The title might pose an ironic question–how is it possible to get cardiac arrest while performing cardiovascular activity? The answer is: it’s very much possible. Skiing and snowboarding act as wonderful winter sports and hobbies for most Americans, regardless of age or background. However, it is a somewhat demanding physical activity that requires careful preparation. Besides from planning for cabins, rental cars, and plane tickets, people should also plan to physically prepare their bodies to bear the altitude and temperature of the slopes.

Doctor Gert Klug of the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria says, “Our study of tourists in the Austrian Alps shows that inadequate preparation for the physical exertion required, combined with the effect of high altitude and cold temperatures, led to an increase in heart attacks, particularly during the first two days of vacation.”

Klug also mentions that sound research has shown 40% of death on the slopes was attributed to sudden cardiac arrest, mainly heart attacks.

The European Society of Cardiology Congress completed a recent study that analyzed the data of 110 people who have suffered heart attacks during a winter sports activity from 2006 to 2010. The results show:

* 56% of heart attacks occurred within the first two days of hitting the slopes; 39% struck on the day of arrival.
* About one in five people had suffered previous heart symptoms, and seven in 10 had at least two heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or smoking.
* Half suffered their heart attack during or within one hour of activity.
* The average time from hitting the slopes to suffering the first symptoms was nearly two hours.
* More than 50% had not been doing the recommended levels of exercise before they left.

So what’s the solution? Exercise at least 2 weeks prior to your vacation. You should put in at least 2 hours or exercise each day in order to physically prepare yourself for such drastic changes on the slopes. The altitude and temperature levels do play a role in increasing risk of a heart attack, although the winter sport itself is typically safe. An increase in altitude of an average 4000 feet and a drop in temperature of an average 50-60 degrees will make you body more vulnerable. Ray Gibbons, MD of the American Heart Association says that physical preparation, high altitudes, and cold temperatures create a “perfect storm” for heart attacks.

In essence, the answer here is to prepare, not avoid the slopes. It is not an act of discouragement, but more so a precursor to let everyone know that skiing and snowboarding would require heart preparation in order to do it safely.