Can Skiing really help you lose weight?

A question we’ve asked ourselves time and time again out here, especially with all the fantastic Savoyard food, but can skiing really help you lose weight?

Some seem to think so, with the recent arrest of an Italian man who forced his 17 and 21 year old daughters to ski as he thought they were ‘fat’. Not a very nice sentiment I’m sure you’ll agree, but does there lie some truth in what he was making his daughters do?

Dr Graeme Close, a sports nutrition consultant who works with the British ski and snowboard team, says nordic skiing would be preferable to alpine, but both can help: “Any exercise that increases your heart rate has the ability to contribute to a drop in body fat”

He goes on to say that Cross Country skiing is one of the hardest and demanding of all sports.

Studies have shown that six hours’ skiing a day can burn 2,500-3,000 calories on top of a person’s normal daily expenditure. However, with a plate of tartiflette or raclette coming in at almost 1,000 calories, it can be easy to negate the fat-burning benefits of a day on the slopes.

Tackling more difficult terrain will aid weight loss: “The faster and steeper the skiing, the more calories you will burn, as you work harder to perform a controlled skiing technique.

So, there’s your answer… You can lose weight skiing, especially with cross country skiing, but stay away from the delights of the restaurants and all that apres to get the benefits!