Uphill Cross Country Skiing As A Determinant Of Overall Performance In Elite Nordic Combined Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: While considerable research has been done on the biomechanics of biathlon and cross country skiing, little work has been undertaken detailing cross country skiing performance of nordic combined athletes. For this reason, cycle length (CL), cycle rate (CR), and cycle velocity (CV) were examined on three portions of a major climb at Soldier Hollow, UT (site of all 2002 Olympic nordic ski events), allowing the completion of the first nordic skiing intra-hill analysis. It was hypothesized that performance on the whole hill and most specifically, on the hill crest, would be related to overall ski race time (ST). Methods: Data was collected during the 2001 Nordic Combined World Cup 3 × 5 km relay, held in Park City, UT, January 21, 2001. Data was recorded on a 550 meter uphill climb at three locations: base of hill (10°), mid-climb (10°), and crest of hill (3°). Athletes were videotaped through a fifteen meter course section. Video encompassing one complete cycle (pole plant to pole plant) of twelve athletes (seven fastest ski times and remaining US athletes) was digitized using Peak5 software (Peak Performance Technologies Inc., Englewood, CO). Digitized position data and video-derived time data were then used to calculate CL, CR, and CV. Two-tailed Pearson correlations were calculated between ST, CL, CR, and CV for the entire hill, base of hill, mid-climb, and hill crest. Levels of significance for all correlations was set at p < 0.05. Results: Significant correlations were found between CL and CR for the whole hill and each individual section (whole hill: r = −.71, base of hill: r = −.87, mid-climb: r = .60, hill crest: r = −.82). CL and CV were significantly correlated for the whole hill (r = .78) and mid-climb (r = .94). Only during the mid-climb was ST significantly related to the other variables (CL: r = −.64, CR: r = −.68, CV: r = −.72). Discussion: Qualitative observations of the hill crest during earlier races showed some skiers significantly slowing upon reaching the end of the climb. For this reason, it was hypothesized that those who maintained their CL, CR, and CV at and over the hill crest would achieve the best ski times. In reality, however, performance on the middle section of the climb was most related to overall ski performance. The strong relationship between CL and CV for the whole hill (r = .78) and during the mid-climb (r = .94) indicates an emphasis on CL more than CR to maintain CV. Additionally, this study suggests that significant uphill training should be included in a cross country skiing workout regimen. Acknowledgements: This study was supported by the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association.