HOW PHIL MAHRE TRAINS ON SNOW - 12/18/07
by WINA STURGEON
The saga of 50-year-old Phil Mahre is building steam.
The man who won both gold and silver medals in the Olympics in the 80's is planning to race in elite FIS races, so he can gain enough points to qualify to compete in the U. S. National Championships in March. He has turned down a 'bye, because he wants to earn his way in. There, Mahre will compete against young men who weren't even born when he was winning his medals.
Fans of the sport and fans of the man are watching his progress with enthusiasm. But Mahre's progress is more than just an interesting news story. The way he trains on snow can help any skier get better.
Mahre, who is training without a coach, says his on-snow workout technique is based on intensely concentrated runs. "In a highly concentrated run, quality training means spending one day working on one particular aspect of your skiing. You might spend a full day working on level shoulders or weight transfers or the edging of the ski," he says.
With his method, each day and each run is dedicated to working on one thing instead of several things at once. Most skiers who are trying to improve often concentrate on a whole list of movements summed up under the term "proper form." They don't give their full attention to just one thing until they have it mastered.
That can be a mistake. When someone tries to work on bending their ankles while bending their knees while making a pole plant while not getting in the back seat---very little actually gets done.
For skiers working on basic improvement, quality training begins on the lift, with thinking about the goal for the coming run. Whatever element you are working on, picture yourself doing it, try to feel it. After getting off the lift, take a moment to think about what you want to accomplish before starting to ski. With that picture in your mind, start your run. If you realize you aren't paying attention, stop. Take at least 30 seconds to refocus, then begin to ski again.
It pays off a lot more to focus intensely on one thing for an extended period of time. But not too much time all at once, especially for those who are out of their 20's. Mahre takes pains not to wear out his body by spending the whole day on snow.
"Making five intensely concentrated runs can be as productive as 10 not-as-concentrated runs. It becomes quality training over quantity," Mahre says.
He laughs, adding, "As a youngster, quantity is everything, but as you get older, quality becomes more important."
His first races will be several giant slaloms at Sugarbowl, California, in early January. Meanwhile, he is training on practice courses with the Intermountain Masters at Park City Mountain Resort. That's about the only gate training available during this sparse snow season, and Masters courses are set to FIS standards.
Mahre's concentration as he prepares for each run through the Masters' gates is obvious. He doesn't chit-chat or look around. His eyes burn as he looks at the course in front of him. His push from the start is like the release of a compressed spring. He does four or five concentrated runs, drawing shocked attention from anyone who sees him; because skiing that powerful, that beautiful, is not often seen, even on practice race courses.
Then, having worked with full concentration on his improvement, he is gone.