Yoga guide
Yoga suits skiers and snowboarders best after a day on the slopes and on rest days: gentle holds for calves, thighs, hips and the upper back, and one-leg balance on both legs, which skiing asks for on every turn. Before you ski, you don't need long stretches: a short moving warm-up and an easy first run do the job.
No trial has tested yoga in skiers, and no fitness programme has been shown to prevent recreational ski injuries, so this guide is honest about what yoga can and can't do. It covers where skiers and snowboarders get hurt, how anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears happen, what does protect you (helmets, wrist guards, well-set bindings and knowing how to fall), legs and tiredness, balance, the back, altitude and cold, the warning signs, and a 25-minute class with a 10-minute après-ski version and 3D demos.
Amateur skiing and snowboarding average about 1.9 injuries per 1,000 days on the slopes, from very mixed studies. The knee accounts for 27% to 41% of ski injuries, and wrists for over a quarter of snowboarding injuries.
And no fitness programme has been shown to prevent recreational ski injuries. Yoga can add balance, range and a calm end to the day, not protection.
Helmets cut the odds of a head injury by about a third, and wrist guards cut snowboarders' wrist injuries by about three-quarters. Ski staff who learned how ACL tears happen had 62% fewer serious knee sprains, in a study that wasn't randomised.
Long holds just before explosive effort cost a little power, so warm up with movement at the top of the slope. After skiing, stretching barely changes next-day soreness, but a short routine can feel good.
Poorer balance went with injury in one group of 117 recreational skiers. Yoga's one-leg poses are balance training if you make them harder over time; train your weaker leg first.
A knee that pops, swells fast or gives way, a painful, loose thumb after a fall on a pole, a shoulder out of place, and any head knock need checking; the full list is below.
Studies count injuries differently, so rates vary widely. Across 43 studies, amateur skiing and snowboarding averaged about 1.9 injuries per 1,000 days on the slopes, though the studies differed a lot and the typical one was published in 2005. Western Canadian resorts recorded 2.24 per 1,000 skier days from 2008 to 2018. In 8 Norwegian resorts, snowboarders had about twice the odds of injury of skiers, and beginners about three times the odds of a knee injury.
The knee accounts for 27% to 41% of ski injuries, then the arm and hand (about 14%, mainly the thumb and shoulder) and the head and neck (13%). Over 18 Vermont seasons, ACL sprains were 17.2% of skiing injuries but 1.7% of snowboarding injuries, while wrist injuries were 27.6% of snowboarding injuries but 2.8% of skiing injuries. Snowboarders also had more shoulder, ankle and collarbone injuries and concussions.
In 282 skiers whose knee injuries needed hospital care, every one involved the ACL, and half the medial collateral ligament on the inner side of the knee too. Recreational women had about three times the ACL risk of men, and across 27 studies, being female, taking risks, low skill, older age and bindings that didn't release all went with ACL tears. In the International Ski and Snowboard Federation's (FIS) data on severe World Cup injuries from 2017 to 2024, women made up 58% of severe knee cases.
Skier's thumb, a torn ligament at the base of the thumb from falling on a hand holding a pole, "may be the most common ski injury, but it is frequently underreported"; in an older series it was 40% of arm and hand injuries in skiing. Shoulder injuries were 11.4% of ski injuries at one resort, mostly from falls, and about a fifth of them were dislocations or partial dislocations.
In World Cup alpine skiing from 2006 to 2019, the knee was 41.3% of injuries, and 61.7% of knee injuries were severe. Among severe injuries from 2017 to 2024, the knee was 67%, the ACL was 55% of knee injuries, and about 75% of ACL injuries happened while turning.
Falling backwards off balance, with the uphill arm back, the hips below the knees and the weight on the inside edge of the downhill ski's tail (the "phantom foot"). And landing a jump on the tails with straight legs (the "boot-induced" pattern).
Half of 20 World Cup ACL tears caught on video were a "slip-catch": the outer ski catches its inside edge as the skier straightens the knee to regain grip. FIS's data put about three-quarters of ACL injuries in the turn.
Ski staff who learned to recognise and respond to these situations had 62% fewer serious knee sprains than in the two seasons before, with no fall in areas that weren't trained. It wasn't randomised, it was in ski staff, and it was never rolled out to the public.
