Training, Tricks & Tips

Skimo Training Locations Series – Summit County, Colorado

November 7, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

The idea of this series is to highlight local skimo training zones. Not the big, rad lines in the backcountry that you go to for huge missions, but the day in, day out, reliable training spots. It could be on piste or backcountry but it’s where you go to crank out intervals or hone your descending.
Today, we have Ram Mikulas telling us about Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Summit County Colorado, near Denver.

Where is it?

The north side of Summit County, Colorado is a bit closer to Denver but also near Breckenridge. You have two ski resort options: Keystone and Arapahoe Basin – we have a profile of both!

What makes it special?

Keystone is a great early morning workout to get in some good vert quickly. And the high speed groomers down put a grin on your face. The first pitch is steep, so forget about warming up! Once you’ve topped out the first pitch you can get in some good intervals and still have time for a cool down as you reach the top. Arapahoe Basin has less vert, but the views above treeline early in the morning can’t be beat… just do multiple laps if you need to!

Where is the trailhead/parking?

Keystone: Hunki Dori Lot in River Run Village right next to the River Run Gondola
» Strava Segment for Keystone
A-Basin: Main parking lot.
» Strava Segment for A-Basin

What are the rules?

At Keystone, uphill access is only open before and after public lift served operating hours. No designated routes, but skiers must not impede or obstruct ski area operations at any time. Pets used to be allowed, but are no longer allowed on the ski area at any time. Must abide by all posted signs, including all closed signs. Click here for the official info.
A-Basin supports uphill skiers in a big way and puts on the local Abasin Rise and Shine Race Series. Get a free uphill pass. All access before and after lifts run (well behaved dogs welcome during this time). Limited access to mid-mountain during lift hours (no dogs). Click here for the official Info.

What is the local training group?

At Keystone, the local training group has a standing 5:30am Tuesday and Thursday meeting time. If you’re late, you’re skinning alone.
At A-Basin, local training groups gather informally on most days along with their four legged friends. Many of the regulars are members of the Summit Skimo Club which welcomes new members to the sport.

What workouts are best to do here?

It’s all about the groomer vert here. 2300′ at Keystone and 1600′ at A-Basin. Don’t forget to check out the Rise and Shine Rando Series!
Stay tuned to SkinTrack and the Training Zone Series for more of the best training locations around North America and beyond!
Got a zone you would like us to showcase? Leave us a comment below and we will get in touch!

Guide to Overtraining for Mountain Athletes: What it is, Symptoms, Causes, Effects, Treatment, and Prevention

October 29, 2016 By Stano Faban 6 Comments

We originally published this post in November 2013 but it with the new season at our door it is highly relevant.
As highly enthusiastic mountain athletes there are many times we overextend our bodies to either achieve our goals or to simply have more fun. This can become a problem if we do it too often without balancing it with adequate recovery.
Overtraining can have serious long-term consequences on high level athletes. So if you are highly competitive, über-driven, or just training to push your limits then this article is for you!

Overtraining vs Overreaching

Increases in training load decrease performance capacity acutely, and it’s only with a sufficient rest and recovery that performance improvements occur.
Training load is a combination of the following:

Exercise intensity (easy effort, hard effort… could be measured in heart-rate)
Each workout’s length (in time)
Workouts frequency (per day, week, month…)

What is overreaching?

The application of the training load is called overreaching. Functional overreaching (FO) is a temporary performance decrement in response to increased training load which will result in better performance after a period of recovery. This calculated process is also called super-compensation.
Functional overreaching is the cornerstone of modern periodization that follows an increasing load and recovery pattern.

What is overtraining?

Excessive training without sufficient rest can lead to the physical and psychological impairment of ability called overtraining.
Non-functional overreaching (NFO) is manifested in a significantly longer or more severe decrement in performance. Physiological reductions in performance may be accompanied by psychological and neuroendocrine symptoms.

Because of the extended period of decreased performance, training time is lost and super-compensation does not occur.
Furthermore, chronic NFO can lead in rare cases to overtraining syndrome (OTS), with more extreme symptoms, and performance decrements lasting much longer. The specific differences between NFO and OTS are the subject of debate but sports professionals can agree that both have (possibly severe) negative effects on the athlete.

Symptoms of Overtraining

Overreaching and overtraining can present with a range of signs and symptoms that may be difficult to differentiate from infections or even functional overreaching preceding super-compensation (recovery).

Causes of Overtraining

The cause of these symptoms is the result of three interacting factors:

Heavy training load
Insufficient rest
Non-training physical or psychological stressors

The third factor – physical or psychological stressors – are common, especially in severe cases of OTS. These may be training related stressors or other life stressors, and may be recurring or more severe triggers. These include:

Lack of training variation
Insomnia
Altitude training
Work/family/relationship stress
High stress competitions (playoffs)/excessive competition
Illness

These causes are commonly associated with overtraining and can frequently be identified in hindsight by reviewing training logs. However, the specific pathophysiology that leads from poor recovery from training to overtraining is unclear.
The specifics of each hypothesis for overtraining is outside the scope of this article but it is likely a multi-factorial syndrome that includes inadequate fuel for muscle metabolism, high levels of oxidative stress, neural and hormonal depression, nervous system imbalance and chronic inflammation. These combine for a systematic effect on a range of organ systems.

Effects of Overtraining

The long-term effects of overtraining are varied and can potentially permanently change physical ability.
Like any overuse injury, extreme overtraining can lead to changes in tissue as a result of severe breakdown without recovery. Damage is unable to repair itself and muscle fibers are replace by fibrosis. Neurohormonal and metabolic effects can result in compromised nerve action on muscle tissues, decreases in the important hormones that regulate tissue repair, and severe fatigue.

