Quick answer: If you’re over 60 and heading back to the slopes this season, the most important preparation is leg strength (especially the ability to control your body as you lower into a turn), balance, and a strong, stable trunk. Walking and running help, but they don’t build the type of strength skiing demands. With a few focused weeks of training before opening day, most returning skiers can show up stronger, steadier, and far less likely to get hurt. If you have osteoporosis, you can often still train hard and ski, but the plan needs to be built around protecting your bones from falls and risky positions.
Key takeaways
- Skiing loads your legs in ways walking and running don’t, especially eccentric (lowering) strength.
- Balance and reaction time decline with age, but both respond well to training.
- Osteoporosis doesn’t automatically rule out skiing or lifting, but it changes which exercises are safe and how you ski.
- Even three to six weeks of focused work before opening day makes a real difference.
Every fall, people who used to ski and want to get back to it start reaching out to personal trainer Paul Fischer. Some recently moved to Reno for the mountains. Others haven’t clicked into bindings in eight or ten years. Many already stay active, walking or running a few miles a day and doing some light weights.
That’s a great base, but skiing asks for something different. Each turn requires your quads and glutes to absorb force while your knees bend, often for minutes at a time. Walking and running mostly train you to move forward on flat ground. They don’t prepare you to hold a low athletic stance, recover from a sudden bump, or catch yourself when a ski catches an edge.
After 60, the gap matters more. We naturally lose muscle mass and power with age, and power (the ability to produce force quickly) is what saves you when you start to slip. The good news: older adults respond very well to strength training.You can build strength at 70 and beyond, and it shows up on the hill.
What to train before ski season
A good preseason program for older skiers covers five areas. Exactly how each one works depends on your history, but the categories stay the same.
- Leg strength through a full range. Squats, split squats, and step-downs build the quads and glutes that hold you in your stance. Goblet squats with a dumbbell are a great starting point.
- Eccentric control. Skiing is mostly controlled lowering. Slow step-downs from a box and squats with a three-second descent train your muscles to brake, which protects your knees on long runs.
- Balance and single-leg stability. Single-leg holds, reaching drills, and work on uneven surfaces help you stay over your skis. This is also the foundation of fall prevention.
- Trunk strength. Your core transfers force between your upper and lower body and keeps you upright when terrain changes. Planks, side planks, carries, and anti-rotation drills beat sit-ups here.
- Power and reaction. Once you have a strength base, small quick movements (fast step-ups, light hops if appropriate, lateral shuffles) retrain the quick reactions that help you recover from a slip.
If you’re already doing squats, leg lifts, overhead presses, and curls, keep the squats and presses. Then shift time toward single-leg work, slower lowering, and balance. Those are usually the missing pieces.
Can you ski and lift weights with osteoporosis?
Often, yes, with the right adjustments and your doctor’s input. Strength training is one of the best things you can do for bone health,because bone responds to load. Research on supervised, progressive resistance training in people with low bone mass has found it can be both safe and effective when it’s properly coached.
What changes is how you train. People with osteoporosis are often surprised that some of what they “know” from lifting in the past no longer applies.
Generally encouraged (with good coaching):
- Squats, deadlift variations, and step-ups done with a neutral spine
- Rows and presses that strengthen the upper back and support posture
- Balance training to lower fall risk
- Weight-bearing activity like walking and hiking
Generally avoided or modified:
- Loaded spinal flexion: sit-ups, crunches, toe touches, rounding to pick up weight
- Twisting under load, or fast, forceful rotation
- High-impact jumping until bone density and technique are assessed
On the mountain, the main risk is a fall. Talk with your physician first, especially about your most recent bone density scan. Stick to groomed runs, avoid icy early-season days and crowded afternoons, and don’t push to keep up. Building leg strength and balance beforehand is the best protection you can bring with you.
Opening day is close: what to do with the weeks you have
You don’t need months. Tahoe-area resorts typically start opening in November, weather permitting, and that still leaves time to make a difference if you start now.
- Starting now: Two or three strength sessions a week focused on squats, step-downs, and balance. Keep your walks or runs going.
- Two to three weeks in: Add slower lowering, single-leg work, and longer holds in a ski-like stance (wall sits work well).
- The week before your first day: Ease off the heavy work so your legs are fresh. Keep balance drills and light movement.
- Your first days back: Plan short sessions on easy groomers, take breaks before you’re tired, and stop while you still feel good. Most injuries happen late in the day.
Then keep training through the season. One or two sessions a week maintains the strength you built and helps you ski better into spring.
If that all sounds great, but you aren’t sure how to get started, Paul Fischer specializes in senior fitness here in Reno.
What’s different about skiing from Reno
Living in Reno puts world-class skiing within an easy drive, but our local conditions add a few things to plan for, especially if you’ve recently moved here from somewhere lower.
- Altitude. Reno sits around 4,500 feet, and Tahoe-area ski terrain climbs well above that. If you’re new to the area, give yourself time to adjust, pace your first runs, and expect to tire sooner than you used to.
- Dry air. Our climate dehydrates you faster than coastal air. Drink water before and during your ski day.
- Early-season conditions. The first weeks often mean limited terrain, machine-made snow, firmer surfaces, and crowded runs. That’s a higher-risk mix for returning skiers. Waiting until there’s natural snow coverage is often the smarter call.
- Cold. Cold, stiff muscles are more injury-prone. A five-minute warm-up in the parking lot (leg swings, squats, gentle hip circles) beats skiing straight off the lift.
Get ski-ready with a Reno trainer who knows snow sports
Paul Fischer has spent nearly 30 years helping Reno adults get stronger, with a specialty in fitness over 40 and snow-sports performance. A former nationally ranked amateur alpine snowboard racer, Paul holds a personal training certification from the American Council on Exercise and is a CHEK IMS Level 3 practitioner, with a focus on corrective exercise and back care. He now trains clients at Performance EDU.
Whether you’re returning to skiing after years away, managing osteoporosis, or starting from the very beginning, Paul will build a plan around your body and your goals, so you can enjoy the season instead of sitting it out. Contact him today for a free consultation.
Frequently asked questions
For many healthy, active adults, yes. Check with your doctor, build leg strength and balance before the season, and ease back in on easy terrain.
You’ll notice gains in strength and balance within three to six weeks of consistent training. Starting earlier is better, but starting late still helps.
Many people with osteoporosis ski, but the main concern is fall risk. Talk to your physician about your bone density, focus on preseason strength and balance, and choose conditions and terrain that lower your chance of a hard fall.
It’s a good base for endurance, but it doesn’t build the leg strength, lowering control, or balance skiing requires. Add two to three strength sessions per week.
Generally, avoid loaded forward bending (like sit-ups and toe touches) and twisting under load. A qualified trainer can substitute safer exercises that still build strength.
Not always, but a trainer helps if you have a health condition, haven’t trained in a while, or aren’t sure what’s safe. They’ll match exercises to your body and progress you without overdoing it.