Warm Up Like a Patroller
5 moves to get you ready to hit the slopes
Posted by Grouse Mountain January 26, 2018
With all this amazing snow we’ve been getting, there’s no doubt you want to make the most of your days on the slopes. While it’s tempting to just grab your gear and hit the snow, without a proper warm up you might be more susceptible to injuries. No one wants to sit out a season due to an injury that could have been prevented.
For some advice, we checked in with Robyn Monk, Registered Yoga Teacher who works with our Patrol team to keep them fit and ready to take on anything the Mountain can throw at them. Our patrollers are the ones out on the Mountain day in and day out, in all conditions. They know that a proper warm up can make all the difference in their performance.
So, if you want to start your day off like a patroller check out Robyn’s 5 must-do warm up moves that get you ready for all those powder turns ahead.
1. Upper Back / chest opening
- Stand with feet hip width distance apart.
- Interlace fingers in front of you and press palms away. Breathe into your upper back.
- Clasp hands behind the sacrum, palms together if possible.
- Gently press palms down and slightly away as you reach shoulder blades toward one another and open chest.
- Take 4-5 deep breaths.
2. Crescent Moon / side bends
- Interlace the fingers, press the feet into the floor and reach the hands up. Inhale to lengthen spine.
- Exhale and reach up and over to the side, arching to the left. Reach up and out through the fingers and crown.
- Breathe and hold for 2-6 breaths.
- To release: inhale and press into the feet as you reach the fingers back up towards the ceiling.
- Repeat on other side.
3. Chair
- With feet together or hip width apart, sink hips down into a chair position. Knees in line with toes.
- Keep weight more in the heels, so you can still see your toes.
- Draw the belly in and lengthen tailbone down.
- Engage lower glutes (without tucking under) to help support the knees and sweep arms overhead.
- Stay for 3 breaths.
- Stretch knees to stand.
- Repeat 5 times.
4. High Lunge / Crescent
- Step into a lunge position, keep both knees bent.
- Bring your hands to your hips , keep your front knee over the ankle and your right quadriceps parallel to the floor. Square hips forward.
- Lengthen your tailbone and extend through your back heel. Begin to straighten your back leg to intensify stretch along the front of your left hip.
- Inhale to lift your chest and lengthen your entire spine.
Torso rotation:
- Reach arms up overhead.
- Rotate torso to same side as front leg. Arms open to shoulder height. Keep pelvis square.
5. Squat / inner thigh stretch
- Step feet three to four feet apart with heels turned in and toes pointed slightly out, knees in line with toes.
- Inhale to extend arms overhead, palms facing together.
- Exhale to hinge hips and bend knees, lowering into a wide squat position. Raise and lower several times.
- Shift weight into right leg and extend the other. (Ankle can be flexed). Bend into the knee and reach hips back to stretch the inner thigh. Stay low and switch sides.
