Ski Season Injury Prevention
With Apex Mountain Resort just 30 minutes from Penticton and Big White and Silver Star within easy reach, skiing and snowboarding are woven into Okanagan winter life. But every season our clinic sees a predictable wave of avoidable injuries. Here's how to protect your body — and what to do if you don't.
The Injuries We See Every Winter
Skiing and snowboarding place enormous forces on the body — rapid deceleration, rotational stress, high-speed impacts, and repetitive loading through the spine, knees, and shoulders. At Okanagan Chiropractic Center, the injuries we treat most frequently during ski season follow consistent patterns.
Whiplash-type injuries are common even without a car involved — a hard fall on a groomed run can snap the head and neck forward with enough force to strain cervical ligaments and muscles. Lower back strain develops from the sustained flexed posture of skiing, compounded by jarring impacts from moguls and uneven terrain. Knee injuries — ACL and MCL sprains in particular — typically occur during twisting falls or when a ski catches an edge. Snowboarders are especially prone to wrist fractures from catching themselves during falls, and shoulder dislocations occur in both sports during high-speed collisions.
Many of these injuries are preventable. The ones that aren't can be treated far more effectively when the body is well-prepared going into the season.
Why a Pre-Season Spinal Check Matters
Most people spend October and November sitting at desks and doing very little to prepare for the physical demands of skiing. When you strap into bindings for the first time in months, you're asking a deconditioned spine — stiff joints, tight hip flexors, weakened core — to absorb forces it hasn't experienced since last March. That mismatch between demand and preparation is where injuries happen.
A pre-season chiropractic assessment identifies joint restrictions, muscle imbalances, and postural weaknesses before they become liabilities on the mountain. Restoring proper spinal mobility and addressing asymmetries reduces your injury risk and improves your performance — better balance, quicker edge-to-edge transitions, and more endurance through a full day of skiing.
5 Tips to Protect Yourself This Ski Season
Get a Pre-Season Chiropractic Tune-Up
Book an assessment before opening day. Your chiropractor will evaluate your spinal mobility, identify restrictions, check your core activation, and address any lingering issues from last season. Think of it the same way you tune your skis — your body needs the same preparation.
Build Core Strength Before You Need It
Your core is the primary stabilizer for every turn, bump, and recovery on the mountain. Start a basic core programme 6 to 8 weeks before ski season: planks, bird-dogs, dead bugs, and single-leg balance exercises. Even 10 to 15 minutes three times a week makes a measurable difference in spinal stability and fatigue resistance.
Warm Up Before You Hit the Slopes
Cold muscles and stiff joints are significantly more vulnerable to injury. Before your first run, spend 5 to 10 minutes doing dynamic movements: leg swings, hip circles, bodyweight squats, trunk rotations, and gentle lunges. The first run of the day should be an easy warm-up run, not a black diamond.
Check Your Equipment
Properly fitted boots and correctly adjusted bindings are your first line of defence against knee injuries. Have your bindings professionally tested and calibrated at the start of every season — DIN settings that were right two years ago may not match your current weight, ability level, or skiing style. Helmets should fit snugly and be replaced after any significant impact.
Know Your Limits — Fatigue Is the Real Danger
The majority of ski injuries happen in the afternoon, when muscles are fatigued and reaction time slows. If your legs are burning and your focus is fading, that's your body telling you the risk has outweighed the reward. One more run is rarely worth it. Hydrate, take breaks, and ski within your ability level — especially on unfamiliar terrain.
What to Do If You Get Hurt on the Mountain
If you experience a serious injury — suspected fracture, dislocation, inability to bear weight, or loss of sensation — seek emergency medical care at the mountain's first aid station or the nearest hospital. These injuries require immediate medical assessment, imaging, and potentially surgical intervention.
For musculoskeletal injuries that don't require emergency care — neck stiffness, back pain, muscle strains, joint soreness, or pain that develops in the hours or days following a fall — chiropractic care is an excellent first step. The sooner you're assessed, the faster you recover and the less likely the injury is to develop into a chronic problem. Call us at (250) 492-7027 or book online — we can often see acute injuries within 24 to 48 hours. For more on how we treat sports injuries, visit our dedicated page.
Injured Driving To or From the Mountain?
If you're involved in a motor vehicle accident on the way to or from Apex, Big White, or any other ski area, your injuries are covered by ICBC — up to 25 pre-approved chiropractic visits within 12 weeks, no referral needed, and $0 out of pocket. The Highway 3A corridor to Apex and Highway 97C to Big White see increased winter accident rates due to snow and ice. If this happens to you, call ICBC at 1-800-910-4222, then call us. Learn more about ICBC coverage →
Prepare Your Body Before Opening Day
A pre-season chiropractic assessment takes 45 minutes and could save your entire ski season. Book yours today.