Can you ski while pregnant?
A comprehensive guide for shred-ready Super Moms-to-be.
Discover the ins and outs of skiing while pregnant in this comprehensive guide covering potential risks, precautions, benefits and other expert advice. Find adventure without compromising safety during pregnancy.
Skiing During Pregnancy: Safety Tips and Alternatives
Can you safely ski while you’re pregnant? Joséphine Bourguignon – an Annecy, France based physiotherapist specializing in abdominopelvic perinatology with expertise in accompanying women throughout their sporting lives – says, “Technically, yes. During pregnancy, appropriate physical activity is particularly beneficial because it promotes the mother's health and helps prevent complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. However, it is a sport that can, under certain conditions, endanger the health of both baby and mother.” So it almost goes without mentioning the importance of having an in-depth discussion with your doctor before you ever buckle into your ski boots. In this article, Joséphine guides us through some of the factors concerning safety, precautions to take, and perhaps choosing cross-country skiing as an alternative to alpine skiing due to its lower risk.
Benefits of exercise during pregnancy
Here are the main elements of physical activity recommended during pregnancy :
1. Moderate cardiovascular exercise: This is beneficial for maintaining good respiratory capacity (VO2) and promotes good blood circulation, which is essential for the baby.
2. Proprioception: This type of exercise, which improves balance and stability, is essential during pregnancy, as balance is often altered as pregnancy progresses.
3. Muscle strengthening: It's important to maintain your muscle-strengthening routines, especially for the lower limbs and foot muscles. In particular, dynamic core workouts help stabilize the trunk and control balance.
Potential risks of skiing during pregnancy
Sliding around on the snow with the sun on your face and fresh mountain air blowing through your hair can be the best feeling in the world. But if you’re not an experienced skier, sudden falls should be expected.
Joséphine lists the pregnancy-specific risks involved:
Risk of falling
Towards the end of your pregnancy, balance is often impaired which can increase the risk of falling, especially in an activity like skiing. Falls can lead to complications such as placenta abruption, which must be taken very seriously.
So if you’re skiing when pregnant it’s recommended to ski carefully and reduce your speed in order to limit the severity of falls. For some mothers, skiing is a strict contraindication, for example in cases of placenta previa.
Risk of osteoarticular injury
Pelvic fractures, cruciate ligament ruptures and ligament pain around the pelvis can be dangerous because it can complicate pregnancy. When skate skiing, we need to be particularly careful about the risk of pubalgia (a chronic groin lesion that leads to increased weakness in the wall of the groin) as well as for the shortness of breath that occurs during intense effort and that for pregnant women can become dangerous if sustained for more than 20 minutes.
Risk to pelvic statics
Violent impacts can cause perineal trauma. In the event of such an impact it’s important to be stay alert for possible urinary leakage, sensations of heaviness and/or bleeding.
Cardiovascular and thermal risk
Intense exercise can lead to a rise in body temperature and breathlessness that can exceed 8 of 10 on the Borg scale. To best protect your baby, you should make sure these conditions last no longer than 20 minutes.
It’s also wise to keep your activities below 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) above sea level, as the reduced oxygen at higher altitudes can affect the vascularization of the placenta and oxygenation of the baby.
Risk of energy deficit
Pregnant athletes must be careful to avoid energy deficits. Since skiing and other physical activity increases your body’s energy requirements, it’s highly recommended to stay well-fueled to avoid deficiencies.
Factors to consider before skiing while pregnant
There are several factors to consider before you go skiing while pregnant including your skill level, the terrain, current conditions at the ski resort, your fitness and energy level, and how far along you are in your pregnancy.
Skill level and experience
Skiing is easy to learn and is a fantastic way to exercise while spending time in the great outdoors. But a typical day on the slope can include jarring falls at elevated speeds. So it goes without saying that if you’re not already an experienced skier with a high skill level then it’s better to wait until after you’ve given birth.
Terrain and conditions at the resort
If the conditions on the slopes are questionable, even experienced skiers should think twice about getting out for a few turns when they’re pregnant. Things like icy slopes, exposed rocks, poor visibility, high avalanche risk, and especially crowded slopes are objective hazards that take the risk factor to a much higher level.
Physical fitness and energy level
Physical and mental preparation is essential for a fulfilling pregnancy and an optimal post-partum recovery. Because skiing is a seasonal activity, experienced skiers quite naturally adapt their training to the season. In summer, cycling, running or muscle strengthening help athletes stay in good shape until winter. This kind of training is also beneficial for pregnant women who can use it to stay fit and preparing for a return to the sport.
Having said that, it’s not always easy to maintain your fitness while you’re fighting morning sickness and struggling to sleep. So if you’re not feeling 100% or it feels like a high-gravity day, think instead of opting for a lower energy activity like going for a walk or a revitalizing yoga session instead.
Cross-country skiing as an alternative to alpine skiing for pregnant women
When you’re pregnant it’s important to get enough exercise. As we mentioned, sports like yoga, swimming and low-impact aerobics are great year-round choices.
But what about when the snow is falling, and you just must get outside and play around in the fluffy white stuff. What about cross-country skiing?
Cross-country skiing is a low-impact activity that provides many of the same physical and mental benefits as skiing.
Because it’s a relatively stable, low impact activity, classic cross-country skiing is a good alternative for pregnant women (particularly at the end of pregnancy) who already have previous experience. It’s an outstanding way to get fresh air while reducing the risk of falls and injuries.
Cross-country skate skiing is also an excellent cardiovascular exercise but only for pregnant women with already high skill level. For those who have never skated before, this discipline is not recommended because of the risk of imbalance, which can cause pubic pain. And of course, always be sure to keep the same precautions in mind as you do when alpine skiing: don’t get overheated, avoid getting out of breath for too long, don’t get too exhausted, etc.
Make the best decision for you and your baby
As you can see, there are many factors involved in deciding whether it’s safe for you to go skiing while pregnant. What’s clear is that every woman’s pregnancy is personal, and what is right for you might not be the best thing for another skier, even if they have the same passion and ability for skiing as you.
The one thing that remains consistent is the importance of having an in-depth discussion with your doctor so that you are fully aware of the risks and the rewards of your decision.
Pro athlete spotlight: Tamara Tippler
Tamara Tippler is a 38-year-old World Cup Super G and Downhill racer from Austria who became pregnant early in the ‘23/24 season before giving birth to her daughter on September 20th.
“The doctors weren’t happy about my decision to keep racing. It was a little bit crazy but for the first race it wasn’t a problem – I could ski with full power as always, nothing different. But then we did a speed weekend, and it wasn’t the same for me. I couldn’t push, I just couldn’t give everything. So at 18 or 19 weeks I stopped skiing.
I love skiing. I’ve been ski racing since I was a kid – it’s my passion, my job, my everything, but I decided to stop because I could no longer perform at the level I wanted. There’s something inside me that needs to go fast and after my baby was born I wanted to go back to racing but it wasn’t as easy as I thought. I struggled with both the physical and mental aspects. It was a crazy time, I struggled to avoid a mental breakdown, but my family supported me. Without my mother and boyfriend, it wouldn’t have been possible.
I feel better now and I’m happy to be skiing again. It’s not easy but if you don’t try, you’ll never know!”