Whether you are skiing or snowboarding, the feeling of self-made speed as you travel through spectacular surroundings is an exhilarating, invigorating experience. Knowing that you are also improving your health and fitness makes it much more enjoyable too. While you're having the time of your life on the slopes, you are also developing muscle and core strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness. A break on the slopes also comes with a great social life and guilt-free evenings, as you know that whatever you eat and drink, it will be burned off the next day. "Skiing makes me feel fantastic! Whenever I've skied I've come back with my whole body more toned. Despite the après ski, I feel cleansed, with an improved level of fitness that has sneaked up on me because I've been so fuelled with adrenaline I've not noticed!" says Lynn Butterworth, founder and MD of PR consultancy Corelli Limited.

FACTS

Find out more about the resorts on:

Whistler-Blackcomb

Valle Nevado

Val d'Isere

Flims Laax

Corvatsch

Gala

New Zealand

Andorra

Look for kit and clothing on

W Style

Transpack

Suunto

For where to go skiing between April and November

Visit Chile

Bridge and Wickers

For specialist, off-piste and extreme skiing try

Powder Extreme

Inntravel

Moguls

Skiing and snowboarding burn over 500 calories an hour, and more as your expertise increases. As you take in more oxygen and your heart pumps more efficiently, your body gets stronger and healthier. At the same time, more endorphins are released, your blood levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein or 'good' cholesterol) increase and your LDL (low-density lipoprotein; the 'bad' stuff) decreases. This results in an increase in short term fitness as well as long term health benefits including a reduction in the risk of some cancers, coronary thrombosis, hypertension and osteoporosis.

While snowboarding is easier for a beginner than skiing, gaining a level of mastery is more difficult. Developing sophisticated control of a snowboard is very difficult for the very reason that it's easy for novices to improve quickly at first. It's easier to balance and stay upright on a snowboard because there are no skis to cross. But the freedom of movement that you get on a snowboard means that you don't need to get a good feel for the dynamics of advanced snowboard control. Since skis can only go forward, once balance and foot direction become automatic it's much easier to get an instinctive feel, which means there's a better base from which to develop mastery of movement, direction and speed.

Pre-snow preparation is very important and will help you get the most out of your holiday as well as avoid unnecessary injury. Ideally, pre-snow training should be started two to three months in advance of your trip, but if you start late don't worry since any preparation is better than none at all. In the run-up to your holiday make sure you have sufficient rest and a good diet as this will give your body the opportunity to recover, which is as important as the training itself. A day on the slopes is an excellent work-out and the altitude adds to the challenge. It's much more vigorous, intense exercise and has a longer duration than you would get from the gym.

Step aerobics, spin classes and rowing will increase your cardiovascular (aerobic) fitness, help you keep going all day on the slopes and make sure you have energy left for the après ski. A balanced programme of resistance training is great to build the strength you need. Squats, lunges, leg extensions and leg curls are also great lower body preparation and will improve stability in your leg and hip joints. Work on shoulders, chest and triceps to help you push along the flat and get up when you fall over.

Train calves, back and abdomen with weights or machines as these are the parts of the body that help you balance and soak up bumps. Swiss Balls, foam rollers, BOSU Boards, Yoga, Pilates and stretching, are great for core strength and flexibility and will help prevent injury and help your posture. Michael Bojang; a sports photographer with many years experience of skiing says; "Flexibility is really vital on the slopes. You're likely to be OK if you're relaxed and flexible when you fall, but if you're at all stiff you'll probably injure yourself. Tai-Bo and in-line skating are great for flexibility and muscle strength"

Arthur Golden enjoyed his winter sports so much that he decided to work in the industry. He recommends roller blading for skiing and surfing or skate boarding for snowboarding. Such cross training means that you use similar muscle groups and develop a sense of balance that is easily transferred to the slopes.

Ski or snowboard, complete beginner or off-piste aficionado, people-watcher, poseur or seeker of quiet, there's a resort to suit you. The massive Whistler/Blakcomb resort in British Columbia is Disney-world like in its size, organisation and slick facilities. It has a fantastic infrastructure, loads of activities, over 90 restaurants and a huge emphasis on safety. Professional winter sports athletes love the stunning Valle Nevado in Chile. It's a smart resort with a season running from Mid-June to Mid-October.

Val d'Isere regulars say that if it snows anywhere in the Alps it snows there. It's a world class mountain resort with manicured, ego-building slopes and something to attract all abilities as well as a vast array of après ski (the Folie Douce on the mountain is a great place to dance and drink mid afternoons), top notch ski schools and a glacier with an early summer season.

Lech in the Arlberg ski domain is one of Austria's top quality resorts and has terrain for everyone. It's where the beautiful people go to be seen. Its variety of high quality après ski is great, it has a few outdoor ice-bars serving champagne and an impressive selection of nightclubs. It's also near St Anton for those skiers who want to whiz all the way down the mountain.

Those who prefer a more authentic feel to their snow sports locations go to Flims Laax or Corvatsch. Flims Laax has good ski schools, a number of marked off-piste runs covers a huge area and brilliant terrain and caters for all levels and budgets. Corvatsch is located in the Romance area of Switzerland. Part of St Moritz it's reasonably priced with a relaxed, Italian atmosphere, superb skiing for all levels, lots of off-piste, good lifts, a wide variety of things to do at night and a lake around which you can cross country ski.

Gala in Norway is just north of Lillehammer in the land of Peer Gynt. Its trails are well maintained and the area extensive, offering something for everyone, with easy routes for beginners and runs in the panoramic high ground for experienced skiers. Tlt; the top hotel there, has won awards for its environmental policies, is built in a traditional style and provides direct access from the door to excellent cross-country and downhill runs.

The Cadrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand works for its designation of total family resort, with purpose built facilities for children of ages 3 months to 12 years. The 'other Alps' also offer snowboard camps, graded slopes, heli skiing, snow tubing, glacial and Nordic skiing in a dozen commercial ski areas. You can also ski the slopes of the semi-active volcano of Mt Ruapehu or take a day off for any of a number of adrenaline-pumping activities including white water rafting, jet boating and sky diving.

Finally, Val d'Ordino in Andorra is a great place to start. It's very child-friendly with good schools, many easy slopes for beginners and intermediates and a couple of good powder fields and mogul slopes.