Get set for Skiing

Sport Nutrition - Get Set for Skiing

Before you pick up your skis or snowboard and make fresh tracks to the slopes this season, don't forget that what you eat on and off the mountain can make or break your energy levels and enthusiasm for a long day's skiing. Just a few carefully chosen drinks and bars will make all the difference to how long you can ski, how quickly you recover and, ultimately, how much you enjoy yourself! Sports nutrition specialist Nigel Perkins of EAS recommends:

Before Taking To The Slopes

Boosting your levels of glycogen a couple of days before taking to the slopes to help sustain energy levels. This is of particular importance to cross country skiers who will burn a lot of calories.

• EAS Energy Carb Loader - An orange flavour, carbohydrate mix drink, which provides the body with carbohydrate and glycogen to 'charge' the muscles and liver ready for endurance exercise. When both carbohydrate and glycogen levels are high the body can ski harder and faster for longer. Without the right balance, performance can drop by as much as 50%. It also contains the unique patented carbohydrate Vitargo ® which is specially developed to meet the demands and needs of elite athletes - so it'll certainly help recreational skiers! Priced £22.99 for a tub of powder that makes 30 drinks.

On The Slopes

Beat fatigue on the mountain and restore energy 'on the move' with these two products that are easily popped into a ski jacket pocket.

• EAS Energy Gel immediately delivers a highly concentrated blend of simple and complex carbohydrates to give an energy boost. Each handy sachet also provides antioxidant vitamins C and E to help combat free radicals released during intensive exercise and Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) essential to muscle health and strength. Priced £1.49 per 100g.

• Myoplex Energy Bar gives plenty of energy from fructose-glucose syrup, rice flour, oat flakes, fructose, sugar and other fruit, with just 5.5% fat. Its combined fast and slow release carbohydrates make it ideal to take during long and intensive periods of exercise to maintain a steady flow of energy. It also has 50% RDA of B complex vitamins, Vitamin C and E. £1.29 per bar.

Après Ski 

Fight fatigue when you come off the slopes and help your muscles recuperate ready for the next day's skiing. Lee recommends you make up a Myoplex Diet shake as soon as you can. It comes in handy single serve sachets that are easy to pack!

• Myoplex Diet - This powder shakes with water into a chocolate, strawberry or vanilla flavoured drink and provides just the right amount of carbohydrates (20g) to maintain steady blood sugar levels and energy while preventing protein break down (that leads to muscle loss). It contains L-Glutamine to aid recovery from exercise and help strengthen the immune system plus 22 vitamins and minerals with only 4% sugars. Priced £29.99 for 20 sachets.

Tips From The Top

Andrew Noble is a World Cup Team member and UK number 2 Giant Slalom Skier. He relies on EAS products to help him train, compete and recover and has these top tips for a great skiing holiday:

• Stay hydrated and keep your carbohydrate levels up to give you enough energy to make it to the last lift. I take EAS Carb Loader to meet my needs on the mountain: you should too!
• Ski in a group: it's more fun and less risky than skiing on your own.
• Have fun - put work on hold for a week and enjoy the fresh mountain air, glorious scenery.
• Really go for that energy high by working your body hard to achieve the unbeatable skiing thrill.