Inline Skating is Great for Skiers!

by Sue Bream

The skies are blue, there is fresh knee-deep powder on the slopes, and you are psyched, but somewhere in the back of your mind you are questioning your preparation. You now wish that you had trained harder. Those conditioning classes at the gym sounded like fun, but just didn’t fit into your schedule. What else could you have done to get ready for ski season? Back in the late 1980’s, when inline skates first hit the market, a lot of skiers took up skating to stay in shape during the off-season. They were on to something! So, there is no need to put the skates away for the winter.

The incredible conditioning that a person can acquire from skating can be a huge benefit to skiers. Inline skating works a lot of the same muscle groups that skiing does. It works the quadriceps and glutes, and also focuses on the hip abductors and adductors (otherwise known as outer and inner thigh). These muscles, along with the quadriceps (front of thigh) are very important for supporting the knee joint, which we all know is very important for skiing. Sometimes skiing-related knee injuries can be rehabilitated on skates. Inline skating also strengthens the muscles needed for good posture, which every skier needs to have strong. The core stabilization gained from training on inline skates, transfers directly to skiing.

Another obvious benefit to inline skating for skiing is the great cardiovascular fitness workout that you can get on skates! Besides burning a lot of calories, inline skating can build both aerobic endurance (as in long slow distance skates) and anaerobic fitness (as in interval training). We all know the feeling of stopping in the middle of a ski run because our legs are burning and feel like rubber and our hearts are beating hard and we are breathing very hard. Proper conditioning can make your skiing a much more pleasant experience. Whether you choose to train on the trails outdoors or indoors, you can’t go wrong. Indoor options include local skating rinks. Look for a skating fitness class at your local rink. These classes put you through a series of skating drills that are done to music and are much like an aerobics class, but on wheels! Squats, lunges (a great way to simulate the telemark turn), slaloms, and other skills are combined into drills. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an expert skater to benefit from these types of classes. You will learn a lot as you go.

There are a lot of other parallels between inline skating and skiing. Fundamental to both sports are the basic skills of balance, edging, pressure, and rotary motion. Both skiing and skating are largely about balance. On skates, the balance becomes fine-tuned because skates are much shorter than skis. We are really talking about “dynamic” balance, or balance in motion. A great drill that addresses balance on skates is gliding on one foot at a time. This helps identify and minimize differences between the right and left leg. For skiers, we practice balance with a skier’s posture, or rounded shoulders and back vs. a figure skater’s upright posture. Besides balance from side to side, fore and aft balance is specifically targeted and fine-tuned in skating. Compare standing on a platform that is only 25-30 cm (inline skates) vs. 170-180 cm long (skis). It is much more challenging to balance on the shorter platform than on the longer one.

Inline skates have edges, just like skis. Suffice it to say, that skaters spend a lot of time learning to master their edges. Beginner to more advanced skaters pass through a series of progressions from an A-frame turn (similar to a snowplow), to a parallel turn (scissored stance with inside foot ahead slightly of the outside foot), to a slalom turn. These can all be practiced on a flat surface, or ultimately on a slight slope, to more closely simulate skiing. Orange cones work great for turning through. These are very inexpensive and can be purchased easily at any sports store. More advanced skaters/skiers can actually run gates and practice their racing technique. The dynamics of the turn such as edging, weight transfer, turning, and even the timing and coordination of the pole plant can be worked on while on skates. One huge benefit to training on skates is that turns cannot be skidded, they must be carved (inline wheels don’t skid, except maybe on wet pavement). Sometimes a person really needs to feel the carve in order to get it. This allows the skier to practice carving and hopefully minimize the skidding when they hit the slopes.

What type of gear is necessary to train for skiing on inline skates? There really is no special gear required, just a pair of 4 wheel skates, a helmet, knee and elbow pads and wrist guards or gloves. Some people prefer the hard shell plastic skates, while others prefer the soft boot. It really is personal preference. I recommend the full safety gear anytime someone skates, but especially for this type of training when on hills. Wrist guards may or may not work, depending on the pole grips, if you train with poles. If wrist guards don’t work, I recommend at least wearing some type of glove (even a bike glove works) to protect your hands from abrasion should you fall. Ski pole tips can be covered with duct tape or with tennis balls with a hole punched in them. Special wheels are not necessary; however, Parabolics™ wheels work nicely for cranking out turns because they are specially designed to carve an arc. Many local inline skating retail stores now carry these wheels.

By now we all should agree that there is no need to put those inline skates away at the end of summer. It is not even too late to take up inline skating to help get in condition for skiing, even during ski season itself. We are really talking about all around conditioning, including cardiovascular, muscular, sensory awareness (such as balance), agility, and coordination. There really isn’t any other sport that so closely parallels skiing! If you train on your skates, you will be guaranteed to enjoy those fantastic runs down the beautiful snowy slopes even more!

Sue Bream is IISA certified Level 3 and the owner of “Get Your Bearings Inline Skate School” (www.getyourbearings.biz) and can be reached at sue@getyourbearings.biz or by phone at 206-283-0575. Sue is also a certified personal fitness trainer (A.C.S.M. and A.C.E.) and a long-time alpine and telemark skier.