What do the best skiers in the world do in the spring?
Reigning Junior World Champion Marte Mæhlum Johansen (NOR) shares her favorite spring workouts.
“My favorite spring workout is either the last real race of the season where you just dig into your last resources after a long race season. After that last race, you feel so perfectly ready for off-season. I also love long crust cruising tours in the mountains where you feel that the sun warms your face,” Johansen says.
This weekend, Johansen will race the final Norwegian Cup races of the season and the second part of the Norwegian National Championships. After that, she plans on entering some more races and fun events, depending on her schedule.
“I try to stretch the ski season as long as possible. So after the race season is over, I just go out and cruise in the mountains, and the entire month of April is generally really good. But after the race season, I don’t have a set training program. I just ski a lot and just do whatever sounds good,” Johansen says, adding that the 2017-18 ski season formally starts on May 1.
“We start the basic training for the next season in May, but where I live, we often have skiing far into May as well, and I don’t put away the skis until all the snow is gone,” she says.
“Sjusjøen is my absolutely favorite place to ski from early fall and well into May, but its also one of the best places for dryland training. I feel really lucky to live here.”
Bonus: Every kilometer logged on snow this spring contributes to build a solid foundation for future seasons.