The Vermont ski safety researchers' advice: keep your arms forward and your hips above your knees, don't land on a hand, and "when you're down, stay down". They make no claim that it prevents injury. The FIS rules say a skier "must move in control" and match speed to ability and conditions.
Yoga can't teach you to fall on snow. It can add one-leg balance and thigh endurance in held poses, but knee protection comes mostly from leg strength, landing practice, well-set bindings and how you ski and fall (our skiing guide). After an ACL injury or knee surgery, follow your physiotherapist's plan first.
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No trial has tested yoga, Pilates or stretching in skiers, so this guide borrows from balance and stretching research in other groups, and says where it does.
We found no trial of yoga in skiers or snowboarders, and no trial of yoga, Pilates or stretching that counted injuries. The nearest is 12 weeks of pre-season dance training in 26 elite cross-country skiers (not randomised), which eased back pain in 4 of the 6 who had it and added 7.1 degrees of hip bend, with no gains in sport tests. In a 2026 survey of 391 recreational skiers and snowboarders, 91.3% thought stretching was necessary, but only 39.7% had done any in the previous 6 months.
A review of 30 papers found 80 prevention recommendations for recreational skiers and snowboarders, and none about fitness or exercise. The Vermont researchers found "no convincing evidence that conditioning of any type can reduce the risk of alpine skiing injuries", though "Well-prepared skiers will probably get in more runs with less fatigue". At the 1994 Olympics, 42% of the women and 10% of the men in alpine racing had torn an ACL, despite being very fit.
In 370 young racers followed for 10 years, weaker core strength went with ACL tears. Swedish ski high schools that added core stability and neuromuscular work had 3.9% ACL injuries against 8.1% in earlier years, and Swiss under-16s doing weekly Nordic hamstring curls, bridges, single-leg squats, planks and dead bugs had fewer injuries than racers the year before (risk ratio 0.665). Neither was randomised: both compared with earlier seasons.
A 2024 analysis that found exercise halved injuries in snow sports pooled ice hockey with non-randomised ski studies, so it isn't evidence for recreational skiers.
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Across 12 studies, helmets cut the odds of a head injury by about a third (odds ratio 0.65, and 0.41 in children under 13), with no rise in neck injuries. Wrist guards cut snowboarders' wrist injuries by about three-quarters (risk ratio 0.23): one wrist injury prevented for every 50 snowboarders who wear them. In a trial of 5,029 snowboarders, there were 8 wrist injuries with guards against 29 without.
Giant slalom racing is "dominated by slow eccentric muscle actions": the thigh muscles work as they lengthen, holding and absorbing your weight in a bent-knee stance. In 24 fit recreational skiers, 4 hours of skiing cut this lowering (eccentric) thigh strength, and it was still lower 24 hours later. In 38 women over 40, muscle fatigue rose through the day, and a 45-minute lunch didn't reverse it.
In 588 Austrian skiers who tore an ACL, about 81% felt no or only slight leg fatigue, a third were hurt on their first day, and women more often in the first hour. At an Italian trauma centre, 5.7% of injuries were put down to tiredness, with no comparison group, and a 2025 preprint (not yet peer reviewed) found injuries peaked between noon and 2 pm. Fitter legs help you ski more runs, but injuries also come early, when people are fresh, so the knee-safety tips and an easy start matter.
Chair pose and warrior III make the thighs and hamstrings work in held positions, which builds some endurance. Heavy leg strength, lowering and landings are our ski fitness workout's job, 2 or 3 times a week for 6 to 8 weeks before a trip (our skiing guide).
In 117 recreational skiers followed over a season, poorer agility and balance scores went with injury. It's one small study, so it shows a link, not that balance training prevents ski injuries.
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In 24 elite junior skiers, an 8-week bodyweight neuromuscular warm-up improved balance but not jumping, and in 30 novices, balance-board practice in ski boots improved a slalom test. Neither counted injuries.
FIS's training consensus for racers says "individuals should strive to maintain lower limb symmetry". Train your weaker leg first and as much as your stronger one; our Pilates for skiers guide says Swedish ski schools aimed for the same.
