AUTHOR=Gilgien Matthias , Reid Robert , Raschner Christian , Supej Matej , Holmberg Hans-Christer 

TITLE=The Training of Olympic Alpine Ski Racers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01772

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2018.01772

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=Since the first Winter Olympic Games substantial improvements in slope preparation, design of courses, equipment and  skills of athletes have all helped this sport attain its present significance. Improved snow preparation has resulted in harder surfaces and improved equipment allows a more direct interaction between the skier and snow. At the same time, courses have become more challenging, with technical disciplines requiring more pronounced patterns of loading–unloading, with greater ground reaction forces. Athletes have adapted their training to meet these new demands, but little is presently known about these adaptations. 
Here, we describe how Olympic athletes from four of the major alpine ski racing nations prepared for the Olympic Games in 2018. This overview describes their typical exercise programs with respect to physical conditioning, ski training and periodization, based on interviews with the coaching staff. Alpine ski racing requires mastery of a broad spectrum of physical, technical, mental and social skills. We describe how athletes and teams deal with the multifactorial nature of the training required. Special emphasis is placed on sport-specific aspects, such as the combination of stimuli that interfere with training, training with chronic injury and training at altitude, the efficiency and effectiveness of ski training and testing, logistic challenges and their effects on fatigue, including the stress of frequent travelling. Our overall goal was to present as complete a picture of the training undertaken by Olympic alpine skiers as possible and on the basis of these findings propose how training for alpine ski racing might be improved.