Freeride Steep Terrain

Skiing

Freeride Steep Terrain

Advanced

12 weeks

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) based

For steep, technical lines and peak uphill performance.

For skiers who will skin or climb to the top of their objectives. It will also serve well for heli or lift-assisted skiers looking to improve their all mountain skiing. The plan is not for novices and assumes you have solid physical conditioning, no current injuries and have been very active over the summer but are looking to put the final touches on your fitness during the fall.

The backbone of the program is the aerobic base you bring to it. If the thought of skinning or climbing two-thousand feet in a day leaves you short of breath this is not the plan for you. In that case you should start with our Uphill Athlete 8-week Ski Hut to Hut Training Plan.

The early weeks include extensive aerobic workouts to support the uphill part of your ski day along with mobility, core and functional strength workouts. By week 6 you will be into the very demanding muscular endurance ski specific segment of this plan. The final six weeks of this plan are a mix of challenging muscular endurance workouts and aerobic training.

Gear requirements for this plan are a barbell and a squat rack. The total weight necessary will vary between athletes.

This plan is based on your RPE, or “Rate of Perceived Exertion,” where workout intensities are guided by how hard you are working based on your perception of effort (how hard the workout feels to you) rather than by heart rate.

Whether you use an RPE-based or heart rate-based training plan, we recommend that you use a chest-strap heart rate monitor and GPS watch to log all your training.

Push the edges of your ski mountaineering.

A plan that is designed for intense terrain and steep skinning.

Ski-specific strength.
Progressive endurance training.
Downhill interval workouts.
Workouts uploaded to your smartwatch or GPS device.*
Email and chat support.
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*Apple Watch syncing is currently not supported for RPE plans.

If you want workout intensity guided by perception of effort, you can purchase the RPE version here.

Elevate your backcountry ski skills.

Questions?

How can I get the most out of this training plan?

This plan focuses on building muscular endurance and a strong aerobic base, so it is crucial to stay consistent with the workouts. Do your best to stick to the plan and avoid big gaps in training.

What should I do prior to starting this plan?

We suggest starting with our Hut to Hut plan if you need to build a stronger base before tackling this challenging plan.

What should I do after I complete this plan?

If you are looking to dive into skimo racing, check out our Beginner/Intermediate or Advanced Skimo plans.

Don't believe us?

I did the freeride plan and it was fantastic. It was actually pretty easy to fit into my schedule and benefited me greatly. My fitness on the uphill was better. The strength training was just right. I barely got a quad burn on the descents and I felt like my technique held up like never before.

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