Thermoregulation and Glycogen: The Skier’s Dilemma
How sub-zero temperatures and high altitude alter the way the human body oxidizes carbohydrates on the slopes.
Alpine skiing presents a unique physiological contradiction: it consists of short, highly anaerobic bursts of downhill exertion, separated by long, freezing periods of absolute inactivity on a chairlift.
The Alpine Contradiction
Alpine skiing and snowboarding present a unique physiological contradiction. The sport consists of short, highly anaerobic bursts of downhill exertion, separated by long, freezing periods of absolute inactivity on a chairlift.
You are simultaneously engaging your massive lower-body muscle groups at maximum tension to carve through ice, and then sitting completely still in minus-10-degree winds. This stop-and-go dynamic at high altitude wreaks havoc on the body's fuel management systems.