If you are an avid skier getting your pre-season preparation started for the coming season is important. Our good friends Cliff Harris and Randy Mann are indicating that La Nina is setting up shop in the Pacific which should bring a ton of powder to nearby ski resorts. Even if you're not a skier maybe this is the year to get out there and give it a try. It is a lot more fun when you're in shape and ready once you hit the slopes.

Here are six great tips to prepare to shred some powder!

1. Get your aerobic routine fired up. Cycling, swimming, treadmill, stair climbing, they're all good aerobic activities. Be sure to push yourself three to four times a week. Try doing intervals with your aerobic where you do bursts of high-intensity work interspersed with periods of low-intensity work. This level of exercise through the winter months will help those day long runs on the ski slopes from tiring you out.

2. To avoid leg burn and "Jell-O Legs" (that slows you down and creates the opportunity to stumble and fall often), focus on strength building in your legs for speed and stability. Classic exercises like squats and lunges can help. Be sure to hit your quadriceps hard by performing a static-hold leg press. Load the press with more weight than you would normally press or squat. Be sure to force your leg muscles to do the work. By working your legs hard twice a week, you will have a much more productive and enjoyable time skiing.

3. Flexibility: Be sure to do stretching exercises daily and also stretch before and after every workout. The best stretches for skiers and boarders focus on the lower body and snowboarders need to also stretch the upper body. One great core stretch is a core twist. Stand with your knees slightly bent and your arms crossed in front of you. Slowly look over one shoulder and let your whole body follow until you feel a good stretch in the back and side. Hold five seconds and repeat in the other direction. Hamstring and quadriceps stretches are a must for skiers. Stretching will reduce your chance of injury while skiing and you'll be less sore later on at the end of the day.

4. Both skiing and snowboarding rely heavily on balance and core strength which helps you reduce your risk of falling and gives you all-around better posture and form. Your core consists of abdominals, obliques, lower back and hips so you will want to hit these areas with standard core exercises. Start your core workout by doing abdominal curls on your back with knees up. Then focus on reverse curls, which is done by lifting your legs to perform the curl. Then work some back extensions into the mix. This would be a good starting point. If you want an advanced core workout, I would recommend talking with or signing up with a Certified Personal Trainer and they will have you in shape in no time.

5. Although there is not as much focus on upper body strength training for skiing, it is a great idea to include upper back exercises such as rows or pull-ups and also add some sets of upper body exercises for the shoulders, chest, triceps and biceps to your exercise routine. The more toned your upper body is, the better you will hold up when hitting those moguls or plowing through that deep powder.

6. One set of exercises that can really help you to develop those fast feet and that agility which skiers want are plyometric exercises.

Plyometrics are specialized, high intensity training that is used to develop explosive power with strength and speed. Plyometric training involves explosive muscular contractions that invoke the stretch reflex which stretches the muscle before it contracts so it contracts with greater force. The most common exercises include hops, jumps and bounding movements. One popular plyometric exercise is jumping off a smaller box and rebounding off the floor and onto a larger or higher box. These exercises typically increase speed and strength as well as build power in your lower body.

The last few years, we have seen some great snow accumulation at our local ski resorts and this year looks to be the same. Start your season off on the right foot and be in better condition with more strength and agility to get the most out of your days skiing. Better shape.

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.