Ever stood at the top of a run and wondered if your legs have anything left? This episode fixes that.

With about eight weeks until ski season, we head to Boulder, Colorado, to the Alpine Training Center. Owner and head coach Connie Schiolino holds a master’s in exercise science from Montana State and is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She shares exactly how to get ski-fit this fall, whether you’re a weekend warrior or chasing first chair every day.

In this episode:

• Why your summer running, hiking and biking already count
• “Balance strength”: quads vs. hamstrings and left vs. right
• The best exercises for skiing, from Bulgarian split squats to box jumps (and a BOSU ball for home)
• Sets and reps for squats and deadlifts, and why muscular endurance matters
• Hip mobility and the Jane Fonda moves that actually work
• Aerobic vs. interval training that mimics a ski run
• A sample weekly ski workout schedule
• ACL injury prevention for women, mobility for men, and recovery for older skiers

Start now, and you’ll be ready when your buddy says, “You got this.”

🎿 Gear up at backcountry.com with code WHERETOSKI.
🛟 Travel with confidence: use code WHERETOSKI at globalrescue.com.
🎧 Enjoyed it? Share it with your ski crew and follow Where to Ski.

wheretoski.org

A record-setting El Niño is on the way. Here's what it could mean for your ski season.

After a rough winter out West, everyone wants to know if this year will be better. OpenSnow meteorologist and operations manager Alan Smith joins us from Jackson, Wyoming, to cut through the hype (sorry, moose videos) and break down OpenSnow's 2026-27 winter outlook.

In this episode:

• El Niño explained in plain English, and why this one is so strong
• Why warm temperatures and high snow levels are the big wild card
• California and Utah: above-average snow indications
• The Southwest sweet spot: the San Juans, Taos and Arizona Snowbowl
• The Tetons and Colorado: a true coin flip
• Tough signals for western Canada, New England and the upper Midwest
• Bonus outlooks for the Alps and South America
• How to plan around any forecast: stay flexible and watch 10 to 14 days out

Just remember: an outlook tips the odds, it doesn't guarantee anything. Mother Nature always gets a say.

🎿 Gear up for winter at backcountry.com with code WHERETOSKI.
🎧 Enjoyed it? Share it with your ski crew, and follow Where to Ski so you don't miss an episode.

wheretoski.org

Ischgl, Austria, is famous for its après. But the skiing might be the best-kept secret in the Alps.

Patrick Walter is a state-certified ski guide, owner of Silvretta Guides, and an examiner for the Tyrolean and Austrian Ski Instructor Association. That means he trains the instructors (he calls himself "the bad guy"). He takes us past the table-dancing and into the terrain most visitors never find.

In this episode:

• An 11 km run from the top of Greitspitz, close to 2,900 m, straight down to the village
• Why Ischgl's off-piste is easier to reach than St. Anton's, and why it stays untracked for days
• The 20-minute trip that gets you 1,000 vertical meters of powder
• A hidden-valley lunch at the Heidelberger Hütte
• Skiing into Switzerland for duty-free Samnaun
• How 1,000+ snow cannons keep the season going
• Which weeks to avoid, and where to ski when it's dumping
• The mountaintop concert that closes every season

🎿 Enjoyed it? Share it with the friend you ski with, and follow Where to Ski so you don't miss an episode.

wheretoski.org