High-Altitude Training For Elite Skiers

by KATI ROIVAS • 13.11.2022
Many skiers use altitude training to adjust their bodies for high-elevation races, develop their resistance to fatigue, and improve their VO2max. How long should an athlete train at altitude to gain benefits, or how many days before a race should one arrive at a race venue when racing at altitude, and what can it bring to one’s performance? 
Many skiers use altitude training to adjust their bodies for high-elevation races, develop their resistance to fatigue, and improve their VO2max. How long should an athlete train at altitude to gain benefits, or how many days before a race should one arrive at a race venue when racing at altitude, and what can it bring to one’s performance? 

While high-altitude training may not be suitable for all, it can benefit endurance athletes when done right. 

Team Kaskipuu’s Pro Tour athlete and Ph.D. researcher, Oona Kettunen from the University of Jyväskylä, answered some questions about the benefits of high-altitude training for high-level athletes and presented findings of her research group about simulated altitude. 

Read More: Oona Kettunen Seeks New Challenges From Ski Classics

What is considered high-altitude training? 

“Training and living at a moderate altitude of ∼2000 m or higher can be used to cause a hypoxic stimulus with potential performance benefits. Before I answer the next questions, I want to highlight that altitude training is a debated topic, and the scientific evidence is partly controversial. Therefore, there may not be fully right answers relating to the benefits and optimal implementation of the altitude training.” 

What are the most profound benefits? 

“Prolonged exposure to hypoxic conditions (natural or simulated altitude) may increase hemoglobin mass, which in turn, may increase VO2max and endurance performance by improving oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. In addition, there are some potential nonhematological adaptations, such as increased economy and buffering capacity, that may also improve endurance performance.”

What should an athlete consider when training in high altitude? 

“Especially during the adjusting (acclimatization) phase, it is advisable to decrease training load and increase fluid intake. The lower oxygen availability increases the physiological load at certain intensity, so training intensity should be lower than at sea level. In general, an athlete must be in good shape before the altitude training camp to maintain adequate training quality and still recover between training sessions. Therefore, I recommend altitude training camps only for high-level athletes.” 

How long should an athlete spend in high altitude to get the benefits, and how often? 

“To optimize hemoglobin mass development, it is recommended to stay at least 3-4 weeks at altitude. The hematological benefits of altitude training gradually diminish during the subsequent month after altitude exposure; therefore, repeated camps, e.g., 1-2 months between the camps, are recommended. However, altitude training may not be the optimal choice in every situation. For example, if strength training and/or high-speed work are the main focus, training at sea level may be a better alternative.” 

“It is interesting that altitude training camps of the cross-country skiers are typically shorter and at a lower altitude than recommended to optimize hemoglobin mass development. Of course, altitude training may also be performed for nonhematological reasons such as hilly roads or possibilities to ski on snow.” 

How long does it take to adjust to altitude? 

“Adjusting to altitude (i.e., acclimatization) starts immediately on arrival to altitude. The acclimatization phase usually lasts 7–10 days, with potentially faster acclimatization in athletes who have experienced regular exposure to altitude.” 

“Slower acclimatization continues during prolonged altitude exposure and increased hemoglobin mass, for example, is a consequence of altitude acclimatization.” 

Are there individual differences in adjusting to altitude and getting benefits from training?

“There is a really high individual variation on how individuals adjust to altitude and benefit from altitude training. However, also same individuals may have different responses in different camps. The reasons for this variation are not fully understood, but, in general, you have to be in good shape before the altitude camp, optimize the total stress, have adequate iron stores, and stay healthy to benefit from altitude training.” 

Does training at high altitude also benefit when performing at sea level? (E.g., Training in altitude but racing in sea level). How about the other way around?

“If an athlete manages to increase VO2max during altitude training camp, it may increase sea-level performance. Indeed, altitude training is often used by many elite endurance athletes to increase sea-level performance. Notably, training at moderate altitudes may decrease training intensity and complicate the training at race speeds. To avoid that, many athletes use the “live high, train low” method where at least high-intensity sessions are performed at lower altitudes with higher oxygen availability.” 

When racing at altitude, how many days before a race should one arrive at altitude to get adjusted? 

“If possible, it is recommended to stay at least ten days at race altitude to enable proper acclimatization. If this is not possible, the longer is generally better.”

Altitude training at simulated altitude -how long periods should an athlete spend in simulated altitude to get benefits? 

“In addition to natural altitude training, generators can be used to simulate a hypoxic environment at sea level (e.g., hypoxic apartments or tents), which provides a logistically convenient option for transitioning between normoxic (sea-level) and hypoxic conditions. The minimum duration for hematological changes during training camps at simulated altitude appears to be 3-4 weeks with a daily dose of 12 hours or more. However, the longer, the better, and additional benefits have been shown as daily hypoxic exposure increases. To optimize the hematological benefits, an athlete should stay in a hypoxic environment as much as possible during the altitude training camp.”

Can you tell a little bit of your research and what you have found?

“We investigated whether four weeks of “live high, train high and low” at a simulated altitude of 2500m influenced hemoglobin mass and VO2max compared to the control group who lived at home and trained at normal sea-level conditions. As expected, hemoglobin mass increased during the simulated altitude training period compared to the control group. Nevertheless, simulated altitude training had no additional benefit for performance that was measured within three days after the training camp. The longer-term effects remain unknown based on our results. Notably, this is only one study, and many other studies have supported the performance benefits of simulated altitude training.”

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