Fit For Snow

03/13/2026

As professionals working at a snowsport resort you carry a measure of responsibility within the industry. And while instructors and lift operators are not involved in avalanche mitigation you are part of a community which has faced an inordinate number of serious incidents this year. Reach out if you need to talk it through, a hug or any level of support

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVuPgjJjujl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

03/12/2026

Are you a PSIA member? Check out the latest Fit for Snow article in the spring edition of 32 Degrees Magazine. For those of you who don't have access to the article don't worry, you too can learn about how you can maintain core strength throughout your riding season. We'll be sharing the 5 essential core exercises that you can do in your boots.

03/11/2026

Does a night of poor sleep leave you more vulnerable to injury?

An interesting new study followed over 300 runners for six months. The participants recorded the quantity and perceived quality of their sleep as well as training load, fatigue levels and muscle soreness. Interestingly, there was an association between poor sleep and increased risk of injury for the group overall, but when the data was examined on the individual level, the relationship did not hold. A person was no more likely to be injured following a poor sleep than they were after a good sleep. Instead, overall feelings of fatigue and muscle soreness seemed to be indicators of a higher likelihood of suffering an injury.

On a practical level it isn't possible to avoid risk on days when you feel less than optimal. There will be days that you don't sleep well or feel sore and fatigued that you have to go to work. What you can take home from the study is to consider these things as an early warning signal to increase your vigilance and lower your risk exposure where possible. You can also take action to make sure that your equipment is working properly and your physiology is as good as it can be by staying hydrated and fed, and using your warm up and recovery techniques to help restore yourself as much as possible.

03/09/2026

A recently published study that followed over 1200 patients with ACL deficient knees for 4 years found that it's more likely to have a hamstring deficit than a quadriceps deficit. If you've suffered an ACL injury it might make sense to focus more on strengthening the hamstring than your quads

Prognostic Level II . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

03/07/2026

Almost a year after a gondola arm broke at Kicking Horse Resort in British Columbia, a report has been released indicating that the maintenance inspection of the metal had not revealed the crack that caused the accident. In addition, some modifications developed by the gondola manufacturer to prevent impacts on the gondola arms had not been referenced in their formal service bulletin.

This is a good example of how easy it is to become complacent, how often do you check for updates to ensure that your safety gear is up to date?

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/599650/Report-finds-crack-in-hanger-arm-caused-gondola-crash-at-Kicking-Horse-Mountain-Resort

03/05/2026

When your work on the mountain doesn't keep you in shape it is possible to get in a few sets during the work day. The interesting thing about this video is that she demonstrates the movements on a mat and again with ski boots. You can see that the load is much higher with boots on, partly due to the weight and partly due to the restriction of movement at the ankle - watch her knees when she does the sit-stand in ski boots. If you can't control your leg during this movement, use a ski pole for balance and tap the glute of the supporting leg to wake it up!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRrLhbvjPMQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

03/03/2026

If you work as a patroller, lift operator or snowsport instructor it's highly likely that you've experienced periods of back pain. In the Fit for Snow study 80-90% of participants from these 3 departments reported back pain. Here's a summary of the findings from a new meta analysis of studies that looked at the effects of resistance training on pain and function in individuals with chronic specific low back pain.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14Ym1Lo6Gch/

02/27/2026

Not too surprisingly there is strong evidence that spending a lot of time on social media is associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety and isolation. So, while there is a lot of great content out there, if you find it difficult to limit the amount of time you spend on your device or feel worse after you have been scrolling, it might be worth while to set hard limits.

On that note - see you next week, it's time for a backcountry break

02/25/2026

Andnother great post from the Mobility Duo, great snowboard specific content here

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUYfSL5kc_H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

02/23/2026

Prevention, prevention, prevention. Since we know that ligaments and cartilage don'r repair well, spending even 10 minutes, 3 times a week is a much better bet than months of rehab. Here's a great post for snowboard specific exercises to incorporate into your day

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUqX3GjEafi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

02/21/2026

Researchers are also trying to better understand knee meniscal damage. Symptoms and imaging are not always correlated, and the decision of how to treat an injury is not always clear

https://www.facebook.com/physiomeetsscience/posts/pfbid0HfLPb6fPEWHSNCDGNQNtc94Lic5uF6o2PcG5oNRYeLho7TeCRTEr86XdAZVVMZK6l?rdid=6DRNExfLVp35nODt #

02/19/2026

An interesting study that challenges the long held belief that ACL reconstruction is necessary to prevent arthritic changes in the knee

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1487525216706036&set=a.518950203563547

💡 ACL Reconstruction and Osteoarthritis: Rethinking a Long-Held Assumption

It is commonly assumed that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is necessary to reduce the risk of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) following ACL rupture. However, emerging evidence challenges this long-standing belief.

A 2023 meta-analysis including three randomized controlled trials (n = 343 injured knees) compared long-term osteoarthritis outcomes between surgically reconstructed and non-surgically managed ACL injuries.
Surprisingly, the relative risk of developing radiographic knee osteoarthritis was nearly twice as high in the surgical group compared with those managed conservatively.

These findings suggest that ACL reconstruction does not confer a protective effect against osteoarthritis, and may, in some cases, be associated with a higher OA risk.

Several mechanisms may help explain this observation:
👉 Surgical trauma and altered joint biology
👉 Persistent or altered joint loading patterns post-reconstruction
👉 Incomplete restoration of normal knee kinematics
👉 Reduced long-term exposure to progressive, high-quality neuromuscular rehabilitation

From a physiotherapy perspective, this reinforces the importance of:
👉 Viewing ACL rupture as a whole-joint injury, not merely a ligament problem
👉 Prioritizing progressive, individualized rehabilitation focused on movement quality, strength, and load management
👉Recognizing that surgical reconstruction should not be positioned as an osteoarthritis-prevention strategy

🔆 The key clinical question may no longer be “Does surgery prevent arthritis?”

But rather:
👉Which patients truly benefit from reconstruction—and how can rehabilitation (physiotherapy) optimize long-term joint health regardless of the treatment pathway?

Disclaimer:
👉 Sharing a study is NOT an endorsement.
👉 You should read the original research yourself and be critical.