Great news for all skiers from TIME Magazine. Turns out doing what you love is on par with cycling and rowing workouts. Obviously it depends on skill level, terrain, and how hard you push yourself but this TIME article on the subject makes it clear that the benefits of skiing “far outweigh” the risks:
“Alpine skiing is a mix of endurance and resistance training. It has positive effects on the heart and circulation, as well as peripheral muscles—predominately the legs.” –Dr. Josef Niebauer
Conveniently interval training is built into resort skiing with anywhere from 20 seconds to 15 minutes of high output during a descent followed by a rest period during your chairlift ride back to the top. Evidence is piling up that suggests interval training can provide wide range of benefits including overall life extension
“In terms of working your heart research has shown that downhill skiing roughly equates to cycling or rowing workouts.” TIME Magazine