Ski Skating Race Technique-Effect of Long Distance Cross-Country Ski Racing on Choice of Skating Technique in Moderate Uphill Terrain

Luca Paolo Ardigò; Thomas Leonhard Stöggl; Tor Oskar Thomassen; Andreas Kjæreng Winther; Edvard Hamnvik Sagelv; Sigurd Pedersen; Tord Markussen Hammer; Kim Arne Heitmann; Odd-Egil Olsen; Boye Welde

doi:10.3389/fspor.2020.00089

Ski Skating Race Technique-Effect of Long Distance Cross-Country Ski Racing on Choice of Skating Technique in Moderate Uphill Terrain

Front Sports Act Living. 2020 Jul 14:2:89. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2020.00089. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, School of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
² Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
³ Athlete Performance Center, Red Bull Sports, Salzburg, Austria.
⁴ School of Sport Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prolonged ski racing using skating style on technique choice in a transition section among female and male high-level skiers. Fifty three national-to-elite level skiers (20 females: 26.7 ± 4.8 years, 167.0 ± 6.5 m, 61.0 ± 5.1 kg, and 75.5 ± 68.8 FIS points; 33 males: 25.2 ± 3.5 years, 179.0 ± 5.2 cm, 73.1 ± 5.7 kg, and 73.7 ± 63.2 FIS points) were video recorded along a flat-to-uphill transition section of a course during the 30-km (females) and 50-km (males) races at the 2018 Norwegian National Championships. Across laps, section speeds decreased (P < 0.001) in all skiers, with the best-ranked skiers faster than the lowest-ranked (P < 0.001), and males faster than females in the first and middle laps. Section speed within each lap was associated with race performance (r = 0.76-0.86, P < 0.001 in females and r = 0.87-0.89, P < 0.001 in males). The prevalence of Gear 2 (G2) increased, while Gear 3 (G3) use decreased (both P < 0.001) across the subsequent laps, with females preferring G2 more than males in lap one (P = 0.027). In long-distance skate-style skiing, transition performance is representative of race performance and skiers decrease the use of the often-faster G3 technique while increasing the use of the slower G2 technique due to prolonged exercise. Especially female skiers should consider adding some flat-to-uphill G3 practice into established training, specifically early in the session before fatigue may occur.

Keywords: cross country skiing; elite skiers; endurance; gradient; skiing technique.