Pilates for skiers: the legs, knees and trunk, balance, knee injuries, getting ready for the season, and what it does for your skiing

No trial of Pilates in skiers

We found no study of Pilates in skiers or snowboarders.

Source 1

Knees are the skier's injury

The knee accounts for about 27% to 41% of ski injuries, with the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) the commonest serious one; the thumb and shoulder come next. Snowboarders hurt their wrists, shoulders and ankles more.

Sources 2, 3

Getting fit hasn't been shown to prevent ski injuries

A review of 30 papers found no fitness-based advice for preventing recreational ski injuries, and ski safety researchers found "no convincing evidence" that conditioning prevents them. Fitter skiers do get in more runs with less fatigue.

Sources 4, 5

Trunk work: a lead from young racers

In young racers, stronger trunks went with fewer ACL tears, and two programmes that included trunk exercises went with fewer injuries than in earlier years. Neither was randomised, and neither can say what the trunk exercises themselves did.

Sources 6, 7, 8

Balance matters

Recreational skiers with poorer balance and agility scores were injured more over a season, a neuromuscular warm-up improved junior skiers' balance, and Pilates improved balance in young women.

Sources 9, 10, 11

Knees need more than Pilates

Knee programmes in other sports work best with strength, landing practice and trunk and hip control together. Pilates covers the trunk and hip part; our ski fitness workout covers the legs and landings, and the knee-safety tips on our skiing page cut serious knee sprains among trained ski staff.

Sources 12, 13, 14

A bent-knee stance under load

Your thighs hold and absorb your weight in a flexed stance through runs of a minute or two, again and again, while you edge, turn, absorb bumps and recover your balance. Our skiing page covers the physiology.

Where skiers get hurt

Across studies, the knee was the commonest site (27% to 41% of injuries), the arm about 14% (mainly the thumb and shoulder) and the head and neck 13%. Over 18 Vermont seasons, the ACL was 17% of skiing injuries. Pooled across studies of amateurs, alpine skiing averaged about 4 injuries per 1,000 days on the slopes, though the studies varied hugely. Falls are the main cause.

Sources 2, 3, 17

What goes with ACL tears

Across 27 studies: being female, taking risks, lower skill, older age, worn boot soles, binding settings that don't release, fresh, grippy or icy snow, and poor physical fitness. These are associations.

Source 15

What Pilates offers, and what it doesn't

Trunk endurance against moving limbs, back endurance, side and inner hip strength and control, single-leg balance and upper-back rotation, on a mat or a reformer. It counts as muscle-strengthening activity. It doesn't offer the heavy leg strength, landing practice or interval fitness on our ski fitness workout.

Sources 22, 23

No Pilates trials in skiersMixed evidence

Our search found no study of Pilates in skiers or snowboarders. Pages promising fewer knee injuries from Pilates aren't backed by ski trials.

Source 1

Fitness hasn't been shown to prevent recreational ski injuriesStrong evidence

A review of 30 papers found 80 prevention recommendations for recreational skiers and snowboarders, on equipment, education, behaviour, experience and other people, and none on fitness or training. Vermont's ski safety researchers wrote that "there is no convincing evidence that conditioning of any type can reduce the risk of alpine skiing injuries", and that well-prepared skiers "will probably get in more runs with less fatigue".

Sources 4, 5

Trunk strength and young racersMixed evidence

In 370 racers aged 14 to 19 tested yearly over 10 years, core strength measures predicted ACL tears, looking back at the data. Swedish ski high schools that added a programme of core stability and neuromuscular control, aiming to be equally good on both legs, had 3.9% ACL injuries against 8.1% in earlier years. In 71 Swiss under-16 racers, a weekly programme of Nordics, bridging, single-leg squats, planks and dead bugs went with about a third fewer injuries than in 58 racers the year before. Neither programme was randomised, and neither separates the trunk exercises from the rest.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 20

BalanceEmerging evidence

In 117 recreational skiers followed over a season, poorer agility and reaching-balance scores went with injury. In 24 elite junior skiers, an 8-week neuromuscular warm-up improved balance but not jumping. Novices who practised on a balance board in ski boots skied a slalom test better. In 47 young women, 8 weeks of mat Pilates improved standing balance.

Sources 9, 10, 21, 11

What protects knees in other sportsStrong evidence

In young female athletes, knee injury prevention programmes cut ACL tears from about 1 in 54 to 1 in 111, and worked best with strengthening, trunk and hip control and landing practice. These were mostly team sports, not skiing.

Sources 12, 13

How skiers tear an ACLEmerging evidence

Two common ways are falling backwards with the hips below the knees, and landing a jump on the tails. Ski staff who learned to spot and respond to those situations had 62% fewer serious knee sprains, in a study that wasn't randomised. Our skiing page has the tips.

Source 14

Where Pilates fits

Pilates covers the trunk and hip part: side kicks, clams, bridges and single-leg balance train the control that keeps your knee in line (our reading). The legs and landings are on our ski fitness workout. After an ACL injury or reconstruction, your physiotherapist's plan comes first.

What the programmes usedMixed evidence

The two youth ski programmes with injury data used dynamic planks, dead bugs, bridges and core stability work on both legs, alongside hamstring and single-leg exercises. Elite racers have strong trunk flexors and extensors. Treat core work as part of getting ready, not protection on its own.

