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When I go on a ski trip I usually like to go at least two days in a row. The issue I run into by about midday on the second day is that my legs are pretty much shot.

I would like to be able to do at least two days of fairly intense skiing without getting drained to the point of exhaustion by the end of day two. Are there any exercises I could focus on to help improve my endurance for when I hit the slopes?

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    Ski more! I feel like it takes 12-15 days before I'm in shape and ready to ski full days.
    – jahroy
    May 12, 2012 at 5:05

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Skiing requires a good deal of strength and endurance, particularly on a multi-day excursion. One suggested exercise program suggested by this site include:

  • 3 to 5 days each week of your favorite activity. The best for skiing include running, the stairmaster, step aerobics, elliptical trainer and rollerblading.
  • A variety of workouts at varying intensities lasting from 20 to 45 minutes.
  • One long, slow workout each week for 60 or more minutes to condition your legs and lungs for long days of skiing.

Another page lists several links to specific exercises to improve:

  • Muscular strength
  • Explosive power
  • Flexibility
  • Endurance

In summary, building strength and endurance will help you enjoy your trip to the snow. Enjoy!

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  • Which of those would be best for someone who just gets sore legs / muscle fatigue, but not necessarily runs out of breath?
    – user2813274
    Dec 3, 2014 at 19:07
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    @user2813274 I would suggest longer workouts regularly, as your body needs to adapt to a heavy workload that will last for a long time. This is often how long distance runners do it; by running long distance so that legs and lungs (or whatever part of the body isn't fit enough) learns to cope with the amount of work needed. This can be done in a slower pace (than when race), but it will still simulate the circumstances equal to a race, or many days of skiing.
    – Pphoenix
    Feb 24, 2015 at 15:47
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Eccentric leg exercises (focusing on the absorbing/lowering component of motion) are a huge help. http://www.backcountry.com/explore/train-eccentric-leg-strength-for-alpine-skiing suggests a great pair of workouts:

Mini Leg Blaster

10x Air Squats

5x In-Place Lunges (5x each leg, 10x total)

5x Jumping Lunges (5x each leg, 10x total)

5x Jump Squats

Full Leg Blaster

20x Air Squats

10x In-Place Lunges (10x each leg, 20x total)

10x Jumping Lunges (10x each leg, 20x total)

10x Jump Squats

Work up to 5x Full Leg Blasters, with 30 seconds rest between each effort for your dry land ski training. Be careful. Leg Blasters train eccentric leg strength and can make you terribly sore, so don’t start at the end.

Instead, perform Leg Blasters 3x/week, with at least a day’s rest between training sessions, for the 4 weeks before the season starts. This means 12 total training sessions.

Here’s the progression:

Sessions 1-2

10x Mini Leg Blasters, 30 seconds rest between efforts

Sessions 3-4

2x Full Leg Blasters, then 6x Mini Leg Blasters, 30 seconds rest between efforts

Sessions 5-7

3x Full Leg Blasters, 4x Mini Leg Blasters, 30 seconds between efforts

Sessions 8-10

4x Full Leg Blasters, 2x Mini Leg Blasters, 30 seconds rest between efforts

Sessions 11-12

5x Full Leg Blasters, 30 seconds rest between efforts

There's a video in that article demonstrating a Full Leg Blaster set.

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