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Dear Ski Post:

I am a Midwestern 42 year old skate skier doing a 3:20 Birkie.  I would like to go to one of the Nov. or Dec. on snow camps to take my technique to the next level.  Does it make any sense to train at altitude just to return to all low altitude racing?  Two years ago I trained for 2 weeks at 4600 to 8000 Ft.  When I returned to the flat lands of Illinois, I felt great for 2-3 weeks and then lost my energy for a few weeks.  What is your advise on altitude and what camps can you suggest?

Thanks

Hello,

The camp that you will find to be most worth your while is certainly the West Yellowston Ski Festival (http://www.yellowstoneskifestival.com/).  This is a great event that offers a wide variety of technique improvement opportunities such as clinics and lessons.  You will have a chance to rub shoulders with the best in the business, try new gear, and get some wonderful skiing in for the early season.

One common mistake people tend to make when they go to altitude to train is that they go too fast right away.  It takes a few days for your body to adjust, and in that time it is important to keep things going very easy.  Easy skiing will be harder on your body, and you will not loose anything as a result.  The other common mistake is to push too hard when you return to sea level.  Sea level skiing will seem easier to you, because you have more oxygen to work with, but it's important to rest a bit when you get home and let the daily training take its course before you start to pound out intervals. 

The West Yellowstone Ski Festival in November is one of the premier events in the country.  It is the perfect time of the year to be getting on snow, and should provide you with a great chance to improve your Birkie time! 

Sincerely,
Justin Easter
Subaru Factory Team

I have a pair of V2s that are setup for classic skiing. I put the ratcheting wheel on the front but have been using them for skate skiing to get more of an upper body and oblique muscle workout.

Do skate skiers take off the ratcheting wheels and put on a set of freewheeling wheels (for a total of 4) when roller skiing to get more speed?

I don't have $ burning a hole in my pocket and road rash is not my friend so I can't say I am in a rush to do that but I was thinking about it today when skiing and wondering if the more accomplished skiers make that change to increase their ability to practice at higher speeds

Hi,

Yes, skate rollerskis do have four free wheels on them. They are often thinner than a classic wheel, and will tend to be faster. You will have better control of the ski if you are skating with the thinner wheels. The faster speeds are good to simulate skate skiing, but the primary difference is the feel.

You are going to do both classic and skate training on rollerskis it is necessary to have the ratcheted wheel. When the money does start burning holes in your pockets a second pair of skis made specifically for skating will make skating on rollerskis more fun. I will provide a guide to rollerskis soon, but I want to make sure I have all the available brands and models before I send it out.

Enjoy!
Justin Easter
Subaru Factory Team

Rob Whitney
Subaru Factory Team

Days are already getting shorter, especially noticable here in Alaska.  Less sunlight can only mean that the winter ski racing season is getting closer, and we ought to take a look at our training!  The summer solstice always catches me by surprise. I tend to be more casual about my spring training, then BAM!, reality hits me, and it's time to get more serious with workouts geared towards skiing.  Well, okay, so already a month has passed since the solstice, but it's not too late to bump up the training a notch.  But, importantly keep the VARIETY in your training no matter how serious you become as fall approaches.  No one wants to suffer from fall burn-out before the first race!

Spontaneity seems to work for some athletes.  I like to jump when opportunity knocks in order to maintain the variety in workouts.  For me, spontaneity is key!  You've trained diligently for a long time, so a break in the rhythm is a nice reward to yourself.  This past weekend, in a matter of two hours time, I was getting my friend's Cessna 180 airplane fueled and was meeting some buddies to fly to McCarthy, Alaska for an adventure run in the mountains, exploring historic Kennicott Copper mine tucked between the Wrangell Mountains, and surrounding glaciers.  Lucky for me, my friend lets me fly his personal plane, so a little high performance time in my pilot logbook will help when it's time for me to fly for hire next summer.  Flexibility to be spontaneous ruled and the decision to take off was perfect!  Granted, we were all going to go do some sort of exercise locally, but the opportunity to try something new and exciting was great for re-igniting the fire in the ol' engine.  Sometimes the unplanned workouts are the most memorable, and remind me why I choose to continue with the sport of  Nordic racing -- enjoying the benefits of being in shape with the good company of my friends.

In my opinion, a lot of senior and master skiers get stuck doing the same workouts over and over again.  Some of this routine is necessary for proper periodization training periods, but the monotony can also make your workouts feel like a job rather than a pleasurable evening breather after a day in the office.  By jumping at opportunities, or calling up your friends with sometimes ludicrous proposed hikes or runs, we can create the perfect opportunity to let loose, forget about the heart rate monitor and just train for the love of it!  

Keep up the distance workouts, track sessions, hill bounding, weight training, mountain biking, and rollerskiing, but don't be afraid to stray off the beaten path and try something new!  Don't feel guilty about changing a plan or dreaming up an adventure. Believe in what you are doing and you'll be fine.  Plus, you'll have had fun in the process.  And, at the finish, I'll let you decide if it's racing a minute faster than your PR or enjoying the thrill of racing that is more rewarding!

Sorry, I don't even have a digital photo as evidence of the incredible Alaska summer day we had. I am still in the 35 mm caveman era.

**Rob recently graduated from Montana State University, and now is living, training, and working in Anchorage, as he works on advanced flight ratings this summer and fall.

Make sure to get rewarded!
Why not let your passion for fun get you free Subaru Factory Team merchandise? The Subaru Factory Team's enjoy winter-rewards program is designed to thank you for purchasing our Subaru Factory Team partners' products. Buy a Subaru; get a free Subaru Factory Team vest. www.enjoywinter.com/rewards.htm

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"Think. Feel. Drive."

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Enjoy Winter,
Justin Easter
SkiPost Editor