Good article on FasterSkier.com by XC ski coach Adam St. Pierre last week about training for cross-country/nordic ski racing. Given Adam’s observation, “The most similar physiological analog to XC ski racing would be short track XC-mountain biking,” I thought some of you who ride and XC ski might like this:
Adam provides a good collection of workouts. It would be terrific if there were a TrainerSnow to help build a structure around these (or Coach Chad’s) workouts for XC skiers.
As a nordic skier and biathlete (now that’s the niche sport within a niche sport 
) I’ve been thinking about how to combine skiing workouts with cycling workouts to both ski well in the winter and ride well in the summer. In some ways it’s about peaking for two seasons but with different sports.
Would love to see TR folks noodle on how to provide ski workouts or at least a way to easily bring ski workouts into the calendar system.
17 y old norwegian junior MTB’er and XC skier Helene Marie Fossesholm is placing world championship medals on her wall in both Mountain biking and skiing. There is great expectations for her as a skier here in ski-crazy norway and the media has made a case that she should quit mountainbiking. In norway XC skiing is the sh** and they are the most popular athletes by far. Norway excel in skiing and, but almost nobody else are doing it…
In any case there are obvious similarities with (some of) the physical demands, but as both sports require a hell of a lot of technical abilities and speciality she will have to choose soon. I for sure hope Helene choose mountain biking
@stefanf I just looked up Helene’s FIS results. I wouldn’t hold your breath hoping she’ll choose mountain biking. Her success on skis is phenomenal. She crushed the podium at Norway’s National Junior Championships last year, winning the 10k Classic, 5k Freestyle, and 1.2k Sprint. In Junior Worlds she podiumed all events except the sprint. And at Norway’s Nationals, she came in 6th, 25 seconds off the podium of three of the world’s strongest female skiers and ahead of a few athletes currently on Norway’s national team. In Norway, XC skiers are indeed their most popular athletes. Make it as a XC skier in Norway and that athlete is a financially secure goddess or god for life. But, then again… she did podium in the Junior Cross Country Olympic event at MTB Worlds this summer at Mont. St. Anne!!! Yikes.