Rocking up in Morzine having done no exercise in the past year is fine if you’re only there for the apres ski. But if you’re planning on hitting the slopes, you need to get in shape before you get on the plane.

Pre-ski and snowboard classes focus on your quads, hamstrings and calves, plus your lower back and core to make sure you don’t injure anything through lack of strength or limited flexibility. Hit up one of these classes to help you prepare.

Pre-snow yoga, Angel

WHAT IS IT? A series of yoga stretches
to build leg and thigh strength, lengthen hamstrings and work the core muscles, which keep you strong when making parallel turns.
WHY IT WORKS It engages the muscles you don’t use in your day-to-day life and also
teaches you exercises you can do to stretch and soothe your muscles before and after your sessions on the white stuff.
VERDICT It’s great to learn exercises to help you warm up and down when you get there. The yoga is intense but also rather relaxing.

Claremont, 24-27 White Lion Street, N1 9PD; 90-minute workshop on Jan 21; £15
stretchingthecity.com.

Power Plate Ski, Selfridges

WHAT IS IT? An ache-inducing lesson in ski posture and strength involving a series of exercises on the almighty vibrating platform known as the Power Plate. Sessions focus on your lower body, including the front of your thighs and bum, plus your core and triceps.
WHY IT WORKS Not only is there plenty of squatting involved, and generally being in the skiing position, but the vibrations from the Power Plate force your muscles to work much harder than normal.
VERDICT A good strong work out, exactly where you need it.

Selfridges Power Plate Studio, 4th Floor, 400 Oxford Street, W1U 1AT; 25 minutes; £20
Selfridges.com

Prepare to ski clinic, Wimbledon

WHAT IS IT? Sessions on mats and sculpting machines build your core stability and get you fit in the right places to either rehabilitate a previous injury or to prevent you from getting a new one.
WHY IT WORKS It’s run by a chartered physiotherapist who chooses the best programme for you, whether that’s in a class or a one-to-one session.
VERDICT Pilates keeps you strong and supple, plus the reformer machines stop you from slacking. You’ll be ski-ready in no time.

Wimbledon Pilates Studio, 1 Thornton Road, SW19 4NB; 55 minutes; from £18 per session
wimbledon.pilatesart.com

Cool Board, for home use

WHAT IS IT? An instability board to exercise on that helps balance, strength and power. Download ski and snowboard workouts
from the Cool Board website.
WHY IT WORKS You can’t be lazy like you can with some floor-based exercises because you have to work hard to stay standing.
VERDICT Being able to use it at home is good, but you need to be patient as it takes a while to get your balance before you start doing the exercises.

20-25 min per day; £97.99
coolboard.co.uk