What is the best exercise regime to prepare for a skiing/snowboarding holiday?

Training on stairs has always proven to be the best conditioning for me.

There are two basic things you need to do: First, build a good aerobic base. Maybe go running/cycling 3-5 times a week. Second, strength training, particularly legs and core. (But arms and shoulders are important too since you might need to do some poling.) The former will not prevent soreness, obviously, but it'll help your overall stamina. If you have the means, working with a personal trainer ~3 months in advance will give you the optimal results. If personal training is not an option, I suggest joining a class at the gym that focuses on full-body workout. For my most recent ski trip, I started doing this about a month before the trip (not optimal, but better than nothing). I went to strength-training classes 3 times a week. 2 of those classes were called "Deep Definition" (here's the description: "Sculpt and define every inch of your body in this power weight class"), and the other one is focused on core. If you don't work with a personal trainer, going to a class is better than working out on your own, in my experience. It'll force you to work harder, and it's nice that you don't have to think, just trust and follow the instructor.  I was incredibly sore after these classes for the first two weeks, but I was totally okay during my ski trip (6 consecutive days of full-day skiing at high altitude), so it really paid off.

I was just thinking about the same as my trip starts in February and in my workouts until then I will focus more on: Squats: Works the upper leg. Always important when snowboarding. Triceps workouts: Helps when getting up after voluntarily sitting down (or crashed). Try something like triceps dips or shoulder presses. Burpees: I like them because they work the whole body, burn fat and also strengthen arms and legs. http://artofmanliness.com/2010/01/27/the-burpee-the-one-exercise-to-rule-them-all/ Balance: There are several balance exercises. Try adding an exercise ball to your workout. A new one I have found and will incorporate is the Russian leg twist. It goes like this: Start with medicine ball at belly button height, arms length away from body, behind right or left hip. Lift one leg up to the other legs knee. Start by moving ball to the right or left. Keep core tight and turn/rotate your back foot to allow greater range of motion. Do 6 reps on each side then change leg and repeat.

Full-depth squats Pistols, weighted or not Box jumps Cleans Anything for 3-dimensional core stabilization (as opposed to just focusing on sit-ups which aren't as 3-D as straight-backed torso stabilizing drills like planks and side-plank raises, etc) Any conditioning workout that requires sustained medium to high intensity for about two minutes at a time

Depends on the altitude of the resort. If the bedrooms are higher than 6000 ft you may want to do a bit of aerobic work. Hiking and walking down steep hills is good for the legs. Then you need to strengthen the muscles doing the squats, sitting against a wall, triceps, as people have suggested above. If you do 30-40 mile cycle rides on weekends they will help you get rhythm. Then for fun you can try the Wii Fit Plus balance board and practice balancing exercises and in particular the skiing slalom and ski jump exercise. You also need to stretch. For that I'd recommend yoga or a stretching class.  Be sure that your hip and knee joints are flexible. Look on the web for exercises. At the ski resort a quick 15-minute yoga warm up will be great for you - take a yoga DVD with you when you go skiing.

I would add plyometrics to the list, e.g. jump on and off a box and jump side to side, or jump rope. Slide boards are also good. I used to have one with bungees that attatched to a climbing harness on each hip to simulate gravity. Plain strength training never quite left me feeling the steel springs in the legs mojo that comes from a few months of regular skiing, but plyo definitely helps. Just don't overdo it and hurt yourself before holiday!

I do a speciaised boarding workout 2 x per week for 2 months before the season kicks off.  I focus on core and legs. It tends to be : 30 mins bike warmup 30 mins free weights, with a focus on the legs and core - doing most sets on an inverted bosu ball + swiss ball sit ups and inverted sit ups 30 to 60 mins running I increase the time, and intensity of the mid 30 mins weight section as i approach my 1st trip, then take a weeks break before travelling, so i'm sure not to injure myself! Good luck :)

Prehab is the best idea for a sport like snowboarding.There is something exciting new and different for you. Check outhttp://http://floatli.com/ It is the same as surfing, skating, or skiing, but when you fall you do not hurt yourself.  It can be plenty challenging.

This should get you in the groove: Full-body low-impact cardio carvalicious fun all-in-one; and it will help you carve on skis like your on rails!