Rx from The BootDoctors: Skiing, Boarding, & Calories Burned

07 Mar Rx from The BootDoctors: Skiing, Boarding, & Calories Burned

Counting calories? How does your skiing – or boarding – add up to bring them down? Read on for more from this new series, “Rx from the BootDoctor.” After all, there are still a few more weeks left in the 2017 season. The following blog, ”How Many Calories Do You Burn While Skiing and Snowboarding?” was written by Spencer Miller and curated by Penelope Gleason of BootDoctors from blog.coloradoski.com.

Courtesy, Spyder Ski Wear

I like to think I deserve a monstrous meal and a few extra beers after a long day of skiing because of how hard I worked on the hill… But do I? To answer this question, I did some homework and even ran some tests on myself to discover how many calories one actually burns while skiing and snowboarding.

Research:

Harvard Medical School created a table for calories burned according to the exercise one is participating in and his or her bodyweight. For downhill skiing, the table cites that a 125 pound person burns 360 calories an hour; a 155 pound person burns 446 calories per hour; and a 185 pound person will burn 532 calories per hour.

Meanwhile, Snowsports Industries America (yes, like the enormous convention in Denver each January) estimates that skiing burns 500 calories an hour, while snowboarding is just short of that at 450.

But before you go grab that extra slice of cake to congratulate yourself, please note that none of these numbers include the time spent on the lift. Rather, they are based only off of time spent while skiing and riding. But the redeeming fact may be that these studies do not take exertion level into account, as hitting the moguls will definitely burn more calories than cruising groomers.

The watch Spencer used for measuring heart rate.

The Trial:

I took matters into my own hands and used a Polar M400 watch with a heart monitor to record how many calories I was burning while snowboarding. I ran the watch for three consecutive days for three hours a day, only varying the intensity of terrain I was riding. And for a more realistic and easier to comprehend approach than the previously mentioned studies, I let my watch run on the lift and while hiking.

Day 1, High Intensity:
I hiked the Aspen Highlands bowl and spent the morning on the steeps under the Deep Temerity lift- neither being anything close to light riding. I burned 1215 calories in the three hours, coming out to 405 calories an hour. 

Day 2, Medium Intensity:
I headed to Aspen Mountain for a good mix of moguls and groomers. I burned 975 calories in 3 hours, which is 325calories an hour. 

Day 3, Low Intensity:
I hit Snowmass for some wide groomed runs. In the time here, I burned 752 calories, coming out to 250 calories an hour.

Continuing reading here.

courtesy image, Adobe

More about Rx from the BootDoctor:

When the world weighs too heavy on her shoulders, The BootDoctors’ marketing whiz, Penelope Gleason, lightens her load by tuning out the headlines and turning up the volume on lighter, brighter info – such as the story above. The post is part of a new, ongoing series,”Rx from the BootDoctor,” all about news to amuse – and use, especially in this case if ripping or shredding constitute your workout program.

Telluride’s The BootDoctors has a well-deserved rep for community service; consider curations such as this one part of that mix.

(And for more, go to – and Like – Bootdoctors’ Facebook page.)