Diagnosing Overtraining

Diagnosis of overtraining is difficult because no specific tests definitively identify overtraining; overtraining is a diagnosis of exclusion. Athletes with specific risk factors in whom all other possible diagnoses are ruled out may be overtrained. The diagnosis includes:

A performance decrement lasting longer than usual (weeks to months) despite sufficient recovery
Disturbances in mood
No alternative diagnosis for decreased performance

Common differential diagnoses include asthma, iron deficiency, and malnutrition or disordered eating.
Overtraining cannot be diagnosed without a sufficient period of rest and recovery as this is a critical component of the definition. If the athlete returns to previous level of performance with 14-21 days of rest, a diagnosis of NFO can be made. If the required period of rest is greater than 21 days, OTS may be diagnosed.
A critical first step in diagnosing overtraining is a careful analysis of an athletes history. A nutrition history may reveal disordered eating. A complete blood count (CBC) will rule out iron deficiency. Analyzing recent training patterns may reveal increases in training load that could act as a trigger. Frequently, faced with recent poor performances, athletes will increase training load, triggering or exacerbating overtraining.
Consultation with a sports medicine physician can lead to further testing for other diseases or infections that may underly symptoms of fatigue. A referral to a sports psychologist is useful for assessing changes in mood. The profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaire is commonly used to diagnose and assess overtraining.

Treatment

Treatment of overtraining is highly dependent on the athlete. Rest is critical with some athletes requiring total abstinence from training while others recovering best with very small increases in volume from 5min/day to 1hr as long as fatigue is not limiting.
Intensity should be avoided completely until the athlete has recovered to their previous performance and motivation level. A sports physician and sports psychologist can provide significant support by monitoring progress

Prevention is Critical

Prevention is the most important message related to overtraining. Many mountain athletes compete for the joy of being outdoors and competing in the mountain environment. This can be both beneficial and increase the risk for overtraining.
Most mountain endeavours are dictated by the weather and rain is an excellent motivator for taking a rest day. Mountain athletes are also less likely to follow a strict training schedule and frequently train by feel, taking rest days when tired.
However, with the increasing competitiveness of mountain sports, athletes are training harder and more specifically for their sport to improve their performance.
The most important aspect of preventing overtraining is being aware of the causes and symptoms outlined above.

In order to increase training load and avoid overtraining, several simple principles of training can be employed:

Training schedules should use some form of periodization to ensure adequate training load and recovery. This is augmented by proper preparation and tapering before competitions to ensure they do not act as a trigger for overtraining.
Training loads should be adjusted based on fatigue during training, performance in competition and mood.
If a training session was inordinately difficult, had severe weather stress or was impossible to complete due to fatigue, additional rest is advised.
Even outside the context of overtraining, sufficient caloric intake and high quality nutrition with adequate hydration and sleep are a critical component for any athlete.

A coach is an extremely valuable asset for any athlete. Coaches can take an outside view of the training plan being followed without feeling the same pressures as an athlete to train and perform.
Physical testing, usually in the form of a standard time-trial is a highly effective form of monitoring for performance improvements or overtraining. A local loop or climb with defined start and finish can be used along with time, average HR, and perceived effort. By tracking these stats for your time-trial on a semi-regular basis, you can identify early signs of overtraining. That is, if you are under performing on your loop (going slow), working harder, or your average HR is high, it’s time to rest and start examining the rest of your training plan for overtraining risk factors.

Key points

To minimize the risk of overtraining keep in mind some simple yet key points:

Overtraining can have serious long-term consequences on high level athletes.
Reduced performance does not always mean that you are not training hard enough, frequently it means the opposite.
Monitoring training, stress, and recovery are the best forms of prevention.

References:

Kreher and Schwartz. Overtraining Syndrome: A Practical Guide (2012)
Richard Budgett. Fatigue and underperformance in athletes: the overtraining syndrome (1998)
Peter Janssen. Lactate Threshold Training (2001)

Useful Tips for Traveling: Skimo Racing and Ski Touring in Europe

October 16, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Racing in Europe is awesome. Hopefully this post helps smooth out some of the bumps for a first time visitor!

For North Americans, skimo racing in Europe is not only a humbling and awesome sporting experience but also an adventure into different cultures, customs and rules. While most of that is very pleasant, there are times that the language barriers make it challenging to figure things out.
In this article, we are going to share some tips and our general observations to help you navigate the foreign waters. They are mostly based on Eric’s experience from racing most of the 2014/15 World Cup circuit while staying in Chamonix for few months, with Stano adding a couple of useful bits as well (after all he grew up in Europe).

Registering for races

Make sure to research sign-up opening and deadline at least 5-6 months ahead of the event as many races (specifically Pierra Menta, Mezzalama and Patrouille de Glaciers) tend to sell out in a matter of few weeks. In general, the registration fees (calculated per day) are comparable to North American events but obviously vary from race to race, and the value of services depends on the organizers but usually it’s pretty high. The current system uses a central registrations system through the Grande Course website which should be the first stop to investigate.
Make sure you have all your information sorted before reg including your National and ISMF license.
Another thing to keep in mind, when signing up, are potential requirements which don’t exist in North America. From special gear (rope, ice axe, etc) to doctor’s note proving you are healthy to race, make sure to study each race’s rules. Doctor’s notes are much easier to get in North America ahead of time than at the last minute in a foreign country. The French Alpine Federation FFME has a form that can be downloaded and filled out.
» Here’s the 2017 Skimo World Cup calendar

Cities to fly into for popular race locations

Given the travel distances to most European races and convenient flight connections from US and Canada we believe these are some of the best cities to fly into:
Geneva, Switzerland:
– very central location with Western Europe
– 1.5h to Chamonix
– 2h to Pierra Menta location
Milan, Italy:
– still quite central location
– 3-4h to 2017 World Champ venues
– 3-4h to most other races
Turin, Italy:
– more difficult with connections but it’s close to many cool races in France and Italy
Zurich and Bern, Switzerland:
– still in the center of things
Barcelona, Spain (Catalonia):
– close to Andorra and Pyrenees
– many cool races within 3-4h, including some 2017 World Cups
– great city to hang out in
Paris, France and Rome, Italy:
– a bit further from the mountains but easy to get connections to
– sightseeing at its best
Below is a Google map with the above cities and some most important/popular races. If you don’t see it then click here to display it on Google Maps.

