Far from resigning themselves to losing seasons due to lack of snow, the Spanish skiers have adapted part of their training to these new scenarios. “We have innovated in the preseason and physical preparations trying to simulate snow training with dry training methods. We use more indoor facilities in which there are ‘SnowDomes’ or road solutions for example for speed disciplines,” explains Olmo Hernán, president of the RFEDI.
And, although this situation has affected most disciplines, some have been more affected than others. He ‘freeride’ has been, due to the nature of the sport, one of the most affected, since it requires skiable kilometers of natural snow to be able to develop in optimal conditions. Others, however, have been able to overcome the lack of snow through the use of snow technology. creation of artificial snow.
Jaume Pueyo training with roller skis. / The newspaper
Skis with wheels
“We are lucky that in the summer we can continue training with ‘rollers’, which are skis with wheels. It’s nothing new, they’ve been around for many years. In mid-November we went to train artificial slopes in Switzerland until the season starts at home,” says the cross-country skier. Jaume Pueyo, which achieved the best historical result for Spain in the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup after qualifying among the top 10 last March in Lahti.
“We train on natural snow whenever we can, but if there isn’t any, we have to do it on artificial. In my case I don’t notice much difference between one and the other, but obviously I do in the length and breadth of the slopes,” explains Pueyo. This is not so much the case in the case of slalom. “Me Yes, skiing on natural or artificial snow affects me. Artificial snow does not cause the same reactions when skiing, it is very noticeable in the curves. It’s fine for doing specific jobs, but if you do too much indoor work, you end up getting caught. vices which can later be detrimental in natural snow,” reasons Biscayan skier Juan del Campo. At the beginning of March he sealed his best season after achieving 17th place, which was his best result in the World Cup so far.
Juan Del Campo in a competition. / The newspaper
Glacier retreat
“About 12 years ago, in the summer we trained in the European glaciers, Today they have retreated so much that it is scary,” recalls del Campo. “Now we mostly choose to train in the Southern Hemisphere winter because that allows us to spend more time and in better snow conditions, although sometimes they also opt for the ‘indoor’ centers in central Europe,” adds the Biscayan. Temperatures in alpine areas are rising twice as fast as the global average and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. “Alpine landscapes are becoming less stable and winters are shorter. Skiing is in danger and the mountains are changing, so our designers are creating prototypes that not only reduce the environmental impact, but also improve the snow performance“, they say from Atomic, one of the main manufacturers of ski equipment.
The instability that these athletes show is another of the key factors of change in the ski sector. It’s not just that there is little snow, but that the storms are extreme. “For a track to be ready to compete, a week before the event, it must be inject a large amount of water so that it freezes, compacts and takes on a greater consistency. That gives us some more equitable competition conditions, fair and as a consequence, faster races,” says del Campo. “On the other hand, if the conditions are not good and the slopes cannot be prepared, the snow becomes softer and rails form, which makes the competitions more unfair. It is practically impossible for the one who descends tenth to be faster than the one who descended first on a smooth track,” the skier concludes.
2024-04-04 16:00:29
#professional #skiers #adapt #lack #snow
