The Skimo Cheat Sheet

32 tips to improve efficiency, speed, and strategy in skimo racing

It's a secret.

Paradigms predict performance.

good recreation

= bad racing

What makes a backcountry skier fast usually makes a skimo racer slow.

but...

good racer = faster skier

What you learn skimo racing makes you a faster backcountry skier.

so...

Your first race is research.

Learn what you can. Your results are irrelevant.

what to skip

Training

If you're racing this season, it's too late anyway.

Building real fitness takes a loooong time.

Destroying it only takes weeks (of too much intensity).

All training is exercise, but very little of exercise is training.

If you're thinking of skimo racing, you've probably done a lot of backcountry skiing. That's enough for now.

You'll get more speed from being organized than you will from HIITing it.

With a little preparation, you'll gain (tens of) minutes over those who wing it. Practice and planning are free speed.

what to practice

Technique

Skiing

Skis are for going up. Courage is for going down.

Practice with loose(ish) boots.¹
Don't turn so much.

Tight boots are slow in transitions. If you're new to skimo, you need more help with transitions than you do with skiing. ↩︎

Skinning

Practice a shorter stride with a higher cadence.
Short strides have lower muscular demands. Lower muscular loads are more aerobic. More aerobic efforts will favor fat burning over sugar. Less sugar burning means you're less likely to bonk. (Bonking is bad.)

Transitions ¹

Done well, transitions are insignificant. Done poorly, they'll ruin your race.

Boots; then
Bindings; then
Skins.

Check out https://www.skimoschool.com/technique/why-transitions-matter/ ↩︎

Hydration¹

Drinking and gasping are both essential and dangerously incompatible. To practice:

As you inhale, suck on your hydration tube;
Pause your breathing as you swallow;
Exhale and catch your breath;
Repeat; but if not!
Clear the valve so it doesn't freeze.

If you can race under two hours, you probably won't need solid food. A sickly sweet hydration mix should do. ↩︎

what to plan

Tactics

Race before you're ready.

Don't wait. Racing and training are different animals. You can't do one and automatically be good at the other. Some things can only be learned by doing. Racing is one of them.

Ignore the intimidation.

In your first race, you'll probably see plenty of skinsuits and maybe $2,000 carbon fiber boots. Budget is not ability. Everyone starts somewhere.

This is Kilian Jornet at his first skimo race... The rest is history. -->

Packs are for presentation.

During a typical race, your pack is for carrying things you won't use.¹

Keep your bottle close (on a shoulder strap).
Keep snacks handy (in your pockets).

Yes, except for grande course events ↩︎

Use the poor man's power meter.

To avoid starting too fast, limit your cadence by your respiration for the first 5-10 minutes. Start with two-steps-in, two-steps-out.

At first it will feel way too easy; slower people will start faster; but then ... they will slow, and you will not.

what to use

Tools

Skins

Clean your glue.
Remove the tail clips.
Rip from the tip.

To start, skimo is mostly skinning, a few transitions, and a little skiing.¹ Prioritize them accordingly.

Later, it's almost all skinning with a little skiing. Transitions almost disappear. ↩︎

Skis

Try the sport before you buy the gear.
Skimo gear is super niche and silly expensive. Don't buy anything until you have some races under your belt.

Bindings

Decide on one heel lift position to use throughout the race.
Changing heel lift positions wastes time.¹

Needing multiple heel lift positions means your boots are too stiff, not that the terrain is too steep. ↩︎

Boots

Remove your power straps.
Don't tighten the buckles (much).
Tight boots make for slow transitions.

Pants

Pull 'em up (to expose your buckles).
Dealing with pant cuffs during a transition is an unnecessary hassle.

Tops

Do not wear a shell. You'll overheat.
Figure out how to use your top for skin storage.
Keeping skins close to your core will reduce any ice build up. (Make sure they won't fall out.)¹

The one piece of gear that is worth purchasing before your first race is a top with two, internal skin pockets. Not only are they essential for racing, they're incredibly useful for ski touring as well. I've been using this one for ten years. ↩︎

Helmet

Remove the insulation (but not the padding).
Wear a thin headband as insulation.
A normal ski helmet will be way too warm.

what to think

Tenets

Run what you brung.

Try the sport before you buy the gear. Only use what you can beg, borrow, or rent. ¹

For rentals in the US, try skimo.co; in Canada, skiuphill.ca ↩︎

It's okay to care.

At race briefings, someone often talks a little too loud, and tries a little too hard, to be casual.

"I never really train at all."

"I didn't have anything else going on."

Pro tip: It's okay to care about your race.

And lining up your excuses in advance doesn't fool anyone.¹

Hat tip to Scott Johnston for the phrase "lining up your excuses in advance." ↩︎

Kill cohort confusion.

We only race our Best Self. And that person won't be there in your first race.

Don't draw any conclusions from who you win or lose against.¹

The only question to answer is, "Is skimo the kind of special suffering you want to do more of?" ↩︎

Beware the

Terrible 10

(solutions coming soon)

Skis that rip.
Skins that grip.
Boots too stiff.
Bindings too burly.
Heel lifts too helpful.
Clothing too comfortable.
A pack too big.
Food too solid.
A pace too fast.
Dreams too big.

Skimo School