This study is on how leg utilisation may affect skiing efficiency and performance in double-poling ergometry. Three experiments were conducted, each with a different style of the double-poling technique: traditional with small knee range-of-motion and fixed heels (TRAD); modern with large knee range-of-motion and fixed heels (MOD1) and modern with large knee range-of-motion and free heels (MOD2...

INTRODUCTION: Analyzing speed and temporal characteristics is critical to understand the biomechanics and improve athlete performances in cross-country skiing. Currently, these analyses are mainly performed in research labs using heavy instrumentation and there is a need for simpler systems allowing measurement in natural environment. Furthermore, for optimal analyses, it is important to obtain...

Series editor: Dr. John M. Esdaile, Professor and Head, Division of Rheumatology, University of British Columbia, and Scientific Director, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver, BC. The case A 32-year-old male runner visits his family physician in late spring complaining of pain in his knees over the past month. The pain is mostly anterior but is not well localized. It is aggravated by...

Background. The skiing was first used in the history of mankind for transportation and hunting in the Altay Mountains, where harsh and long winter conditions exist. The use of skiing continued in many cultures and eventually turned into a sport where not the Winter Olympic Games serve as a venue for the competition. Objectives. This review aims to outline the phases of skiing and highlight how...

Balance is hypothesized to be important in alpine skiing, while it is known that balance depends on anthropometric indices. The aim of this investigation was to explore the association between balance, anthropometrics and skiing-results over two competitive seasons among youth alpine-skiers. Eighty-one skiers (40 females) participated in this study. The participants were tested twice over two c...

Outdoors activities, such as cross-country skiing, may expose the human body to severe thermal stress during training and competitive events in the winter season. Cooling affects all aspects of muscular performance (1), and cold has a profound effect on the functional properties of skeletal muscle. When exercise intensity is high enough to maintain core temperature, but skin cooling is still pr...

For the determination of ground reaction forces in alpine skiing, pressure insole (PI) systems and portable force plate (FP) systems are well known and widely used in previous studies. The purposes of this study were 1) to provide reference data for the vertical component of the ground reaction forces (vGRF) during alpine skiing measured by the PI and FP systems, and 2) to analyze whether the d...

OBJECTIVE To describe the epidemiology of sports injuries occurring in a community during 8 years and to evaluate the outcome of an intervention implemented against injuries occurring in downhill skiing. METHODS Hospital treated sports injuries occurring in Harstad, Norway (population 22 600) were recorded prospectively during an 8 year period. A prevention programme targeting downhill skiing...

BACKGROUND To effectively prevent injury in recreational alpine skiing, it is important to identify modifiable risk factors that can be targeted through exercise and training. Fatigue is a potential risk factor in recreational skiing, but no investigations have evaluated concentric/eccentric quadriceps and hamstring fatigue in recreational skiers. We tested the hypothesis that recreational skii...