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Travels with Marcus Nash June, 2001

Dachstein Glacier

When it comes to summer skiing the Dachstein Glacier above Ramsau Austria is the place to go.

http://www.ramsau.com/en/ramsau-in-summer.html

Dachstein Training (atomic photo)

What makes the Austrian glacier a superior training location? It is the combination of great skiing combined with superb dryland training. Not to mention the fact that snow is guaranteed to be there. Planning a trip to Dachstein is made much easier due to the fact that it is a glacier so snow is always accessible. While the skiing conditions may vary depending on the time of year, Dachstein is usually fairly consistent skiing. Even without the glacier, the town of Ramsau is an ideal training spot with a newly improved rollerski track and plenty of running and hiking trails. You can also visit the Ramsau beach for an afternoon game of volleyball and a swim.

The glacier is reached via a somewhat frightening cable car ride to an altitude of 2750 meters. The cable car runs in any weather condition so you are assured to ski when you want. The high elevation helps to provide fresh snow during the summer months. It snowed several times while I was training there in July this year. While not the most exciting skiing in the World, the glacier provides perfect terrain for easy skiing and technique work. There are both five and ten kilometer loops on separate parts of the glacier but each is similar in design, having many switchbacks. The grade of the track is perfect for high altitude skiing, not so steep as to cause you to either walk or build up too much lactate while trying to ski.

A few words of warning before you pack your bags and hop on that jet across the Atlantic Ocean. The Dachstein Glacier demands respect. One must be well trained and in good shape if they are going to benefit from a training camp there. Many skiers have ruined or setback their racing season from training to hard on the glacier or spending too much time training there without adequate conditioning.

The stress to your body can be more detrimental than any benefits received from summer skiing. First is the long trans-Atlantic flight combined with some serious jet lag. Once your body has recovered from this, which usually takes two to four days, you can begin to ski. The next shock comes to your system when you start to ski at over eight thousand feet of elevation. Some of your muscles will have been dormant for a few months and will scream for oxygen after a few minutes of skiing. While good training, rollerskiing is different from skiing. Some small muscle groups will be used for snow skiing that are neglected during rollerski sessions. Skiing at high elevation (or at altitude as we usually say incorrectly) could be discussed at length. Without going in to too much detail I will say that Dachstein is high and you must keep a close watch on your body. We use a small lactate analyzer to make sure that we are training at the correct pace and not creating too much lactate in our muscles. For those of you without this luxury, keeping a close look at your heart-rate while training is the next best thing to assure a proper training pace.

I have found summer skiing to be a significant benefit to my improvement as a world-class skier. I would recommend skiing on the Dachstein Glacier to those athletes who are serious about racing and training. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves to ski and wants to enjoy the thrill of skiing in such a spectacular location. You have the opportunity to see some of the best skiers in the world training around you while gazing out at some breathtaking scenery. So keep up the training, wax those skis and hit the trails.

Marcus Nash

Running for Nordic by GearWest

Nordic racers should approach running differently than pure runners might.

 Get on the Trails.Trail running is great for Nordic skiers because the constant variations in trail surface, and the incline requires that you use your feet, legs and many of your body's smaller stabilizer muscles more than running on a smooth road surface will....... read more 

Practice Natural Intervals.  Running on a trail's natural terrain more closely matches the cardiovascular challenge of Nordic skiing.  Use the natural undulations to run "Natural" intervals by hammering up the hills and floating down the hills.... 

Practice Intervals up Long Hills (trail or road.)  This allows your VOmax to be the limiting factor and your heart rate goes up rapidly all the while limiting the impact on your legs because your overall speed is lower.  Bjorn Daehlie has said he did almost all of his interval training uphill while also trying to "reach a PR in each interval"...

 Alternate Shoes.  Another way to decrease overuse injuries from running is to have two different shoe types that you alternate wearing. Use a trail shoe on trail days and a Road shoe on road days. ... 

Get Lost on a trail if you want to run for your weekly over-distance workout. Explore new areas, parks, and trails and get lost physically and mentally.  Bring lots of hydration and nutrition.  Also wearing compression garments ...

Boing! Learn Spenst Training.  Spenst is a Norwegian word that means explosiveness or more literally "Boing!"  Spenst training involves ski specific plyometric exercises that develop power, explosiveness, balance and strength. Often it is the skiers who seem to be skiing with the least effort that have the most explosive movements. Their secret is a quick, dynamic muscle movement, for both skate and classic which is then followed by a relaxation of those muscles.  Spenst is a great addition to training and it yields noticeable results with a fairly small time investment of 10 to 15 minutes a week...

Practice Hill Bounding. Visit your local downhill area for a hill bounding session.  Generally it is difficult to stay below L3, so most hill bounding sessions are focused on L4 and L5. read more...

Run with Poles. Trail running with poles closely simulates Nordic skiing because it engages the arms as well as the core muscle groups.  The poles will add extra propulsion so be careful not to over-stride which will cause excessive heel striking.  Nordic Poles that are 10-15cm shorter than your classic poles are recommended...

Race. To be good at anything requires practice. The best way to be a better racer is to race.  We suggest racing at least one weekend a month. It keeps you motivated to train hard if you know a race is just around the corner. Nothing wrong with getting on the road for a short fast 5km to work on speed read more.

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email start@endurance-enterprises.com

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