It’s a waning, winter afternoon and you’ve enjoyed a full day on the slopes at one of Michigan’s more than 40 ski areas.

A bit weary but not yet ready to call it a day, you head out for some more downhill fun.

Just know this: Those in the know say fatigue and exertion are the leading reasons for skiing accidents in the late afternoon.

Some advice: Don’t be nervous, don’t be frightened, don’t be scared.

Be prepared.

For that, say savvy skiing authorities, you need to work on your fitness before the ski season gets underway. Gliding down a mountain is exhilarating and great fun, especially if you have taken time in advance for strengthening exercises.

Those in the know say there is much you can do before your first ski trip of the season, with an emphasis on workouts for strength, flexibility, mobility and cardio.

In short, take time to hit the gym before you hit the slopes.

“Any skier will perform better if you bring a level of fitness into the season,” advises Erik Lundteigen, ski coach at Northern Michigan University. “Keeping active during the off-season, makes the transition into the ski season much better.”

Ski Magazine puts it this way: “Gravity always wins. … It pulls us into the hill and twists our limbs.”

Citing recent studies, CORE Orthopedics & Sports Medicine reports skiers suffer three injuries for every 1,000 skiing days. Knee injuries are among the most common, according to the American Hip Institute & Orthopedic Specialists. Also all too frequent are head, shoulder and thumb injuries.

For advance preparations to strengthen your body and minimize risk, we offer suggestions from three skiing veterans — two successful coaches and a specialist in emergency and sports medicine:

• Erik Lundteigen, coach of the Northern Michigan University women’s and men’s varsity ski teams. Seven of the school’s athletes have won All America honors.

• Craig McLeod, ski team coach at Pontiac’s Notre Dame Preparatory School. Notre Dame girls teams have won four state championships and the boys teams have twice been runners-up.

• Dr. Laura Owczarek, Department of Emergency Medicine Division of Sports Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital. She has been a skier for some three decades.

Here are some of their suggestions:

Erik Lundteigen

“Any activity that strengthens your legs is strongly recommended,” he said. “Walking, hiking, running are all things outside of the gym that will help you prepare for ski season. In the gym, work on your legs and balance. Box jumps (jumping from the floor onto a box or an elevated surface) are a great way to increase leg strength and explosiveness.

“Alpine skiing is a gravity sport. However, a level of good cardio is also important. If you are planning a trip where higher altitude comes into play, then your cardio becomes even more important. Any activity that gets you moving and your heart racing helps. Some great crossover sports include tennis, pickleball, basketball or biking.

“Flexibility is also very important. Make sure you stretch out before hitting the slopes. This will get your muscles prepared for a great day of skiing. Being strong and flexible will help protect you from injuries.

“One very important thing to remember, most ski injuries happen late in the day when you are getting tired. Shut things down when you start feeling tired.”

Craig McLeod

“Wall sit-ups are good to strengthen the legs. Put your butt and shoulders to the wall, slide down with your thighs parallel to the ground and your hands at your side.”

Hold that for 30 seconds with each repetition for five minutes. Do that enough, McLeod said, and “you’ll be ready for skiing.”

He also recommended the “beep test,” a running aerobic fitness exercise that requires continuous running between two lines that face each other about 20 feet apart. Using an audio device, participants run back and forth before the sound of the next beep to indicate the start of the next shuttle.

“This is a great way to tell whether you are ready to go skiing,” he said.

Among other beneficial exercises, he said, are tried and true chin-ups, a resistance exercise to target bicep, deltoid and back muscles without compromising the shoulders. Using a strong, immobile, overhead bar or a pull-up assist machine, participants pull themselves up from a stationary position, keep their legs still, pause with their chin above the bar, pausing for a moment at the top before lowering back down.

Dr. Laura Owczarek

She emphasizes the benefits of overall fitness, especially when pursuing outdoor sports such as skiing. “It’s important to tolerate exercise for hours at a time,” she said.

In addition to taking care to strengthen cardiovascular health and strength, she said skiers should take care to use safe equipment that “fits right.” That includes helmets that are well-fitted, she said.

Warmups and stretching exercises are important, too.

“Good strong leg muscles will help with fatigue, especially later in the day,” she said.