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No trial has set a balance dose for skiers. In balance trials in healthy young adults, the biggest gains came with about 3 sessions a week of 11 to 15 minutes (4 exercises, 2 sets of 21 to 40 seconds each) over 11 to 12 weeks. Our editorial starting point, built on those trials and the one study of 117 skiers: 2 or 3 short balance blocks a week in the 6 to 8 weeks before a trip, weaker leg first, made harder over time with eyes closed near a wall, head turns, then a cushion underfoot.
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle just before explosive effort cut performance by about 4.6%, shorter holds by about 1.1%, and moving again afterwards removed most of the loss. A 2025 expert consensus advises against holds over 60 seconds before explosive efforts. FIS's warm-up consensus for racers says a warm-up should "comprise more than just stretching exercises", with activation of the trunk, hips and knees, one-leg control and landings; racers also used breathing and mindfulness to get ready.
Moving drills at the top of the slope, then an easy first run. No study has tested a ski warm-up, so it's a sensible routine rather than proven protection (our skiing guide). From yoga, keep only moving versions: slow hip circles holding your poles, and trunk turns.
Across 12 studies, stretching before or after exercise lowered next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale, and the 2025 consensus doesn't recommend stretching for recovery. Stretch after skiing because it feels good: about 10 minutes of gentle holds for the calves, thighs, hip flexors, hips and upper back.
Three-quarters of 272 US ski instructors had had low back pain, and 31% had it when surveyed. In adolescent elite skiers, low back pain was the most common diagnosis.
The NHS says "Activities like walking, swimming, yoga and pilates may also help ease back pain". In skiers, the only study is the small dance programme in cross-country skiers. After a ski day, cat-cow, thread the needle, a lying twist and bridges are a gentle start; see our yoga for back pain guide for pain that lasts.
Our editorial starting point. In the 6 to 8 weeks before a trip: our ski fitness workout 2 or 3 times a week for leg strength and landings, and the class's balance and leg blocks on 2 or 3 other days, weaker leg first.
On the trip: our ski warm-up at the top of the slope and an easy first run, then the class's 10-minute après-ski version (block A, then corpse pose) at the end of the day. On a rest day, the full class.
Cross-country skiers load the back and arms more, and racers have their own programmes; the timing advice is the same.
Slow breathing: 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6 (our yoga for footballers class; the move's page says at least 5 minutes as a practice on its own). Calf stretch at a wall and standing thigh stretch: 30 seconds each side; kneeling hip flexor stretch: 45 seconds each side, knee padded (our post-run stretches). Cat-cow: 8 waves; thread the needle: 30 seconds each side; lying twist: 45 seconds each side (our yoga for mobility class). Reclined figure four: 45 seconds each side (our yoga for footballers class).
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)Beginner · A wall
3D demoStanding quad stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoHalf-kneeling hip flexor stretchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoThread the needle (Parivrtta Balasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipmentWeaker leg first, 2 or 3 times a week. Single-leg stand: 2 holds of 30 seconds each leg, then eyes closed near a wall; tree pose: 3 to 5 breaths each side; warrior III with your hands on a chair: 3 breaths each side, twice (our yoga for footballers class). Hip airplane: 2 sets of 5 slow turns each leg, holding a counter (the move's page). Single-leg reach matrix: 2 rounds of 5 reaches each way, each leg (our yoga for hikers class), building to the move page's 3 rounds.
Chair pose: 2 holds of 30 seconds, weight in your heels, like your ski stance; side plank: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side, knees down to start; single-leg glute bridge: 8 each side (our yoga for footballers class). Warrior II and high lunge: 5 breaths each side (our yoga for balance class). None of these has been shown to prevent ski injuries.
Inside our ski warm-up, no mat needed: hip circles, 3 slow circles each leg holding your poles, and trunk turns, 5 each side (our ski warm-up). No long holds.
These follow the stretching evidence, our knee, thumb and shoulder guides and the move pages' cautions.
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle cost a little power and aren't needed before skiing. Keep them for afterwards.
Pad or skip deep kneeling poses such as hero pose and a deep child's pose, and use standing versions (our yoga for knee pain guide). After an ACL injury or knee surgery, follow your physiotherapist's plan, and do one-leg poses near a wall.
