Does snow still move you like it did in childhood? When the dancing flakes come down from the sky, would you stay at the window for hours to watch the show? Do you like the crisp, clean mountain air in winter and aren’t afraid of the cold? Are you an active and sporty person?
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SKI OR SNOWBOARD TEACHER?
If you are looking for an outdoor sporting activity to keep fit, you could consider doing alpine or cross-country skiing, or snowboarding! Have you ever thought about it?
Even if you don’t yet have experience or the right equipment, don’t be discouraged! You can take skiing lessons from instructors, rent everything you need to tackle the slopes safely, and thus test whether it is a sport for you.
In this article we illustrate all the benefits you get from winter snow sports, benefits that concern not only adults but also younger people. Furthermore, we explain why we recommend taking ski lessons if you are a beginner or no longer have much confidence with slopes, boots, skis and snowboards.
What do you think, shall we get started? ⛷️
The benefits of skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding
The climate and our mountains are changing, the “Different snow 2023” report by Legambiente also says so. The glaciers melt in the summer and, in the winter, snow is present in smaller quantities and also later than in previous years due to higher temperatures. Despite this, it is still possible to ski and see the snow on the mountains, but it is important to do so while respecting the mountains, a fragile ecosystem.
But before delving into understanding the benefits of skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding, it is necessary to explain how these sports differ.
Alpine skiing is a sport which, with a pair of skis and boots on your feet and poles in your hands, allows you to go down the slopes on steep mountain slopes covered in snow. In fact, it is characterized by the speed of its descent.
Cross-country skiing includes boots and a pair of skis, but of a different type than downhill skis, and poles. The slopes are flat or with a slight difference in altitude and therefore the speed is low and the physical effort required is high. The activity is aerobic.
Snowboarding differs from skiing due to the presence of a single board onto which the boots are attached to tackle slopes and curves not from the front but from the side. It is a discipline characterized by speed and the possibility of performing acrobatics.
The numerous benefits of skiing and snowboarding for adults
You will have already guessed it, the benefits that derive from the practice of skiing and snowboarding are numerous, as happens with any sporting activity, especially in the open air.
Let’s see what they are right away:
- With all three snow sports you keep fit. Going into more detail, you oxygenate the tissues, burn energy, especially with cross-country skiing, and speed up your metabolism due to the cold.
- Better balance and coordination, especially with snowboarding which requires great balance to stay upright and turn.
- Stimulate concentration while learning a new sport and discovering a new environment, evaluating routes, obstacles and risks.
- You increase muscle mass, with skiing that of your legs and buttocks, with snowboarding also of your abdominals and arms, and also your strength.
- You lower blood pressure and cholesterol values thanks to physical movement.
- You breathe healthy, clean mountain air, not polluted like that of the plains or cities.
- A good mood pervades you because you enjoy a sporting activity, alone or in company, and you reduce stress by being outdoors.
You increase your self-esteem if you overcome fears, limits and overcome challenges.
The benefits of skiing for boys and girls
If you want your children to do physical activity outdoors, in the healthy and enchanting environment of the mountains, skiing can be an excellent idea, starting from around 4 years of age.
As for adults, skiing also has many benefits for girls and boys. Let’s see together what they can achieve!
- They have more awareness of their body in space and its movements, which are fluid, coordinated and controlled.
- They improve stability and balance.
- Cognitive skills increase and they acquire self-esteem in being able to learn a sport and improve themselves.
- They come into contact with nature, respecting it and having fun in the open air, without the company of television and cell phones.
- They socialize and enter into relationships with new people of the same age.
- Learning to ski at an early age allows you to continue practicing this sport in subsequent years, a bit like cycling. Once learned, you never forget.
For the safety of children we recommend enrolling them in ski lessons with figures who already have experience in teaching the little ones
Why take ski lessons or take a snowboard course
If you have never skied or snowboarded in your life, and therefore you are a beginner, our advice is to take ski lessons or take a snowboard course with instructors. We explain why and what you risk otherwise.
As a self-taught you can:
- get injured by falling badly without implementing some precautions for your safety and that of other people on the track;
- not knowing or incorrectly learning the correct techniques and positions of each snow sport;
- struggle to abandon and correct incorrect techniques;
- ignore the rules and signs of the slopes and therefore travel them in the absence of safety for yourself and other people;
- not see progressive improvements in a short time.
- We add that, particularly for snowboarding, it is easy to lose balance and it is more difficult to get up once on the ground. And it is also more complex to get on and off the ski lifts.
With the guidance and wise teachings of experienced people, such as ski and snowboard instructors, you will not run these risks and you will learn much faster.
Start having fun in the snow now, take ski lessons
If the beauty of the mountains in winter and the magic of snow appeal to you, start taking ski lessons now!
Find winter sports experts right here on Jopla and you’ll notice progress right away!
Do you think skiing and snowboarding aren’t for you because you prefer walking in the snow? Contact a hiking guide for invigorating snowshoeing in the mountains!
Have fun! ❄️
