Trust Us, You Want This Massage Gun - Powder Magazine

[massage]

As skiers, we’re notorious for beating ourselves up. Rest and self care frequently take the back seat when storm days are involved, and the send-no-matter-what mentality that ski towns rally around doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with days off.

On a hut trip last winter, I was lounging around the fire after a long day of ski touring when a friend whipped out her Hyperice Hypervolt Cordless Vibration Massager.

Hyperice

Hypervolt Cordless Vibration Massager

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Photo Credit: Hyperice


I watched my friends take turns pummeling their sore muscles into a satisfactory state before passing the slightly barbaric-looking device around the circle to the next jelly-legged victim. Watching their reactions, you could have guessed that any of them had just scored a rope drop after a 12-inch storm. It seemed tempting, although I had to admit it looked like a pretty violent way to recover.

Despite my doubts, it took all but 1.3 seconds to convert me. The sweet relief of the Hypervolt’s percussive therapy sent my quads and glutes into a state of relaxation that was previously unheard of after a day of ski touring. It was almost better than the malty red ale I was trying not to drop from my other hand. From that day forward, aprés beers became synonymous with a quality Hypervolt sesh.

Vibrating massage therapy has become big with athletes and recreationalists in the last few years to aid in muscle recovery after big workouts, or in our case, long days in the mountains. It’s super effective for reducing muscle pain and lactic acid build-up and it can help with range of motion in tighter areas.

I had a few hip surgeries last year and using this before and after skiing has become a total game changer for getting me ready for action the next day. It may seem pretty overkill to tote around something like the Hypervolt, but you’ll thank me later.

There are tons of massage guns available these days, with various shapes, sizes, and massage attachments. I’ve found the Hypervolt to be the best all-around option and not as pricey as some of the other leading brands like TheraGun. (Editor’s note: Hypervolt is on sale during REI’s Memorial Day Sale through 5/25.)

Judging by the fact that a one hour massage costs $75-$100, I think this thing pays for itself pretty quickly. That’s not to say you get the same experience as a relaxing hour of deep tissue massage on the shore of a white sand beach, but for a ski bum looking for a little relief at 9,000 ft, it’s as close as we’re going to get.

It’s also one of the quieter massage guns you can get, which may not seem like a big deal at first, but the loud noise of other models can get pretty obnoxious after a while.

The Hypervolt is simple to use, with one main power button that turns it on and also adjusts intensity. You can switch between three levels of intensity, although the lowest setting is more than enough for post-shred recovery.

It comes with four different attachments, although the standard flat attachment seems to do the trick for most of the tightness I get in my glutes and hamstrings. The battery lasts a little under three hours, with lights on the back that indicate how much longer you have before it needs a charge. I hardly charge mine—turns out three hours is an insanely long time for a percussive massage—although the charger is packable enough that I usually take it with me if I’m gone for more than a day.

It’s portability has also proved to be incredibly useful while traveling (it’s actually TSA approved), which is why this model is pretty popular with physical therapists and healthcare professionals. At 2.5 lbs, the Hypervolt weighs about the same as a full Nalgene, so you can decide what your priority is when skinning in to your next hut trip.