Use fists or forearms instead of flat hands in downward dog, plank and cat-cow, and keep weight off the thumb until it has healed.
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Leave out end-range overhead holds and binds until you're cleared, and, as our shoulder dislocation guide says, "Stop an exercise, or shrink its range, if you get the feeling the shoulder is about to slip out (editorial)."
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Heat and fluid loss on top of altitude aren't a good mix. Our yoga for athletes guide suggests no hot class in the 24 hours before a long event; we suggest the same before a ski day at altitude (editorial).
Not needed for skiing: hand, shoulder and head stands are the practices most often linked with acute yoga injuries, and US health advice says people new to yoga should avoid them. Skip head-down poses with glaucoma or blood pressure that isn't controlled: in a small study, head-down poses raised eye pressure within a minute.
Our 25-minute class: block A and corpse pose after a ski day (about 10 minutes), and the balance and leg blocks on rest days and in the weeks before a trip. The ski fitness workout does the leg strength and landings; the ski warm-up goes at the top of the slope.
Twenty-five minutes of yoga for skiers and snowboarders: stretches for after the slopes, one-leg balance on both legs, leg and trunk holds, then rest.
25 minBeginner16 movesA wallA 40-minute pre-season workout for skiers and snowboarders: squats, split squats, single-leg hinges, side-to-side strength, landings and balance.
40 minIntermediate17 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 7-minute warm-up for the top of the slope with your boots on: a march, arm and hip circles, leg swings, trunk turns and wrist circles, then your stance.
7 minBeginner10 movesA wallA 25-minute Pilates class for skiers: trunk endurance, hips and thighs, wall sits and single-leg balance, for the 6 to 8 weeks before your trip.
25 minBeginner17 movesA wall, A bandThirty minutes of standing yoga for balance: strong standing poses, one-leg poses at the wall, and side steps, backward steps, reaches and sit-to-stands.
30 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 25-minute yoga routine for your legs: standing holds for the thighs, one-leg poses for the glutes, bridges, calf and shin raises, then hip and hamstring stretches.
25 minBeginner17 movesA step, A wallA 10-minute warm-up at the top of the slope with your boots on: a march, arm and hip circles, trunk turns, wrist work, squats in your stance and landings.
10 minBeginner10 movesA wallSeven stretches for after a run: calves, soleus, quads, hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wallThe NHS says altitude sickness usually starts above 2,500 m, which includes some places in the Alps, with symptoms 6 to 10 hours after you arrive. Gentle yoga is fine at a resort: take the first day easy, drink well and leave out hot classes.
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Do your after-the-slopes routine somewhere warm, not on the snow, and know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite in the warning list below (our skiing guide).
Our skiing guide's advice: "See your GP or cardiologist before the trip, and take the first day easy."
Our pregnancy guide lists skiing among the activities with a risk of falling to avoid; prenatal yoga is in our pregnancy yoga guide.
These follow our skiing, Pilates for skiers, knee, skier's thumb and shoulder guides word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
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.
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.
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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.
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Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you heard a crack, the injured part 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 if it's very painful or very swollen or you can't use it normally. Our wrist sprain guide explains why pain at the base of the thumb after a fall needs checking the same day; the scaphoid fracture guide covers the break itself.
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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. It may be broken, dislocated or a torn ligament, and you'll probably need an X-ray.
Within days: after the thumb was bent back or away from the hand, pain and swelling at the base of the thumb on the index-finger side, especially with a weak or painful pinch, a loose or wobbly feeling, or a lump there. Ask to be seen in a hand clinic: a complete tear needs a decision on treatment within 2 weeks of referral, and it is easily missed in A&E.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: after a fall or injury, your shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape, you cannot move your arm, or your shoulder is painful, bruised or swollen. Do not drive yourself, and do not try to put it back in yourself.
Your shoulder has partly or fully come out of joint, or you worry it might.
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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. Yoga waits too: gentle breathing fits the early, light-activity stages, and no head-down poses or inversions until you're cleared (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.
Call 999 if:
The NHS says to get medical help immediately, and go 300 to 1,000 m lower if you can, if you or someone with you has altitude sickness and feels very unwell, is confused, has problems with balance or coordination, has hallucinations, is short of breath at rest, has a cough with frothy or bloody spit, has blue or grey skin, lips, tongue or nails, or is very sleepy or hard to wake.
