Off-Season, On-Snow

By Published On: April 27th, 2015Comments Off on Off-Season, On-Snow

How can you make the most of summer training?

So, the season is over. The approach of summer heat means a coat of wax for skis, while happy feet have a long break from further grinding against the interior plastic of race boots.

Not so fast. More than ever, the off-season has been turned on again, by coaches, parents and racers aiming for more wins next winter. So what’s is the best way to maximize time on snow this summer? Three of our countries leading coaches give insight to off-season, on-snow training.

Troy Price, Junior Program Director, Rowmark Ski Academy, Salt Lake City

“The key is that athletes are on snow during their growth spurt,” says Price, who takes U12 and U14s to an eight-day camp in early June; U14s may also ski again in August, conditions permitting. “If they’re off snow for seven months and grow four inches during that same time frame, it creates some challenges once they return to skiing.”

But Price adds that athletes need to be involved in other sports, too, during the summer. Soccer, tennis, golf and lacrosse, for example, all help develop strong motor and athletic skills that will improve their skiing.

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Mike Day, Head Boys Alpine Coach, Green Mountain Valley School, Waitsfield, Vt.

Purposeful practice and purposeful planning are the premises of Day’s off-season philosophy. In an ideal word, FIS-age athletes will get 35 to 50 days on snow before the start of the competition season — but that’s not in the budget for plenty of families. Plus, individual athletic needs can vary.

“It’s different for everybody,” says Day. “But primarily, athletes need to be in the right state mentally and physically to accomplish things and make change on snow.”

Summer is a good opportunity for young racers to take ownership of their skiing and clearly determine their goals with their coach. “Any good coach knows,” he says, “that the first thing you do with any new athlete is ask, ‘What are you working on?’”

Off-snow time can be just as beneficial, with other sports a plus not just for physical training but also for the clarity of mind they may provide for skiers heading into a new season.

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TJ Lanning, U.S. Ski Team Men’s Europa Cup Speed Coach

At Lanning’s level, the game is different, but the losses from a rigorous winter of racing are the same. “It happens to all athletes,” he says of the development and strength that can slip away. “All they are doing is racing, there’s hardly any training — and the coaches are spending more time prepping the environment.”

So the off-season is the most valuable time for his athletes to make the gains they need for the up coming year. The competition season at the higher levels is so taxing that they are more often managing strength and health to maximize their performance when it counts.

Lanning expects his guys to have around 30 days on the snow of 100 percent training before the competition season starts on top of 30 days or so of fundamental and skill development on the front end.

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Other Takeaway Tips

  • Camps should balance on-snow and off-snow time, with three to five days at a time on snow (for longer programs), followed by a day of recovery.
  • Find what works best for you. Day and Lanning point to two very different success stories of summer training. Ivica Kostelic arguably skis more than anyone and has a large number of achievements to show for it, while Bode Miller never skied in the off season until he made the U.S. Ski Team — and we all know what his trophy case looks like.

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About the Author: James Tautkus

James Tautkus is the head U14 coach at the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF). His past experience includes everything and most rumors are true. His hobbies include Snapchatting, karaoke, skinny skiing, and bull riding. He is also fondly known as 'Taco'.