sign that you are contracting. Do 5 slow contractions, holding for a count of 5 each time, and then 10 fast contractions. If you have to lift something heavy, are shoveling or setting up for a jump, activate your pelvic floor for increased strength and stability!