Skiing in Norway:
A passion that knows no season
You might think that skiing is merely a winter sport, but you'll be amazed by how many ways there are for skiers to train, even in the summer.
— This indoor slope is just outside Oslo and is more or less perfect. It's so much fun to go skiing in July, says skiing coach Even Bjørnsgaard Schultz.
Even though the winter season hasn't yet begun, the athletes have already started preparing for the upcoming competitions with rigorous physical programs.
In 2020 the municipality of Lørenskog near Oslo built the gigantic SNØ complex to allow for skiing even during the warmer months. This indoor ski center is unique in Norway and one of the largest in the world. By guaranteeing controlled weather conditions and perfectly powdery slopes, SNØ establishes itself as an option for professional skiers who would otherwise be stuck sweating at the gym indoors.
Hitting the slopes
To better understand how skiers prepare, Universitas met with the professional Norwegian national team freestyle skier William Bostadløkken and his coach Even Bjørnsgaard Schultz.
Before going out in search of snow, Bostadløkken has been training on indoor slopes since the beginning of the summer. He goes to SNØ about three times a week, training cardio and stretching to maintain muscle strength. In the end, summer training is all about building core stability and explosive strength, particularly in the legs, both of which improve performance and allow skiers to perform some of the more technically impressive tricks.
— Explosive strength allows me to land heavy and jump as high as possible when I'm springboarding, while core stability keeps me balanced and helps me jump higher.
A false friend?
SNØ is where Bostadløkken does most of his training, as returning to the slopes only in winter could lead to serious injuries. According to Schultz, athletes need to be careful not to reach too far beyond their limits, as tricks learnt indoors on what skiers call airbags might be difficult to replicate once they take their practice outdoors.
— Since the airbag feels so safe, athletes might go ahead and try tricks that are above their skill level. And when the winter comes around, they feel scared. On snow it suddenly gets so real, and the skier might get doubts because of the sudden need to land on the legs, explains Schultz.
As skiers well know, the snows of July are not those of January. SNØ, in all its glory, is a fridge measuring 500 meters in length and 80 in height.
— The only thing is that it’s indoors. For athletes who go a bit too often, it can be a bit demotivating because it's a artificial. The skiing conditions aren't the same as on real slopes, says Schultz.
Back outside
By keeping in shape and building muscle during the summer months, athletes minimize their risk of injury on the slopes during the winter. After all, only one thing is on their mind: getting back on the skis as soon as possible.
— When it's finally time to step off the trampoline and out of the gym to go hit the slopes again, it's basically like turning into a kid, asserts Schultz.
Bostadløkken’s next competition is in Chur, Switzerland, where the Freeski World Cup puts the lessons of the summer to the test. Until that, every jump counts and brings him a little closer to sticking the landing in the challenges later to come.