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Call 999 or go to A&E for signs of hypothermia, such as shivering, pale cold skin, slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness or confusion, and for frostbite with hard, frozen skin, swelling, loss of feeling or blisters. Don't rub frostbitten skin or warm it with direct heat.
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
Rate your knee pain from 0 to 10 during and after exercise. In the pain-monitoring model used in knee trials, 0 to 2 counts as safe, up to 5 as acceptable and above 5 as too much. Aim for 0 to 3 most of the time.
No trial has tested yoga in skiers, and no fitness programme has been shown to prevent recreational ski injuries. Helmets, wrist guards and the knee-safety tips have the evidence.
Across 25 trials, stretching programmes didn't prevent sports injuries, and experts don't recommend stretching for injury prevention. Long holds just before explosive effort cost a little power, and FIS says a warm-up should be more than just stretching.
At the 1994 Olympics, 42% of the women and 10% of the men in alpine racing had torn an ACL. Fitness helps you ski more runs with less fatigue, not avoid every injury.
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Most skiers who tore an ACL felt little or no leg fatigue, and women were more often hurt in the first hour; a preprint found a midday peak. Tiredness may matter, but early runs carry risk too.
No study links more flexibility with fewer ski injuries, and very flexible athletes had more shoulder and knee injuries in other sports. Ski ACL tears happen in falls, turns and landings at speed, which strength, balance and technique address.
The Vermont researchers call it a myth: keep your arms forward, don't land on a hand, and when you're down, stay down. Yoga's calm breathing isn't a falling technique.
Stretching lowered next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale, and a long ski day cuts thigh strength into the next day whatever you do. Stretch because it feels good.
Snowboarders have fewer ACL injuries but more wrist, shoulder, ankle and collarbone injuries and concussions. Balance and landing work suits both (our snowboarding guide), and wrist guards matter most for snowboarders.
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It can add one-leg balance on both legs, hip and upper-back range, some leg work in held poses, and a calm routine after a ski day. No trial has tested yoga in skiers, so treat it as an addition to leg strength training, not protection.
It hasn't been shown to, and no fitness programme has been shown to prevent recreational ski injuries. Helmets, wrist guards for snowboarders, well-set bindings and knowing how knee ligament tears happen have the evidence.
After, or on rest days. Before skiing, use a short moving warm-up at the top of the slope and an easy first run; long holds just before explosive effort cost a little power and aren't needed.
A calf stretch at a wall, a standing thigh stretch, a kneeling hip flexor stretch, thread the needle for the upper back and a strap hamstring stretch, 30 to 45 seconds each. Stretching barely changes next-day soreness, so do it because it feels good.
One-leg balance, chair pose and warrior III train the control and thigh endurance skiing uses. But knee protection comes mostly from leg strength, landing practice, well-set bindings and how you ski and fall. After a knee ligament injury, follow your physiotherapist's plan.
About 6 to 8 weeks: our ski fitness workout 2 or 3 times a week, with balance and yoga on other days. Balance trials in young adults found the best gains with about 3 short sessions a week over 11 to 12 weeks, so start early if you can.
It may help you stay comfortable: the NHS lists yoga among activities that may ease back pain, and back pain is common in ski instructors. Gentle spine moves after skiing are a good start; see a GP for pain that doesn't settle.
Yes, for the same reasons, with more care for the wrists: snowboarders hurt their wrists far more often than skiers. Wear wrist guards on the slopes, and use fists or forearms in yoga if your wrists are sore.
Keep weight off the thumb until it's been checked. Pain and swelling at the base of the thumb with a weak pinch or a loose feeling needs a hand clinic within days, as our skier's thumb guide says. Next time, let go of the pole as you fall.
Gentle yoga is fine: take the first day easy, drink well and skip hot classes. Altitude sickness usually starts above 2,500 m, which includes some places in the Alps; get medical help straight away for the serious signs.
A knee that pops, swells fast or gives way needs A&E or NHS 111, and a crack, a changed shape or numbness needs 999 or A&E. After any head knock, if in doubt, sit them out, and stop skiing for the day.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