Trains in Europe are rad and get you all over the place!

Transportation – Cars and Trains/Shuttles

For standard ski touring and climbing trips, depending on trains and shuttles is fine. For travelling to races a car is necessary as most are at out-of-the-way locations.
Many car rental companies require a deposit for twice the rental price of the car be put on your card so be sure you have enough of a limit to allow this. Also, most rental cars will have standard transmission unless you pay significantly extra for an automatic. There is nothing like learning to drive a stick in a rental car parking lot in a small town in France 🙂
Also, it is important to be explicit that you require winter tires as driving to some of the ski areas can be treacherous – tiny roads, lots of snow, steep hills. Tire chains can be purchased relatively cheap so better just to buy them rather than rent from the car company. Even if it feels like summer in the valley in which you rent, it may be VERY wintery up at the race venue!
Be prepared as tolls on major freeways in France, Italy, and elsewhere can be significant – it is definitely best to carpool if possible. If you are driving in Switzerland, Germany and other countries you will require an annual or multi-month toll pass sticker (buy it at any bigger gas station).
Places are closer than they are in North America but still require some planning and travel but it’s worth it. One of Eric’s favourite races of his “Euro” season was a last second decision to go to Poland for a teams race. Chamonix to Poland is 1500km (1000 miles) of driving!

The best places to stay have skiing right out the back door.

Housing and Accommodation

Staying long-term can be tricky if you don’t have a connection with a place to stay. The best chance to find an apartment is if you have a friend who can help.
When travelling to races, ask the race organizers where to stay – they usually have designated athletes lodging with board. This tends to be a simpler option if you are unfamiliar with the area and it allows you to focus on your goals.
Hotels can be expensive and in smaller towns and are a little different than what we expect from North American hotels – usually they are smaller and run fairly minimally, you won’t find a Holiday Inn at Transcavello.

Lifts are all over the place and go to amazing places. Mt. Gele, Switzerland.

Equipment

If you are going to Europe specifically to race, just bring skinny skis. Most of the time I was on-piste or in the high mountains on stable days. I never used my fat skis once in the four months I was in Europe – that being said, I was there to race and climb, not ski pow or the resorts.
Bring one pair of race skis and one pair of training skis. Mid-winter, the skinny skins were nice but when spring rolled around and things started to melt-freeze regularly, it was key to have wider ones.
Things can get boney so don’t be surprised if you break some equipment. Luckily, most of the equipment manufacturers are located in the Alps so if you break a boot or binding, they are usually pretty helpful. I had very good luck with both Plum and Gignoux promptly fixing broken equipment. The Plum factory in particular was a treat to visit as they refurbished my bindings free of charge on the spot.
Bring sufficient skins (or be prepared to purchase) as a season full of racing will seriously take life out of skins. Ski crampons are critical for spring touring as well.
Crevasses in the alps are serious, much more like the Rockies – actually pretty scary. We carried crevasse rescue equipment most of the time and I was happy to have it. Picking up a short glacier rope when you arrive is relatively cheap (Technique Extreme in Chamonix, View Au Campeur elsewhere in France). For climbing, we usually used a 60m half rope for easier routes and also had a 60m single for harder stuff. This really depends on trip goals (skiing vs. climbing).
I think an axe/tool hybrid like the Petzl Sum’tec is a good option. A light axe is nice for snow but it was handy to have the pick of a tool on the occasion that we encountered a bit of ice. We had tools as well for real climbing and that was worth it.
It’s usually pretty warm in central Europe. I had a down jacket that I used rarely and a thin synthetic puffy that I used ALL the time. A sleeveless shirt to wear under the skin suit was also invaluable in warm weather races.

Be prepared for the occasional off day. Guidebooks and maps can be easily found in most outdoor stores. The kindle was awesome to have.

Power

Check all your appliances and see if you need a power transformer or just a converter. Everything I brought with me required just a basic plug converter except for my boot dryer which I didn’t check because everything else worked fine. I plugged it in and it went into turbo drive and then started smoking… 🙂

Food

Gels, energy food, etc. are expensive in Europe so bring as much as you can from home. Stuff your ski boots with gels. Bring specialty foods (chia, hemp hearts,…) if you eat them as they are harder to a get hold of in many places.
Remember, grocery stores in Europe are smaller and operate in much more limited hours. Most small towns won’t have a superstore type grocery but just a small family run store. There is frequently a lunch/afternooon break when the store is closed and it can be almost impossible to find groceries in a small town on a Sunday. Plan ahead or be prepared to be eating bread and Nutella for dinner 🙂

Most resorts are pretty uphill friendly. Ask a local but it is much less restrictive than North America.

Training

European resorts are much more tolerant of uphill skiers on-piste than resorts in North America but still rules can be quite variable. Some resorts have specific off-piste access routes while others allow skinning anywhere on-piste at any time. For example, Grand Montets in Chamonix allows you to skin up the ski-out run outside of operating hours and has an off-piste access route for during hours.
In the spring however, the access route was melted out so we skinned up the run. Patrollers were rare but warned us that we were breaking the rules skinning during operating hours but never explicitly asked us to ski down. Verbier on the other hand was a free for all. The best strategy is probably to talk with a local racer or check in at the local touring store to find out the ideal place to train.

Huts are all over the place and much more well equipped! Argentiere, France.

