World Cup and FIS Marathon Cup skiers are athletes with strong individual opinions on correct ski technique. Skiing efficiently is critical for their results. They have all watched video, received feedback from coaches and developed their own style from years of racing.
Marathon Cup skier Fredrik Aukland (26) of Norway is not (yet) among the top skiers but is never-the-less considered an expert and authority on the double-poling technique. Good double-poling is of course critical for the results in classical technique racing, but the same efficient motions can also be transferred to the double-pole motion used in skate techniques as well (especially in V2, also called 1-skate). Fredrik’s knowledge and opinions on the subject are getting attention in Norway and he is invited to give a talk to the Norwegian Cross-Country Coaches’ Club about double-poling this fall.
2. Fredrik is studying sport at the National Sport College in Oslo and his thesis was on Cross-Country double-poling. He analyzed the changes that have occurred in double-poling the last several decades and what today’s top skiers are doing differently compared to the heroes of the past. The results of his study are too complex to discuss in this article, but FasterSkier.com’s “The Club†Subscription service wrote a 10-page summary of his findings and ideas in case you are interested.
We found Fredrik’s study very interesting and I got a chance to do a classic rollerski workout with him in his hometown of Tonsberg, Norway earlier this week. Its never too late to learn or discuss new ideas, even for a seasoned Olympic coach. I believe that this benefits both the skiers that I coach as well as my own masters’ racing.
The workout
We started at 9 AM.
Conditions: sea level, cloudy and 18 degrees Celsius.
Rollerskis: PRO-SKI C2.
I had suggested that Fredrik simply did one of his regular distance loops and that I tried to hang on. I mentioned in an article last week that I did three fast rollerski workouts in a row to prepare for the expected pace. Fredrik asked if 1.5 hours would be OK?
My reply was that any length would be fine as long as I didn’t need to bring lunch.
I felt pretty fit and ready for the challenge despite having put on some extra “vacation weight†the last two weeks. Norwegian bakery goods can be very tempting when you haven’t seen or smelled them for a year. I have however been off burgers and fries for a long time and seeing the movie Supersize Me last week, totally convinced me that no-one should be eating that type of fast food.
Anyway, Fredrik’s double-pole frequency was as expected — high and the pace quick. We skied fast but not too hard. We talked the whole way. There was hardly any traffic and numerous speed bumps slowed down the cars that passed. I would log the workout as intensity 1-3 for me, while for Fredrik it was 1 (using a 1-5 scale). He explained some of the main principles he is working on and stressed among others, the importance of getting your hip quickly forward at the completion of each pole plant, early and explosive application of the pole plant, and similar principles for using the stomach muscles. The arm works higher up than “the old double poleâ€, the upper body moves down to an approximately 45 degree angle and the hand stops with a quick pole release roughly right behind the butt.
. I did 85% double-poling and 15% double-pole with kick. He was undoubtedly used to doing it this way with his goal to prepare for his upcoming marathon season where double-poling plays a big role. Fredrik also plans to mostly do classical technique races this season. He might participate in some skate races as well, but they are a lower priority.</p><p><BR><center><img decoding=)
