Physical recovery after heli skiing

Muscle recovery after heliskiing

Heli skiing is exhilarating but also requires a degree of physical fitness. What can you do if you haven’t had time to follow a ski fitness programme and you find yourself with sore legs? Here are the team at Bighorn’s five simple steps to aid recovery and reduce muscle stiffness

1) Eat some carbohydrate

Altitude leads to an increased carbohydrate requirement as you have a higher resting metabolic rate. Skiing also uses carbohydrate for fuel in both blood sugar and glycogen in your muscles. After an epic day’s heliskiing snack on ‘good’ carbohydrate like bananas, dried fruit and potatoes. The chef at Bighorn can prepare delicious banana bran muffins, honey nut granola bars and potato blinis with smoked salmon and lemon creme fraiche.

2) Hydrate

Drink lots of water to help flush out toxins and reduce muscle soreness

3) Massage and relaxation

Increases the flow of blood to tissues, which can prevent soreness. Enjoy a special apres-ski sports massage in luxurious Bighorn spa or relax in the huge outdoor hot tub.

4) Stretching

Elongating muscle fibres enhances recovery and reduces stiffness. Prolonged stretching helps muscles to have a fuller range of motion thus reducing the chance of strains. We can arrange personal stretching sessions with a qualified physiotherapist.

5) Active recovery

Gentle aerobic exercise increases the flow of oxygenated blood flow to muscles which aids the removal of lactic acid.

The ultimate skier’s breakfast

Skiers breakfast at Bighorn Revelstoke

 

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, never more so than if you are fueling for a day skiing Revelstoke’s epic powder. At Bighorn a sumptuous breakfast buffet is laid out each morning, with hot items cooked to order. As part of this feast, the executive chef Peter Hughes has created the ultimate muesli to energise skiers through until lunch. Healthy, nutritious and full of  goodness, we serve it each day topped with really good yoghurt and fruit compote that we make with fresh berries and a reduction of crème de cassis.

The following recipe will keep in an airtight container for up to four months so you can batch prepare and have a tasty, healthy, energy packed, low GI breakfast for the season. Use the best quality ingredients you can find and if possible use organic dried fruits and seeds. The recipe will transform very easily into Bircher Muesli by the addition of grated apple, yoghurt and honey and soaking overnight so that the dry fruit softens and become plump and juicy.

500g Jumbo Rolled Porridge Oats (drizzled with honey and roasted for ten minutes and allowed to cool before adding the other ingredients)

300g Hemp Hearts

300g Pumpkin Seeds

300g Sunflower Seeds

300g Thompson Raisins

300g Dried Mango (finely chopped)

300g Dried Pitted Prunes (finely chopped)

300g Dried Apricots (finely chopped)

150g Dried Cherries

150g Dried Cranberries

150g Dried Blueberries

150g Dried Goji Berries

150g Flaxseed

150g Milled Flaxseed

150g Cacao Nibs

 

So enjoy some health at breakfast and feel the benefit on the slopes!

Bighorn is Vogue’s Choice of Winter Spa Destination

US Vogue recently shared its top picks for the best winter spa destinations. Bighorn, “a superindulgent, sprawling eight-suite lodge” won praise for the “views of the Columbia Valley from the terrace hot tub, on-site helipad, gourmet fare and private screening room”. With a “bounty of body wraps, facials and aromatherapy massages, it is easy to forget you are steps away from some of Canada’s best lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing“. Other spa facilities include a indoor current pool, sauna, gym and 2 treatment rooms. Private yoga instruction, stretching and personal training is also available. The private chef can create healthy yet delicious menus and can happily cater for any dietary restrictions. Plus, the whole lodge is rented exclusively for your party so total privacy and dedicated service is guaranteed.

Bighorn: the ultimate winter health retreat.

Vogue features Bighorn as top winter spa destination

Improve your heliski performance: gourmet ski cuisine at Bighorn

Gourmet heliski cuisine at Bighorn

Bighorn Executive Chef Peter Hughes not only creates dishes to delight the taste buds but  he also knows that at Bighorn food is fuel for a day heliskiing in Revelstoke’s powder bowls. In the latest installment of Notes from the Chef’s Table, we focus on the humble walnut. After reading in Mens Journal that walnuts pack more than double the amount of anti-oxidants than any other nut, Peter decided to do a little research. The micronutrients in walnuts can help with balance and co-ordination as well as boosting blood flow to help your muscles perform harder, longer and more efficiently. It sounded like the perfect skiers nut!

Always thinking of the Bighorn guest experience, Peter is from this moment forth going to pair an indulgent walnut pesto with his homemade gnocchi. Here’s how…

1 large bunch of basil

250g crushed walnuts (fresher the better)

250g Parmesan

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Zest of 1/2 lemon

250 ml good olive oil (cold pressed)

1 punnet of rocket leaves

Blitz all ingredients together and store in the fridge for up to a month in an airtight container. Delicious as an accompaniment to pasta, gnocchi, stirred into hot steamed broccoli or just as a sandwich spread.

More top tips for foodie skiers will follow next week!