Other useful tips

A data plan was super handy – finding hotels and race venues we used GPS and email a ton. It is easy to buy a cheap phone when you arrive and can be nice for in-country calls or emergencies but may not work everywhere. I’ll spend the extra money on a worldwide data plan next time. (Note: even a really good data plan may not work everywhere – ahem – Andorra…)
Wifi is much less reliable. Cafes frequently have wifi but expect to buy something and it’s pretty slow. Finding free, fast wifi to do work-related things was much more difficult than in North America. Uploading batches of photos was nearly impossible. Hotels frequently advertise wifi but only offer it in the lobby (and it is slow). McDonald’s was the most reliable.
Make sure you know the local emergency number. We were the first on scene of a climbing accident and were only able to call the rescue because I had randomly downloaded an app with their number on it to my phone. Without that, we would have had no idea who to call.
I joked that if I ever was to get injured, it should be while I was on this trip because it was the most well insured I’ve ever been in my life. I had travel insurance through my employer, accident/rescue insurance through the American Alpine Club, and because I was racing in Switzerland, I had to purchase rescue service/insurance from REGA. All of this was relatively painless with a bit of research.
Lift tickets work differently and usually better. If you are uploading only once to mid station, it is likely considerably less expensive than a day pass. Downloading only tickets are even less. It’s not like spending $120 just to think about riding a lift at a resort in North America.

What are your tips and observations?

Share your Euro tricks with us in the comments below so we can all have a smoother trip the next time we go 🙂
Thank you!

Skimo Training: How to Transition to On-Snow Training

October 12, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Summer is firmly in the rear view mirror and the days are starting crisp and dark. Snow is flying in the mountains and, depending on where you live, it’s time to finally start skiing. Before you do, here are our tips to make the transition as seamless as possible.
» Previous article in this series – Skimo Training Series: Training tips for September-October

1) Inspect your gear

Make sure the skis are in good shape and freshly waxed. Look for compressed edges and water damage. Inspect your bindings carefully for cracks, worn out heel pins, and check that all the screws are tight. Do necessary repairs to boot liners and check the shell rivets to make sure they are snug. Make sure that your bindings are adjusted to your boots – this is obvious but from time to time even the most diligent people get surprised some times 😉
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, diligently inspect and test your safety gear and make sure your shovel and probe are in working order, and that you have fresh batteries installed in your beacon and it works.

2) Pick the right location

All it takes is one well aimed storm and it can be game on. The best early season skiing is typically at higher altitudes and on permanent snow and ice or on smooth alpine slopes at ski areas. Paved or logging roads are also a good option as they don’t require much snow to be skiable. While glaciers give the best chance for skiing with minimal snow cover they also provide objective hazards. Crevasses can be thinly bridged and exposed ice can break ankles as Stano experienced two years ago.

Our early season ski attempt on Mount Baker (3,285 m), or Kulshan in native, couple of years ago didn't very well - unexpected frigid temperatures, wind-scoured glacier, and short day light had us turn around 400m below summit. — Our early season ski attempt on Mount Baker (3,285 m), or Kulshan in native, couple of years ago didn’t go very well – unexpected frigid temperatures, wind-scoured glaciers, and short day-light had us turn around 400 m below the summit.

3) Ease into it

Your first few ski sessions should be easy distance affairs. Hold off on the intensity until your body has time to adapt to the new training stress.

4) Prepare your body ahead of time

Let’s be honest, #3 is never going to happen. So to make up for that first, glorious 4-5 hour ski day (plus some hiking), make sure you adapt your training plan in the lead up to snow flying. Take a look at our previous post in the training series, as well as our training Skimo Manual and incorporate the following tips:

1-2 roller-ski sessions per week will help strengthen muscles that have gone unused since spring.
Include poles on uphill training sessions to prepare your triceps.
Specific strength training should include:
- Back extensor muscles should be targeted during core training.
- Ski specific movements such as single leg squat should be incorporated into power training sessions.
- Axial loading exercises should be incorporated into strength and power training sessions (squat, deadlift, cleans, snatches).

5) Focus on quality recovery

Increasing training hours and training in colder weather increases the overall stress on the body. Immune function can be compromised so it is important to balance this stress with a renewed focus on recovery and nutrition. Fuel properly during and after workouts and avoid the chill!

6) Low angle skinning

As you transition from running shoes onto skis your legs and body will take some time to adapt. During this transitioning period, low(er) angle skinning is preferable as it is less taxing physically, thus, allowing for better technique and higher stride frequency. Once your body adapts, after couple of weeks or 6-8 sessions, you will be able to sustain good technique on steeper gradients as well.

Biking Instead of Running? Proven Tips for Effective Summer Skimo Cross-training

May 9, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

The following article is a guest post by Peter Knight and is similar to our last week’s post – How to Start Running After a Skimo Season Without Getting Injured – but with specialized information for skimo racers that prefer cycling and mountain biking rather than running in the summer. Peter is a Canadian Skimo Team member that keeps on improving every season but he came to the sport from mtb and road roacing. I have known him for over 5 years and since I have full confidence in his advice I asked him to summarize his tips below.

Early spring

With dry trails and roads, and excellent skiing at higher elevations, spring is my favourite time of year.
If you are still skiing on the weekends, and putting in big days, it is important to contain the excitement and ease up on the after-work riding. If you have hung up the bike over the winter it might take a couple of 1-2 hour rides to ease the legs and butt into riding again. The good news is that, in my experience, the first hard bike ride never hurts as much as the first hard ski. After transitioning into riding, it can be pretty easy to step it up to 4-6 rides per week. It’s also nice being able to train right from your front door!
Spring came early for me this year. Bike trails and roads dried up while creek crossings opened up and snow melted from valley approaches. In addition, biking (indoors and fat-biking) made up most of my midweek training during the skimo season so it didn’t take me long to adapt.
Bike fit is important:
Make sure your bike and shoes are set up properly. I set up all my bikes: mountain, road, and fatbike with identical saddle positioning.

