Skimo Athletes Run, Bike And Race To Stay In Shape During The Offseason

To have success in any winter sport, athletes need to do more than just train when snow is on the ground.

Work done in the summer months correlates directly to what winter athletes can accomplish during their competitive season. That’s why when members of the U.S. ski mountaineering national team set aside their skis, they head to the gym or pick up their running shoes, mountain bikes and roller skis to train during the offseason. 

Ski mountaineering, or skimo, is a grueling sport that combines a trek up a mountain with a ski race back down. Cam Smith ranks No. 1 among American men in the mixed relay, which is one of three events that will be contested next winter when the sport makes its Olympic debut in Milano and Cortina.

As he angles for a spot on that U.S. team, Smith combines running, biking and gym work into his offseason training.

“I do my intensity with uphill running because it most closely mimics the demands of skimo, often with poles,” Smith said, “especially as we get closer to the start of the winter season so that I can get my upper body and core in shape.”

Smith, 29, grew up in Illinois but now lives in Crested Butte, Colorado. Competing in trail and mountain running races helps him stay mentally sharp, he said. Those races include everything from quick 30-minute uphill competitions to longer courses like the Rut 28K, a race across mountain ranges in Big Sky, Montana.

“There’s no better way to practice my mental game in the summer than to challenge myself in different race formats,” Smith said. 

Smith can only run so much, though. To reduce the risk of injury, he keeps his running “short, focused and intense.” He fills in the rest of his offseason on a bike, either taking recovery rides on the road or longer mountain bike rides. 

The third component of his training regimen is gym work once or twice a week during the summer running season. By September, he’s at the gym four times a week to prepare his body for ski season. 

“I focus on a lot of speed and power movements for my uphill speed and heavy slow movements to condition my legs for challenging descents,” he said.

Smith said one of his favorite offseason workouts is an annual fitness check on the Manitou Incline, which is a mile-long staircase with a vertical gain of 2,000 feet near Colorado Springs. 

Smith runs up the staircase as fast as he can each October and compares his times year to year. 

Gwen Rudy of Leadville, Colorado, also likes to run, bike and compete in trail running events.

This summer, she’ll diversify her racing by running a 50K as well as some vertical kilometer races, where competitors run up an ascent of 1,000 meters. Some pro trail runners describe VK races as the most painful experiences of their lives.  

Rudy, 31, offsets that extreme running by hopping on her bike a couple times a week. 

“I think it’s important to develop strength and power,” Rudy said. “A lot of strong teams actually do most of their training on bikes.” 

She rounds out her training with roller skiing, using a SkiErg machine — which simulates the movements of skiing — and strength training at the gym two to three times a week. 

Rudy noted that USA Skimo will be hosting camps this summer, including one at Oregon’s Mount Hood in late July and some dry land camps in Salt Lake City and Boulder, Colorado.

John Gaston, a 38-year-old father of three young children from Aspen, Colorado, focuses primarily on mountain biking during his offseason.

“The low-impact nature of the sport allows for an extreme uptick in volume compared to running,” said Gaston, “and I find the aerobic base that I’m able to build is much greater. Coupled with a significant amount of strength work in the gym, I find this puts me in the best place possible to then add on sport-specific higher intensities later in the summer and fall.”

Gaston added that the mental and physical skills needed to descend fast on two wheels translate well to skimo. 

“I think it’s easiest to lose sight of the importance of descending in endurance sports and the mental sharpness required to do (it) in race environments when you’re already maxed out from the previous climb,” he said. 

In early August, Gaston changes his routine to ramp up for the season. He spends much more time on his feet by hiking, running and roller skiing. 

Like Gaston, Ian Clarke spends most of his training time in the summer on his bike in Driggs, Idaho. The 27-year-old mixes in running and time at the gym as well. 

Once the season nears, he begins working more on inclines.

“As the fall starts to approach, I increase my time running uphill as well as getting into roller skiing, kind of matching what the Nordic skiers are doing,” Clarke said. “For my roller skiing, it’s a lot more uphill.” 

Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.com on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.