TRaveling up in altitude

With the Junior National events taking place above 7,000 ft. most young athletes will be traveling up to compete at the championships this week. Traveling from low elevation to high has its challenges and is an aspect of racing that top level athletes take seriously and adjust their training accordingly. 

Like we have mentioned before, full acclimatization to high elevation (above 5,500 ft.) can take up to three weeks. If World Cup skiers were racing a championship at high altitude most teams would make sure to be living at high altitude during the weeks leading in. If we were just racing a single World Cup weekend at high altitude, we might just do what is called a ‘short acclimatization’ traveling up just 3 – 7 days before the races. 

Now I certainly don’t think it makes sense for junior skiers to be traveling three weeks before JNs for acclimatization so for the sake of this entry we are going to focus on the ‘short’ approach. Short acclimatization is something that athletes can get better at the more we practice and pay attention to the guidelines below. 

If a skier is traveling up in altitude for a major championship, they have likely already started their taper but even so make sure to take the two days before travel pretty easy. I don’t recommend taking them OFF, but easy distance training is perfect for getting the body ready to acclimatize. It’s also never bad to load up on sleep. Lower levels of oxygen during the night can really decrease the quality of sleep for athlete’s during the first few nights at altitude. 

I know this sounds like crazy advice but traveling up in altitude can be deceiving. Skiers often think they feel great or ‘don’t feel the altitude’ during the first 2 – 3 days and end up skiing too hard. The first few days at altitude can make or break an athlete’s race series if they are not careful. If travel schedules allow, I recommend taking the first 2 days at altitude VERY easy while trying to avoid any L2 or L3 skiing. A common US Ski Team approach for a short acclimatization is to ski easy for 2 days, take the 3^rd day off, then start with any intensity training. 

Logistically some skiers might just need to travel and then race within 2-3 days. That’s OK too, and my montra ‘don’t listen to the body’ can work for them too. An important lesson for young skiers to learn is that you don’t necessarily need to feel good to race fast. When a skier uses the approach of traveling up in altitude and directly racing within 2 days they often don’t feel amazing in the race but can have great results compared to the competition. Their body doesn’t quite know what is going on. With this approach fatigue will generally set in by the 3^rd or 4^th days so traveling directly into racing might not be the best for a week long series of races. 

At high altitude an athlete’s BMR (base metabolic rate) will be increased meaning it’s going to take more fuel to run the engine. Lack of oxygen however can sometimes suppress an athlete’s appetite, so simply paying attention to calorie intake is important. 

It’s no secret that the body needs for fluids at altitude too. World Cup athletes will often choose to feed with sports drink at altitude in races over 15k in order to hydrate and get in more calories. Even in the days leading up to competition athletes should be drinking some kind of electrolyte drink and not just water. Paying attention to sodium intake (salting food and water) can help the skiers absorb that liquid as well. 

In addition to adjusting to the lack of oxygen a big part of acclimatization is adjusting to the pressure and dry air of high altitude. Hydration and electrolytes play a huge role here. I also like to use a saline nasal mist to moisturize airways and help my system adjust to the dry air. 

Being mentally tough is important for all championship races but especially at altitude. As coaches the best thing we can do is remain positive and not make a big deal about high altitude.  Strike a balance between offering good advice on how to race your best at altitude without over emphasizing it and psyching-out your athletes. The placebo effect is huge. If a skier thinks they are acclimatized and ready to race it will show in their confidence and race performance.