Summer training and planning

After a season of skimo racing, the engine should be in top shape, but it will be tired. It is important to take a couple of weeks and weekends easy before getting back into training. And while the engine is in top shape, it will take some time for the legs to adapt to the sharp accelerations of bike racing. Unfortunately, where I live, there are lots of great events scheduled in May, but if you are like me and have spent your weekends in April skiing instead of cycling then your legs might not be ready yet.
While long climbs should be our strength, due to skimo training, I think it is valuable to work on a variety of systems:

Sustained power output on the flats (like a time trial),
and short, repeated efforts with reduced recovery found in mountain biking and criterium racing.
Mix it up and try not to fall into a trap of doing the same workout/effort over and over again. For this reason, I think I’ll pull out the road bike more often this year. Find a group ride or a midweek race series to push yourself.

Personally, I focus on Olympic format XC races lasting under 2 hours while occasionally dabbling in longer events. While the short events seem to be dying out in favour of longer races and stage races, their duration, intensity, and community is similar to skimo. Rides over 4 hours on the weekend are the exception rather than the norm.
Stano’s experience: I regularly jump between trail running and road cycling during the summer and fall as in my experience the two sports complement each other very well as skimo cross-training activities. Trail or mountain running is preferable in terms of building specific strength, movement and skills that translate nicely to skimo, however, doing a 3-4 hour ride is much easier on tired running legs than doing another 2-3 hour run. The regular change in activities also keep things fresh while I perform majority of intervals only by uphill running.

Riding in the fall

This last winter, due to living in flat Edmonton, Peter rode his fat bike a lot as means of training for skimo. — This last winter, due to living in flat Edmonton, Peter rode his fat bike often as means of training for skimo.

Cyclo-cross racing is getting increasingly popular in the fall. While I believe the repeated high intensity efforts are valuable, focusing specifically on this discipline requires racing twice on the weekends, and even adding a midweek race. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for other specialized workouts. Thus, my opinion is that the odd race is good but a full season might leave you tired or lacking once on the skis.

Stretching and strength building

Stretching and strength tips are similar to running. I’m looking forward to trying the exercises for glutes, hip flexors and IT band mentioned in the running article last week – How to Start Running After a Skimo Season Without Getting Injured.

How to Start Running After a Skimo Season Without Getting Injured

April 30, 2016 By Stano Faban 4 Comments

Although the ski season is not fully finished yet, we are all thinking about summer activities more and more with every sunrise. A year ago we published a post discussing a couple of general points for Transitioning from Skimo to Summer Training, however, we haven’t talked about specific things related to running, which tends to be the bread-and-butter activity for skimo athletes in summer.

We would like to provide you with more in depth advice with how to safely get back into running after spending the previous 4-6 months doing very low-impact sports compared to trail or road running.
The biggest issue for most people is to actually follow a conservative approach because they are super fit coming off a ski season, thus, think that if they can do 5-7h ski sessions then why it should be a big deal to run only 2-3h.

Create a simple plan

If you don’t plan doing any running races this summer, or only very low key, then you can skip to the next sub-heading. But if you would like to compete in a couple of events more seriously then it’s very helpful to decide on this by end of April. With that, also try to pin down what distances, which exact races and their dates.
Unless you kept running a little bit during the winter, or started already in March, then I would recommend to pick your big goals past mid-June or so. This is not only for maximizing your potential, by giving yourself time to peak again, but rather to minimize the chances of injury. Running is a much more strenuous activity on our joints and tendons than ski touring so giving your body enough time to get used to it is never a bad idea.
It’s also wise to pick such races that fit your strengths as a ski mountaineer – with lots of vertical gain, preferably long climbs, and very little flat sections.
Example: If your goal race will be in early August then spend from mid-April to end of May just easing into things (see below). In June and July, there will be plenty of time to ramp up your volume and intensity – remember, you will be carrying lots of fitness from the ski season so it’s mostly about getting used to different mechanics in the most efficient and safe way.

Easing into it: the first 4-6 weeks

The transition period from skis to running is best done while you are still skiing a bit or taking your 2-4 week rest period after a demanding season.
For first two weeks, I would advise against running more than twice a week and spacing the sessions at least 2-3 days apart. Keep each session under an hour, choose softer trails on rolling terrain and keep your pace very relaxed.
Between weeks 3 and 6, you can bump up to 3 runs per week but still keep the pace fairly easy. One of those sessions can be up to two hours if you are a seasoned runner, however, still stick to soft trails. Another session can involve a long climb and a descent for a total of 1.25-1.5h but keep it easy on the descent. Third session can be less than an hour.
During this “easing in” period you could also introduce some running technique exercises such as in the video below and also have fun with running backwards or sideways. All of these will improve your efficiency, agility and joint/muscle strength.

Strength training and stretching as injury prevention

If you rush or skip the above adaptation period then it’s quite possible you will develop injuries that will stop you from running in a couple of weeks. On top of easing into running, you should really consider doing specific exercises that will strengthen and stretch some key areas that might be imbalanced after a ski season.
Next, I am going to point a couple of the most usual problems skimo people face after a long ski season.
Important note:
Most people and even many long-time runners are always trying to fix pains or tightness in various joints or tendons by heavily focusing on stretching. While this seems logical – “let’s stretch it out because it’s tight” – in many cases you should be focusing more on strengthening than stretching. Most of body muscles are balanced by opposite or different muscle groups and a weakness in those groups will cause the balancing group to constantly overload and get tighter.

Stretching your hip flexors

By dragging the weight of our boots and skis, with uphill skinning motion, the whole winter causes many skimo racers and backcountry skiers to develop tight hip flexors. And as if skinning alone wasn’t enough, we often add to developing this problem by jumping right into the car after a day of touring instead of spending a couple of minutes to stretch. Lots of office sitting further exacerbates this issue even more.
So if you haven’t done much maintenance in the winter then it’s a great time to get that hip flexor extension back. Here is a video that shows an effective exercise and easy to do exercise as well as explains the correct form.

