Winter is coming: how to start preparing for the skiing and snowboarding season now?

The warm season is coming to an end and if you think there’s plenty of time, I’m sorry, but there isn’t. The first half of the famous saying says that you should start preparing your sledges in summer. And the second half is not so interesting to us right now. Let’s go back.

It is difficult to say for sure whether the winter will be snowy. One thing is clear: there will definitely be an opportunity to blow up puffy snow. And that means that you should think about your physical form and equipment already now. As a warm-up you can pull out a snowboard case from the mezzanine or look for skis, or maybe even an ice-skate. Either way, unplanned maintenance has never hurt.

Since it’s a sensitive issue, we decided to find out how to prepare for the upcoming season and whether it’s possible to start before the official opening.

professional snowboarder

I used to start the season in the Alps on glaciers in the pre-snowboarding days. Surprisingly last season was no exception – I received an invitation to the premiere of a sports movie I was starring in. It was decided to combine the premiere screening in Innsbruck in October with a training session in the mountains before the coming season. In November, I returned to Moscow to hold the premiere here. After that I traveled to Siberia, where I participated in the filming of the new Russian movie “Step” and held a training trip in Sheregesh.

Advice from Joon: November and December are the perfect time to start the season in Russia. Frosts are not so strong yet, and as a rule, there is enough snow falling by this time. Sheregesh at the beginning of the season is probably the best place. In other parts of the world winter has just started or has not started at all, but in Siberia you can already roll soft snowballs. Besides, the terrain is safe and perfect for beginners.

founder of X-camp Russia snowboard school

Usually before the pandemic my first trip was to Austria. On the glaciers the season starts in October, and in November most snowboard parks open and you could go skiing and training. Then you could go to Finland, and from January the full season starts in Moscow, which lasts until the middle of March. In March you can go skiing in Sochi, where this year the season has been extended until July.

There can be different variations of the season

Evgeny “Jun” Ivanov: For the last few years I have been involved in shooting sports movies in many different parts of our planet, I made my short film about a big journey in search of forgotten beauty, which is called Wabi-Sabi.

At the same time he took part in freestyle competitions and gained experience skiing on variable snow. I was preparing myself for international freeride competitions. So this year from January to April I plan to ride in the qualifying competitions to get to the Freeride World Tour and become the first Russian Freeride World Champion.

My season ends traditionally in May in Kamchatka. There is still plenty of snow there, the daylight hours are very long, and simply because Kamchatka is a place of strength.

Vladimir Serkov: Everyone has his own snowboarding: partying, work, philosophy. And I just like to ride. During New Year holidays I usually stay in Moscow. When everyone leaves, I can ride normally. When I plan trips, I choose the dates so that they don’t overlap with holidays or children’s vacations. The worst thing is the queues for the elevator. If I find out that there is a “traffic jam” somewhere, I decide to ski somewhere else or choose a figure in the park and walk.

The question of the off-season: to train further or still have a rest?

Evgeny “Joon” Ivanov: After the season ends, I want to take a little break from snowboarding. The off-season is a time to solve accumulated issues that can be difficult to solve in winter. It’s a time to enjoy the summer, get together with friends and family. In the summer, I try to actively skateboard and even teach the basics of skateboarding. Skateboarding is a great vestibular trainer and really helps you gain the confidence you need on a snowboard. If you assess your own abilities wisely and don’t try to jump above your head, but skateboard from time to time, it won’t be a problem to get up on a snowboard at the beginning of winter.

If I have the opportunity to get out on the ocean and surf, I definitely do, because surfing is a love for the ages, and the ancestor of all board sports. It helps me stay in shape, because it’s 70% about swimming and only the remaining 30% about riding a board. And, of course, it’s also about traveling.

Vladimir Serkov: When I was actively working and training my season did not end. There is an indoor skiing complex in Moscow where you can ski all year round. In the summer the snow condition is noticeably worse, but you can adjust your skiing in principle to any conditions. Also in Moscow and Novosibirsk there are summer training centers with artificial surface and inflatable cushion, where you can practice freestyle tricks.

Winter is near, it’s time to warm up

Evgeny “Jun” Ivanov: I always spend time warming up, both during the season and in the off-season. When I’m in Moscow, I always go to Kirill, a rehabilitation specialist and already good friend, without whom I would have fallen apart a long time ago. Even when I’m away, he prompts me on the program of necessary exercises, LFK, etc. And since I am constantly riding different boards (snowboard, skateboard and surf ed.), I always stay in good shape.

Vladimir Serkov: To progress, you have to constantly try new things and consolidate the old. This takes a lot of time, which I categorically lack. So if I don’t go snowboarding, I go jumping on a trampoline or acrobatic track, skateboarding. At home you can do OFP, do exercises on the balance board. I don’t separate the season, it flows smoothly from one skating season to another. In September it gets cooler and you can go to the indoor ski center. You can consider it the beginning of training.