Here are some tips on how to optimize your training and minimize the risk of injury now that roller skiing is being replaced by skiing on snow.

The Norwegian coach Erik Bråten, who, among other athletes, has coached the double Olympic champion Ragnhild Gløersen Haga and is currently coaching the Swiss national team, has been interviewed by Langrenn.com (ProXCskiing.com’s Norwegian sister site) about the risks involved in the transition from dryland to snow.

Here are the three most common mistakes when transitioning to “early snow”:

• Skiing for hours at such a low intensity that you don’t use the proper technique. 
• Skiing for several hours at a slightly or significantly too high intensity to maintain proper technique.
• You go from training 100% on dryland to 100% on skis as soon as the early snow facilities open.

“Points one and two may be seen as contradictory, but it’s more like they represent two opposing sides. The same person rarely makes all three mistakes simultaneously,” says Bråten.

But he believes that in most cases, the first two points have the same main explanation:

“The problem with many of the early snow facilities is that, in many cases, they are placed on tough courses. And these are different snow conditions than in winter. This means that the snow can become sugary, which makes it even more demanding,” says Bråten.

This makes it challenging for most people, regardless of level and training background.

“It is basically only the national team and elite skiers who can keep the heart rate down at A1 level (easy distance training) and keep the technique on the tough tracks, at least now early in the season when it is about the transition between dryland and snow.”

“Many tend to go a little too fast when they arrive on early snow precisely because they want to ski well technically. But the danger is that all training then becomes a little too tough. And if you also train a little too long such sessions over too long a period of time, you risk coming to the competition season and being more tired than well trained,” he explains.

What advice would Bråten give for the first sessions on snow?

“Put your watch away and go at the speed you need to get good technique. And run for an hour instead of an hour and a half. Also, remember that easy training is still important. When you’re doing some harder sessions on snow than you had planned for, it’s a good idea to intersperse them with some easy roller skiing or running.”

Another typical early-snow mistake is that many people go from 100 percent training on dryland to 100 percent on snow. This is rarely a good idea.

“It’s one thing for many people to go to a camp for four days to get on early snow. But it is important to get used to skiing on snow. It is much better to train well on dryland than poorly on snow. Therefore, even if you have access to snow, it is good to do some hard sessions on dryland. In general, you can use both roller skis and skis until Christmas. You should also do one or two short weekly training sessions throughout the winter. You will enjoy it, especially when the transition to dryland comes.”

Bråten also reminds us that there is no need to rush your training as soon as the first early snow facilities open.

“For most people, except for elite skiers and high-level juniors chasing good results to be selected for specific races, there are few important races before Christmas. So, focus on training well. There are many advantages to training systematically and purposefully on dryland rather than queuing up on a short and steep course with poor snow conditions,” says Bråten.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing and long-distance skiing training? Click HERE and read more.