Knee pain, IT band syndrome and weak glutes

It is not uncommon for skiers to develop IT band syndrome in a couple of weeks by getting back to running after few months off. Here is a good definition of what IT band syndrome is and how it could be felt:

Iliotibial band syndrome occurs when the connective tissue (ligament) extending from the pelvic bone to the shinbone becomes so tight that it rubs against the thighbone. Distance runners are especially susceptible to it. The main symptom is pain between the hip and knees that worsens with activity.

Many people get diagnosed with ITB syndrome after they visit a physio to help them remedy knee pain. But the vast majority never visit a physio and often just rely on “friendly” advice so the only things they start to do is rolling their ITBs on a foam roller and stretching it. This does not solve the root of the problem but just temporary relieves symptoms. Further more, there is plenty of evidence that it’s pretty much impossible to stretch the IT band, however, it is possible to stretch or relax other areas that will feed “slack” into the ITB.
The proper way of dealing with knee pain due to ITB syndrome is strengthen a couple of key muscle groups that have developed weakness over time, thus, are throwing the whole system out of balance, and to stretch or “untighten” others.
This video shows a couple of great exercises to strengthen those key muscles. In most cases, myself included, weak glutes will be responsible for producing knee pain and ITB syndrome. Lots of times, IT band syndrome develops as result of abnormal, out of “alignment”, femur (the big thigh bone) movement which is caused by weak hips that cause our pelvis to drop. This whole chain of reactions is controlled by our “gluteus maximus and medius muscles that are the two major muscles that control the position of our pelvis and overall stability of the leg during the running stride”. Here you can read a lot more about specifics of the IT band issues.

Calf and hamstring muscles strengthening, and Achilles tightness

Eric demonstrating calf raises. Image is from our Manual for Ski Mountaineering Racing Training e-book.

The fact is, and this is something very specific to ski touring, that due to equipment used for skimo and mechanics of the sport we engage our calf muscles very little the whole winter (up to 5-6 months at times!), unless of course if you kept on running during the ski season. Because of that it’s why I like to slowly easy into running and really pay attention to my body in the first couple of weeks.
The shorter runs on soft trails with varying terrain/gradient will start activating those calf muscles and Achilles tendon in a gentle way. Supplement these short runs with a simple, full range of motion exercise like calf raises on stairs and you are setting up a good foundation for the whole season.
We talked about the importance of strengthening the gluteal muscles (glutes) already but another muscle group to pay attention to are your hamstrings. By strengthening them you will balance out the tightness that develops in your quads from skiing.

Stano showing one of the most effective hamstring and glutes exercises. Make sure to"squeeze you butt otherwise you won't engage the glutes much. Image is from our Manual for Ski Mountaineering Racing Training e-book. — Stano showing an effective hamstring and glutes exercises. and”squeeze you butt otherwise you won’t engage the glutes much. Image is from our Manual for Ski Mountaineering Racing Training e-book.

On top of that, glutes and hamstrings have been shown to be the most important muscles in generating the most force for sprinting for running, and I suspect this is also the case for skimo racing sprints. This is due to the fact that for fast sprinting, or shorter distance running, your strides will need to become longer and to sustain a longer stride you will need strong glutes and hamstrings.
Now that you are strengthening the whole back of your leg it is also wise to stretch those muscle groups to make sure they remain fluid and allow for full range of motion. You can find many good stretches for these groups online.

Running beyond those first 6 weeks

Continuing running beyond the adaptation period should be fairly straight-forward as you probably already know from previous years what your body can handle. If you don’t then a general advice would be:

To increase your running training load (mileage, time, speed) very conservatively.
Not to run more than 4 times a week, unless you absolutely cannot do any other sports or you are very experienced runner.
Vary your terrain – from long hills and descents, to rolling, to flat.
To watch out for any small pains and aches as these can lead to more serious problems but are easily preventable by proper strength exercises and stretches.
Take time off, even up to a week without running, if you feel like your body is getting beat up too much.

As for more intense training and intervals, make sure you are properly warmed up and don’t have any pains – this is more important with running than skimo. Besides that just proceed with intensity workouts based on the same principles like for skimo and other endurance sports such a cycling or xc skiing.
If you are serious about your training and want to learn more how to maximize your time then we highly recommend you check out our Manual for Ski Mountaineering Racing. It dives into endurance training a lot more than a single article can.

Skimo World Cup Sprint: Video Transition Technique Analysis

February 10, 2016 By Stano Faban 1 Comment

Sprint races are not really my forte when it comes to skimo racing. However, they are incredibly spectator friendly (good for the sport) and allow mortal athletes to closely watch the top guys.
After a quick spin, but not quick enough, around the sprint track at the recent Alpiniski World Cup in the qualifying round, I made a point to post up at the transition areas to watch the race leaders and their technique. I shot four videos from the men’s semi-final rounds and the final. Because the race also served as European Championships, there was a strong field in attendance.
There are three transitions in the race: 1) skinning to boot-pack where skis get attached to the backpack, 2) boot-pack to skinning, and 3) skinning to skiing or skins off for the descend. In a sprint race, every fraction of a second counts at each transition so regular practice is an absolute must.

Skinning to Boot-pack

In this semi-final round we see two Swiss athletes (black suits) using a “kneeling technique” to transition into the boot-pack. Notice their fluid movements when the bindings are released and stepped out of. The skis are put on the pack and then the poles grabbed before standing up.

