So you've decided to get into skiing. You're looking to get out there and enjoy the mountain that you've never quite had an opportunity to visit. You may have never skied before, or maybe it's just been a few years. Maybe you only skied as a child and don't remember what differences there are between kinds of skis. No matter your situation you're looking at your ski options and have no idea what the general difference is between all those cuts and styles. There are dozens of them and you're not quite sure what you'll need. The salesman might be less than helpful in explaining them to you, instead wanting to sell more skis. Choosing your skis in the following order will help you not only decide what is best for you but how to choose between features that might not make sense yet.

Hit the Slopes with the HARD CORE! Are crunches a good exercise for the core and how important is the core for skiing and snowboarding? Before we discuss exercises for the core, we must first dive into what areas make up the "core." Your core is not just made of up the "abs." Your core runs from your neck down to your hips and/or from the hips up to the neck. It is also important to realize that your core is three dimensional. Meaning we have a front, back and two sides. Therefore, and effective core program should challenge all three dimensions. In addition, your core is the center of the body. It attaches the upper body to the lower body and also the lower body to the upper body. This is vital since information during movement is traveling through the center of the body and is being sent to the extremities. A faulty core will limit how well someone can move, whether it is in the game of life or on the snowy slopes.

With over 300 inches of champagne powder falling on its slopes each winter, the Breckenridge Ski Resort certainly sees its share of powder days. However, if you're unfamiliar with the mountain and its terrain, you probably won't be locating any secret stashes on such days unless you're spying on the locals as they duck into the trees in search of fresh turns. If you're headed to Breckenridge this winter, worry no more. This is your guide to skiing Breck on a powder day. Breckenridge’s upper lifts don’t fire up along with the lower mountain’s, especially after the resort get buried by a snowstorm. Head to the Beaver Run Superchair on Peak 9 for the day’s first chair. Here, take a few warm-up laps through the Peerless trees or drop into the Needles, located off of Volunteer on Peak 9’s north flank. These runs are sure to warm up your legs for the steeper, deeper terrain on the mountain’s upper reaches.

If you exercise often, you'll begin to build your strength and enhance your endurance in the muscle groups used in downhill skiing. You'll be preparing yourself for the rigors of skiing in the expert zones where both staying power and explosive power are of the utmost importance. First, we’ll get into the why and when you need to exercise, before moving onto the five essential elements of ski-specific exercising.

The ultimate body for an expert skier is powerful, from strong ankles to strong shoulders, and every finely-tuned muscle in between. Remember the last time you watched someone effortlessly weave through a mogul field and wondered, "How does he do that?" It's partly due to practice, and partly to the body awareness and balance that strength training provides. The expert skier, who is physically strong, instinctively cues every part of his or her body.