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Kristin
Over time, the intense pressure and strain from frequent ski sessions can wreak havoc on your back. Although some might think back pain is simply an unfortunate fact of life for a top-level competitive skier, more than a few people have learned methods for lessening – and even overcoming – this age-old nemesis. To aid in your own struggles, the following five skiers offer their personal secrets for winning the war against chronic back pain.
When your body talks, listen
My biggest rule in skiing is to listen to my body. I mean, if my back starts hurting, I do the smart thing and take time off to recover and get a massage. For more acute results, ice definitely works wonders when you’re suffering from an aching back. In the end, simply paying attention to what your body is telling you can prevent a lot of unnecessary pain. – Chris Rossi, 2009 National Slalom champion
Hang loose
To keep my back from bothering me, I try to stay in top shape. I focus on maintaining a strong core and keeping the strength in my hamstrings and quads well-balanced. I also hang from an inversion table to decompress my spine. – Jimmy Siemers, Former Men’s world record holder in Jump
Train smarter, not harder
As a jumper, the pain in my back is different than slalom skiers. I would even say our (jumpers’) backs don’t bother us as much on a daily basis. To help keep the back pain away, I do back exercises using a good technique. A lot of people shy away from dead lifts, but I do them a little lighter and with perfect form. As I get older, I also make sure to train smarter. It’s about quality, not quantity. Full-body exercises, especially during the season, not only keep your back fit, but your whole body. Finally, always keep good posture! – Freddy Kreuger, World’s most successful jumper, current jump world record holder
It’s all in the hips
I have way less back pain now that I don’t compete on a regular basis. The torque slalom puts on your body is unbelievably intense at 39 and 41 off. When I was competing, I tried everything to deal with the back pain. What eventually worked – and saved my career, no less – was a really simple strategy: hip flexibility. If you can stand on one leg and rotate the other through a full range of motion both forward and backward, your hips are functioning properly. If you can’t, your iliotibial bands, glutes and lower abs are either stuck (fibrous) or weak and out of balance. I learned some basic hip flexibility drills from snow skiers, which really helped. Also, chest strength and overall flexibility adds balance to the slalom body – which is mostly dominated by lats, delts, rhomboid and erector muscles – so keep that in mind as well. – Wade Cox, former Pro Tour champion
A balanced core is crucial
As a longtime skier, I’ve dealt with back pain on and off for many years. Slalom is pretty tough on your body, especially the back. Keeping a balance in your core, especially between the lower back and stomach, is crucial. I constantly work to maintain this type of strength and do a variety of different exercises – like sit-ups, crunches, leg raises and back raises – whenever I begin to feel the slightest pain. I also find my back hurts more if I let my hamstrings get too tight. Our ligaments and tendons can become tight and short very quickly, so stretching them out before and following a slalom set is very helpful to release the strain. – Jodi Fisher, former World Cup champion