The slow-motion section shows the faster Swiss athlete using the kneeling technique.
In the third clip of this video, we see athletes putting their skis on their packs without kneeling. This technique appears to be slightly faster but the margin of error makes it essentially the same.
Transition times (in seconds) are listed with each clip for the athletes followed and times are from the moment the poles hit the ground to the moment they come off the ground:
#8 – 7.4s
#24 – 7.7s
#1 – 6.9s
#7 – 7.0s
#9 – 7.4s
#67 – 8.1s

Boot-pack to Skinning

Here we see the athletes putting their skis on at the end of the boot-pack. It’s not a very technical movement but notice how they stay bent over the entire time. They drop the skis, open the bindings, step in to each, and THEN stand up with the poles.

Times for the first two were as follows:
#5 – 6.5s
#2 – 7.3s

Skins off: Skinning to Skiing

The mythical double-skin rip is pretty standard fare on the World Cup.
The first clip shows Italy’s Robert Antonioli into the transition first, he went on to become the new European Champion. He actually makes the transition look pretty mellow.
The carefully watch the last guy into the transition (Swiss – #4 – Yannick Eccour), he is the fastest of the group and looks very smooth. After that you will realize that Antonioli made few errors – he didn’t get his heels clicked in at once and took few pulls to get the skins off – but Eccour is flawless.
For the double-rip, watch #69 (Austrian). The key is to lock the heels first with a little hop, then bend forward to reach both skin tips and rip simultaneously. Some subtle differences to the Italian style! Also, notice the Austria athlete clipping his clip-in style ski poles simultaneously while already fully parked in the transition. It takes him more time as the others, using traditional ski poles loops, take their poles off while still moving forward. And final interesting points is that five of them are using the same ski poles from Leki.
Their times were as follows:
#2 – 10.7s (Antonioli)
#1 – 12.1s
#5 – 14.6s
#7 – 13.4s
#69 – 13.8s
#4 – 8.5s
Study up the videos and practice your technique! A few tens of a second in a sprint and even an individual race can make a big difference!
For more skimo racing technique tips see our Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing e-book.

Skimo Training Location Series – Calgary Olympic Park – Alberta, Canada

February 2, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

The idea of this series is to highlight a local skimo training zones. Not the big, rad lines in the backcountry that you go to for huge missions, but the day in, day out, reliable training spots. It could be on piste or backcountry but it’s where you go to crank out intervals or hone your descending.
For our third zone in the series, we have Kylee Toth-Ohler telling us about COP on the edge of the Canadian Rockies.

Where is it?

Winsport (Canada Olympic Park) Calgary. One hour East of Canmore and the Canadian Rockies!

What makes it special?

It is a great way to get some mid week on snow training without leaving the city. It is also fun to connect with mountain friends mid week for some comraderie and training. COP also hosts the first event of the season on the Canadian race calendar – the Vert 180 – in early December!

Where is the trailhead/parking?

Main day lodge for COP in Calgary.

What are the rules?

You can tour up during club time in the area designated we meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30pm. You have to have a valid 3 hour Nordic pass or a seasons pass to participate.

What is the local training group?

Our local training group is the Calgary Ski Mountaineering Club. It was started last year and between 10-15 people come out to participate in a suggested workout. We also work on skills such as transitions, kick turns, strides, boot pack etc. Participation in the organized portion is voluntary.

What workouts are best to do here?

Intervals! COP is only 150 meters high so it is very conducive to controlled and focused heart rate zone training.

Skimo Training Locations Series: Peak 10 – Breckenridge, CO

January 18, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Summit Skimo at Breckenridge's Peak 10 — Summit Skimo at Breckenridge’s Peak 10

The idea of this series is to highlight a local skimo training zones. Not the big, rad lines in the backcountry that you go to for huge missions, but the day in, day out, reliable training spots. It could be on piste or backcountry but it’s where you go to crank out intervals or hone your descending.
For our second zone in the series, we have Michael Hagen telling us about Peak 10 in the Colorado Rockies near Breckenridge.

Where is it?

Two hours west of Denver, Breckenridge sports a healthy collection of high altitude, Rockies Peaks. Peak 10. is the boundary at the south end of the Breckenridge resort.

What makes it special?

The first mile or so is rather gentle, which makes for a chance to warm up and socialize. At the base of Falcon Chair, the route up Chrystal run gets rather steep. About 1300 feet are gained in the next one mile to the top of the chair. This section makes for a nice threshold effort to the top. It also lends itself well to VO2max intervals like 1’ on/1’ off. The skinning is non-technical although some sections are steep enough that they can test your traction. Some sections are also good for practicing kick turns. At the top of the chair there is an option for a short boot pack and then above tree line skinning for some backcountry descending (often on some severely windblown snow dunes.) Or rip skins at the top of the chair and quickly hit the double black runs (Spitfire or Corsair) to further work over your tired legs on some large moguls. Or head right back down Chrystal (or other runs) for high speed carving (or straight-lining if you dare).
You can make as many laps as you have time for (and the Breck rules permit) on variations of the Peak 10 climbs and descents, or head over to Peak 9 and 8 for more variety. Peak 10 is particularly good early season. Because rocks and stumps have been removed, it requires minimal snow before it is skiable. Peak 10 is the last section of Breckenridge to start operations, typically not until a week or so before Christmas. Until then, you can ski Peak 10 anytime you want (barring preparation work) and after storms have some great powder runs. But that secret is getting out, so if you want first tracks, start early. The warming hut at the top is usually open.

Where is the trailhead/parking?

Beaver Run parking lot (have to be out by 8:15 in the morning, free pass required) or La Cima parking lot (a bit of a walk, but you can park there until 11:00). Transit in Breckenridge is easy and free.
» Strava Segment for Peak 10

What are the rules?

Breckenridge restricted skinning during operation hours last season. So now you have to be done by 8:15 or start after 4:30. The route up and down is restricted to specified ski runs. However, there seems to be a bit of leniency in both these rules.

What is the local training group?

