Getting fit for skiing

[milkmoustache]

DD is going on a school ski trip during Feb half-term. She has never done this before, and we have realised that she needs to work on her fitness. She's a typical 13year old who likes lounging around in her room and is not very sporty. She bikes a little, but stamina is not great, and she could probably work on her leg strength too. What should she be doing beforehand to make sure that she is fit enough to really enjoy herself?

Squats...squats....squats

I was coming on to say squats....squats.....squats....! 'It's the only way!!

And holding squats not just down and up!

She’ll be fine.
It is always good to be fitter, but learning to ski is pretty slow going and I don’t think she will have less fun if she is not super fit (as opposed to the naturally athletic type who would be fortunate enough to progress more quickly).

Standing with back against wall and squat. Aim to hold for a couple of minutes! It’s about the thigh burn!!

She’ll be fine. I did no exercise outside of ski trips when I was a teenager and it was always fine. There’s no harm in encouraging her to get fitter doing something she would enjoy but squats are awful and will hardly encourage her to be more active in the long term.

With the best will in the world I don't think you're going to make an appreciable difference in her fitness in 6 weeks.

Kids don't suffer quite as much as adults I've found with skiing. Has she done any dry slope/indoor sessions at all?

A bit of running can't hurt?
The only time of year I run is during dark winter nights before a ski trip. Good for cold preparation too.