Fun and fitness don't happen by accident

By JOHN PARKER

For a lesson in warm-ups you couldn't have done better than watch a group of Japanese race-team skiers training on the Remarkables ski-field last season.

At the top of the Shadow Basin quad chair, before their first run, physical preparation was number one priority. The crisp snow waited for almost 15 minutes as they stretched and loosened-up legs, backs, necks and arms. Gear and bindings were also given a thorough check.

Then - and only then - did the skiers proceed to their first turns, carving up the mountain with a sublime display of controlled all-terrain skiing. Their preparation screamed sharp contrast to the usual New Zealand method - blithely rolling off the top of the chairs and warming up with ropy turns on the way down.

The Japanese example would have pleased former physiotherapist Michael Lamont, honorary secretary for the International Society for Skiing Safety, and a long-time analyst of mountain safety reports for New Zealand ski-fields, collated in conjunction with the Ski Areas Association.

Lamont advocates pre-skiing preparation before the first snow falls.

"Skiing is a high-energy sport and you need strength in your legs - so work at the gym specifically for legs, or cycle, run, jog, or walk."

Improve balance and reflexes, he says, by co-ordination exercises which will help the legs and eyes adjust quickly and securely to changes in slope angles and snow consistency.

And Lamont advises plenty of cardiovascular exercise. It will help promote blood flow to muscles and make the lungs work more efficiently at the higher altitudes of the ski-field.

It's advice which can followed by enrolling for one of the many ski-fitness classes offered by Auckland gyms, all designed to get the boarder or skier up to scratch in time for the thrills and spills on the slopes. The instructors will take skiers through a series of exercises that will have them hitting the slopes with energy and well-tuned muscles.

Lamont's analysis of ski accidents has come up with some typical elements in an injury:

* The skill levels are learner or intermediate.

* Age is between 15 and 25 years.

* Accidents happen before lunch..

* Accidents happen within the first five days of the season.

A few dollars spent on lessons from a ski-school instructor are a wise investment. The instructor will help you to replace poor technique with sound skills, and teach the basics of safe skier codes. Those skills, combined with a knowledge of snow etiquette, sharply reduce the chances of injury through skier error or skier collision.

Equipment needs the once-over, especially when clogged or dirty bindings can cause injury by delaying release. In the course of a pre-season check a ski-shop technician will clean and lubricate bindings and check their loadings - as well as wax and sharpen skis.

The money is well-spent. The skis will move more easily and more safely over the snow, and the sharp edges will grip better on ice or hardpack.

And if you've overcooked a turn and are about to take a tumble, the bindings will smoothly release boots and legs reducing the risk of injury.

Is there, though, a fix for the failings from teenager and early-twenties exuberance?

"The only cure for youth is older age," says Lamont, noting that a fondness for jumps in the young skier or boarder is bound to result in falls and injuries.

He regards wrist-guards as important for boarders as a way of preventing or mimimising the wrist injuries frequently caused when boarders take a fall.

And as a person who has too often seen the effects of head injuries, he would like to see more helmets used on the snow slopes. "It's getting better but it's not as good as it should be."

He practises what he preaches, skiing with a helmet.

"To protect my head, it's a pretty cheap deal and a damn good investment."

Further pointers for a fun-filled, accident-free day:

* Eat a hearty breakfast before heading off to the field.

f* Slop and slap the sunblock.

* Carry a ski-field trail map.

* Make sure everyone knows about meeting-places and intentions.

www.mountainsafety.org.nz