No formal training group, but small groups frequently get together, coordinated via text or email, especially on weekends. Some Saturday mornings on Peak 8 see 30 or more people. Many of the regulars are members of the Summit Skimo Club which welcomes new members to the sport.

Early morning training session on Peak 10.

What workouts are best to do here?

My favourite is oxygen-debt transitions practice: Start at the steep section at the base of Falcon chair. Sprint for 1-minute, transition as smoothly and fast as possible; descend for 50 meters, transition to uphill as quick as possible. Recover with 2 minutes of easy skinning. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Mastering these transitions at 10,000+ feet on a steep slope will help make race transitions much smoother and quicker. This is the route of one of the Breck Ascent Series races as well.
Stay tuned to SkinTrack and the Training Zone Series for more of the best training locations around North America and beyond! Got a zone you would like us to showcase? Leave us a comment below and we will get in touch!

About Michael:

Michael Hagen has been ski touring for over twenty years and has competed in dozens of ski mountaineering races, including many with his wife Eva and several with his kids. Mike is the U.S. and Canadian distributor of Hagan Ski Mountaineering Gear as well as an endurance sports coach. He currently coaches several ski mountaineering racers. Mike can be reached at 719-360-1693 or mike@haganskiusa.com.

Skimo Training Locations Series: Diamond Head Trail – Squamish BC

December 3, 2015 By Stano Faban 7 Comments

The idea of this series is to highlight a local skimo training zones. Not the big, rad lines in the backcountry that you go to for huge missions, but the day in, day out, reliable training spots. It could be on piste or backcountry but it’s where you go to crank out intervals or hone your descending.
For our first in the series, we have my local training spot: Diamond Head Trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park outside of Squamish.

BC's South Coast and Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Diamond Head Trail is accessed from Squamish. — BC’s South Coast and Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Diamond Head Trail is accessed from Squamish (bottom left).

Where is it?

Garibaldi Park spans a big chunk of the Coast Mountains between Squamish and Pemberton. Near the southern end, it is accessed via the Diamond Head Trail.

What makes it special?

The Diamond Head Trail/Red Heather area gets some of the biggest snowfall in the region. That also means in North America.
The big old cedar trees, that line the ten feet wide trail, tower over you while you skin and heavy snow stacks high on the branches giving it a serious wintery feeling. By mid-winter, when enough snow has fallen, the switchbacking road can be short cut on the descent, through the trees for an excellent run back to the car. This trail is also the beginning of bigger adventures and provides access to the Elfin Lakes Cabin (20k round trip), Atwell Peak (the volcano that looms over Squamish) and the Garibaldi Neve Traverse (a beautiful high alpine traverse from Squamish to Whistler).
While I’ve spent lots of days skinning on the road, it has also been the start of some epic days in the alpine.

Interval training and Lactate testing on the Diamond Head Trail.

Where is the trailhead/parking?

Drive through Squamish (60km north of Vancouver, BC) and turn right off Highway 99 at Mamquam Road. Pass Quest University where the road turns to dirt. Turn left onto Garibaldi Park Road and be prepared to chain up. Parking is at the end of the road.
» Google Map directions.

What are the rules?

Chains may be required if the road has not been plowed recently or if there is ice. Winter tires don’t cut it and this is ranger enforced on busy weekends. If you get stuck because you didn’t put chains on, expect a hefty off-highway towing bill.
The trail is always open and is frequently quite busy on the weekends but quiet during the week. There is no significant avalanche danger below the Red Heather Cabin though it is the backcountry so dangers always exist.

Nightime interval training on the lower Diamond Head Trail.

What is the local training group?

There are no organized training groups in Squamish but expect to meet a bunch of other skiers looking for quick access to the backcountry here. Check the Garibaldi Skimo Club on Facebook to connect with other light and fast inclined people on the Coast.

What workouts are best to do here?

The low angle road and usually well buffed surface makes it perfect for fast intervals. Doing 2x 10min of 30sec on, 30sec rest is great for lactate tolerance and technique development. Once you’ve finished your workout, there are nice north facing slopes off Round Mountain (also called Paul Ridge) that hold some great powder!
Stay tuned to SkinTrack and the Training Zone Series for more of the best training locations around North America and beyond! Got a zone you would like us to showcase? Leave us a comment below and we will get in touch!

Training, Tricks & Tips

Where is it?

What makes it special?

Where is the trailhead/parking?

What are the rules?

What is the local training group?

What workouts are best to do here?

Overtraining vs Overreaching

What is overreaching?

What is overtraining?

Symptoms of Overtraining

Causes of Overtraining

Effects of Overtraining

Diagnosing Overtraining

Treatment

Prevention is Critical

Key points

Registering for races

Cities to fly into for popular race locations

Transportation – Cars and Trains/Shuttles

Housing and Accommodation

Equipment

Power

Food

Training

Other useful tips

What are your tips and observations?

1) Inspect your gear

2) Pick the right location

3) Ease into it

4) Prepare your body ahead of time

5) Focus on quality recovery

6) Low angle skinning

Early spring

Summer training and planning

Riding in the fall

Stretching and strength building

Create a simple plan

Easing into it: the first 4-6 weeks

Strength training and stretching as injury prevention

Stretching your hip flexors

Knee pain, IT band syndrome and weak glutes

Calf and hamstring muscles strengthening, and Achilles tightness

Running beyond those first 6 weeks

Skinning to Boot-pack

Boot-pack to Skinning

Skins off: Skinning to Skiing

Where is it?

What makes it special?

Where is the trailhead/parking?

What are the rules?

What is the local training group?

What workouts are best to do here?

Where is it?

What makes it special?

Where is the trailhead/parking?

What are the rules?

What is the local training group?

What workouts are best to do here?

About Michael:

Where is it?

What makes it special?

Where is the trailhead/parking?

What are the rules?

What is the local training group?

What workouts are best to do here?

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