Increasing AeT and “curing” ADS will make you faster on its own. As you improve, your body will be working less hard to go the same pace. By extension, for the same amount of work it currently takes you to go at AeT, you will be going faster for longer.

Adding ME or Z3-4 will help improve pace eventually, but if you’re slow at Z2 you have more room to grow aerobically. This long term outlook is what the books are all about. When you add in additional work also relates to your goals and when that goal is taking place.

Not being aerobically deficient doesn’t mean you’ve maxed out your aerobic potential. The answer to your question is in the books.

As other folks have said, narrowing the gap between AnT and AeT heart rates is just the beginning. It’s a “first wave” response that happens relatively quickly (in terms of months).

Once your aerobic house is in order, then more Z1/2 training will gradually increase the speed of AeT. This can happen for years and years if you train at the right intensity frequently, gradually, and in a modulated manner. And if you don’t sabotage the process with too much high-intensity training. (As a very rough rule of thumb for events of two hours or more, keep HIT to 5% of training time or less–i.e. <= 30' in a 10h training week). The third and most important phase is to then decrease the gap between AnT and AeT paces. That’s trickier in our sports, perhaps impossible without a treadmill to measure.

I’m a little confused, but no, I don’t think so. It sounds like more Z1/2 is what you need.

The one thing though is that if you’re guiding, and if your clients are fit, then you probably need to go at their pace. If that’s out of your Z1/2, then it seems like a necessary constraint of your job until you can raise your Z1/2 pace.

Since the guests were also running out of glycogen as well they had to slow down as well.

You’re guiding way too fast… Client pace should be slow enough and breaks consistent enough, that guests never bonk.

Of course I could go forever, they don’t.

That’s not the case. Perhaps relative to your clients you could go forever, but if you’re in Zone 3, the clock is ticking. And it’ll run out.

…Z2 is not possible in ski mountaineering right now.

Of course it is; you just need to go slower until your aerobic system improves.

To be honest, it sounds like you go too hard all the time. If you want to develop a strong aerobic system, you really need to dial it back and put in the hours at much slower paces.

Dear Dada,

I have read your comment with interest and tried to figure it out with a 100hm ski tour opening the this year winter season. I am not very trained (doing 300h sports/ year, however doing ski tours since 38years – but now not living in the Alps since 20years just only 10-15 skitours/year)
I tried to stay in Z1 for that ski tour at the weekend and this resulted in 70% Z1 and 30% Z2 with 2h for 800 height meters. It was hard to keep the slow pace but you should be able to do Z2 ski tours – with or without guests

Heiko

Hi,

lets pass them and do the tour twice

Heiko