Sources 8, 7, 18

The FIS view, for competitive skiersEmerging evidence

A 2025 consensus from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) says that activating "the muscles around the core, hip and knee", landings and single-leg stability are key in a competitive warm-up, and that body weight is often enough for core work. It's expert agreement, not a tested programme.

Source 19

Our picks

Dead bugs, forearm and side planks, the hundred and swimming for the trunk, and bridges for the back of the hips; our 25-minute class puts them with hip and balance work.

Equal on both legs

The Swedish ski schools trained skiers to be equally good on both legs, and poorer balance went with injury in recreational skiers. Single-leg stands and hip airplanes, counting your weaker leg the same as your stronger one, fit both (our reading).

Sources 7, 9

Our suggested 6 to 8 weeks

Our editorial plan, matching our skiing page:

• The ski fitness workout 2 or 3 times a week, plus one interval session.
• Pilates once or twice a week on other days, or as the trunk and balance part of one session.
• An easier final week before you go.
• At the top of the slope, the ski warm-up, not a Pilates class.

Source 5

What Snowsport England suggests

Snowsport England's Get Fit to Ski video series has three parts: body and core strength, leg strength, and active recovery, to be done regularly before a trip. That's advice, not a tested programme.

Source 16

Wrists, shoulders and ankles

Snowboarders had more wrist, shoulder, ankle and collarbone injuries and fewer knee ligament injuries than skiers over 18 Vermont seasons. The same trunk, hip and balance work applies; wear wrist guards, as our skiing page explains, and do weight-on-the-hands moves on your forearms if your wrists are sore.

Source 3

A sore knee or an ACL injury

Leave out the kneeling side kick and deep or twisting knee moves until your physiotherapist allows; do the side kick lying down instead.

Skier's thumb or a sore wrist

Do the knee hover, leg pull front and side bend on your forearms or skip them, and keep weight off that hand.

Osteoporosis or glaucoma

With osteoporosis, use a flat-back hinge and head-down versions instead of the roll-up and rolling moves. With glaucoma, keep wall sits short with normal breathing, and leave out the roll-over, jack knife and control balance unless your eye team agrees (the move pages' cautions).

Jumps and landings

They aren't Pilates moves: do them in the ski fitness workout, where they're dosed.

A knee injury with a pop: A&E

Go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you've injured your knee and it has changed shape, it becomes very swollen very quickly, you felt a pop or snap, you can see bone sticking out, or it's bleeding heavily. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to take you, or call 999 if the pain means you can't move your leg to get there.

Source 24

A knee that gives way or won't take weight: NHS 111

Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully. A pop, quick swelling and a knee that gives way point to an ACL injury: our ACL injury guide says what to do.

If you hurt your knee and can't take 4 steps, or you're 55 or over and have injured it, get it checked the same day for a broken bone. A knee that has settled after a twisting injury with a pop still needs assessing soon, as our ACL injury guide says.

Source 25

A thumb injury

Same day (NHS 111, an urgent treatment centre or an urgent GP appointment): a thumb injury that is very painful, swollen and bruised, stiff or difficult to move. Within days: pain and swelling at the base of the thumb on the index-finger side after it was bent back, especially with a weak pinch or a loose feeling; ask for a hand clinic, as our skier's thumb guide explains.

A wrist or arm after a fall

Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, the joint has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb or tingling, or the skin has turned blue or grey or is cold. Get help from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre if you can't put any weight on it or walk more than a few steps.

Source 26

A fall with a knock to the head

Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake or keep their eyes open, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid coming from their ears or nose, has new numbness or weakness, has problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing, hit their head at high speed, or their behaviour has changed. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. If you're told to go to A&E (accident and emergency), don't drive yourself there if you have hit your head.

With a suspected concussion, if in doubt, sit them out. The UK's grassroots guidelines say no sport for at least 24 hours, get checked by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 within 24 hours, follow a staged return, and no competition before day 21; if symptoms last beyond 28 days, stay out of sport and see a doctor. Pilates waits too: gentle breathing and mobility fit the early, light-activity stages, and trunk and strength work come later (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.

Sources 27, 28

Chest pain or fainting: call 999

Call 999 if:

• You get sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away; it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion.
• The pain spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, stomach or back.
• You have chest pain and feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath.
• Someone faints while exercising, can't be woken within 1 minute, or has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.

Sources 29, 30

Heart, altitude and cold

Our skiing page has the advice on heart conditions, altitude sickness, hypothermia and frostbite, including taking the first day of a trip easy.

Unusual breathlessness

Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.

Source 31

Before you start

The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.

Source 32

"Pilates prevents ski knee injuries on its own"Emerging evidence

No fitness programme has been shown to prevent recreational ski injuries. Knee-safety tips, well-set bindings and boots, and choosing your conditions matter too.

Sources 4, 5, 14, 15

"Ski fitness is all leg work"Mixed evidence

In young racers, trunk strength went with fewer ACL tears, and both ski programmes with injury data included trunk exercises; knee programmes in other sports work best with trunk and hip control too. None of this separates the trunk work's own effect.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 12

"If you're fit, you won't get hurt skiing"Emerging evidence

At the 1994 Winter Olympics, 42% of the women and 10% of the men in alpine racing had torn an ACL despite being very fit. Fitness helps you ski more runs with less fatigue.

Source 5

"You need a reformer for ski Pilates"Mixed evidence

No ski study used one; the trunk exercises in the youth programmes were floor planks, bridges and dead bugs. The reformer adds springs; the mat does the same jobs.

Sources 8, 22