EXTREME MASSAGE
Pampering Sore Muscles After Skiing

AFTER A DAY OF SKIING at Big Sky and Lone Mountain Ranch, I signed up for a massage at Huntley Lodge. It was my first day of the winter on the slopes, or trails, and my muscles needed a certain amount of pampering. What better way to do that than with a sports massage?

I'm no stranger to the benefits of massage therapy. I have a regular massage therapist, Patty Longnecker, who visits every other week. She sets her table up in the basement, next to my HealthRider and exercise bike. I consider massage therapy equally important to maintaining and improving performance as those machines.

Besides, it feels good.

The group of massage therapists that serve guests at Big Sky Ski Resort go by the name of Alpenglow. When I stopped by Alpenglow's office off the lobby in Huntley Lodge, the receptionist asked if I preferred a male or female therapist. I said it made no difference. I asked for an hour's sports massage, rather than Swedish Massage, Oriental Cupping, Shiatsu or any of the other variations available. A half-hour massage costs $45; an hour-and-a-half, $105, but I consider those lengths too short and too long. An hour at $75 seems just right, even though that's nearly double what I pay my regular massage therapist (who probably will start charging more after she reads this). For an extra $5, I could be massaged with aromatherapy oils. I passed on that.

Professional Privilege

If I were a professional athlete, whose income was dependent on performance, I would schedule a massage daily. Massage relaxes you. It promotes removal of fluids from the system. With regular massage, I figure I could train harder, and race faster. Sometimes the difference between victory and defeat is fractions of seconds. For the average recreational runner or skier, however, daily massage might be considered excessive.

But it does feel good.

Little evidence exists to prove that massage can make you a better skier, or runner or tennis player. I attend the American College of Sports Medicine's meeting every spring, and I can only recall a few studies attempting to link massage with performance. Results seem mixed. How do you measure the benefits of relaxation?

I have had both good and bad massages. One therapist at a cross-country ski resort in northern Minnesota once beat upon my body as though he were cracking walnuts with a hammer. A woman at a masters track meet in Indianapolis made me scream in pain as she tried to "realign" my body. The latter had been certified by the American Massage Therapy Association; the first had not.

You're more likely to avoid such problems if you do get an AMTA certified massage therapist. You'll get a better massage if you can direct the therapist's attention to any problem areas. As a runner, I usually instruct my therapist to concentrate more on the legs. She knows from experience that my right hamstring muscle often needs extra work. When I returned from Big Sky, I told her to focus on the lower back to relieve some pain resulting from a fall. (I was testing a borrowed pair of skis; it does happen!)

New Age

If you've never had a massage, they usually are conducted done in quiet areas with soft lights and soothing music. New Age music seems to be popular with massage therapists: melodies you've mostly never heard before and never will hear elsewhere. Nothing to distract the mind. After the therapist prepares the table with clean sheets, he or she usually disappears briefly to allow you to disrobe. Most massage is done on nude subjects covered, modestly, with a single sheet. (You can remain partially clothed if you want.) If the therapist wants you lying face down or face up, he or she will tell you. After the therapist finishes, there sometimes is time to lie quietly a minute or two before dressing.

That's how it worked with my massage at Big Sky. My therapist was named Chris Estrem. His co-therapists call him "Chris Extreme," because that's how he likes to ski. Chris admitted that he was a confessed former ski bum, who had been working as a massage therapist for seven years, the last two of them at Big Sky. Chris knew his business. I accepted his card after the session and would not hesitate to use him again, or refer him to others visiting Big Sky. Another skier was exiting an adjacent room after a massage from another therapist, and I noticed a glow of relaxation on his face. I suppose that's why the Big Sky massage therapists refer to their business as Alpenglow.

Many major running races, particularly marathons, have groups of therapists who offer free (but brief) massages to runners after they finish. I usually prefer to obtain a post-race massage 24 to 48 hours later, figuring it works better that way. Muscle stiffness usually peaks about that time. I've found that I've run some of my best workouts the day after a good massage.

But even without any benefits to performance, massage still feels good.

Ski Yellowstone | Big Sky

Copyright © 1997 by Hal Higdon. All rights reserved. Requests to reprint will be considered.

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