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39 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com Since it is early in the season, your Country Ski & Sport Inc. has a special on tune-ups and safety checks, as well as some great discounts on skis, boots, bindings and boards. It's also important to check for sizing on your helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and goggles. Some of your outdoor wear may be a "fashion faux pas" or a little snug or just plain worn out. The other aspect of proper preparation for the skiing and boarding season is getting your body in shape for using those muscles and muscle groups that have been on hiatus for the last few months. Many of us unfortunately only get away skiing for a week's vacation trip or several weekend and day trips. With the expense of staying slope side, you don't want to get injured due to a lack of "preventive maintenance." According to several sources, most injuries occur within the first couple of days of a vacation and most frequently at the end of the day when you hear, "Let's do one last run." Listen to your body, and if you're feeling too much "burn and wobble," it's time to enjoy some après ski activities. For an actual exercise regimen, you can always count on the tried and true walking lunges, wall squats, calf raises, pushups, sit ups, trunk rotations, quad stretches and leg lifts. Additional exercises specific to skiing or boarding can be found online. If you have the benefit of a personal trainer, he or she can tailor a program to meet your needs. Like all new exercise programs, start out slow and easy or you are going to be too sore and discouraged to continue. Again, consult a trainer and remember that slow and steady wins the race. If you decide that new equipment is a necessity and not a luxury, then your next decision is whether to buy or rent. We have all experienced the nightmare of the slope side rental department. The assembly line approach, long lines and the costs make renting ahead of time the way to go. Renting from Country Ski & Sport Inc. gives you more time on the slopes, better quality equipment and more money in your pocket. You go to the mountain to ski, not stand in line. Another downside to renting at the mountain is that everyone is provided with essentially the same equipment, causing a real nightmare when you go to the rack after a lunch or snack break. This can make it difficult to tell which set of skis are really yours, or you find at the end of the day or vacation when it's return time (yet another line and waiting) that you have the wrong set of equipment. Locally, Country Ski & Sport Inc. in Quincy, Hanson (on the Hanover Town line) and Westwood offer full service rentals of skis, boards and snowshoes. This offers skiers who don't own their equipment or who want to test some of newer equipment before buying an opportunity to do so. Renting locally at Country Ski & Sport Inc. gives you a variety of equipment from which to choose. QUINCY 161 Quincy Ave • 617.773.3993 WESTWOOD 335 Providence Highway • 781.326.3993 HANSON 901 Winter St (on Hanover Town Line) 781.826.2022 Countryski.com YOUR COUNTRY SKI & BIKE SHOPS EXCLUSIVE RETAILER AT BOSTON SKI AND SPORTS SHOW NOVEMBER 10-13 AT SEAPORT WORLD TRADE CENTER IN BOSTON