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XC Q&A with Lee Borowski My most productive ski tip ever This past March, I received a cryptic e-mail from Scott Oberbreckling who is now living in Boulder, Colorado. He wrote, "Last weekend I completed a 90K ultra race in Steamboat. For the first time I felt the efficient V-1 technique you've mentioned really made a difference. I used that style for almost the whole race and could have gone farther. Not the fastest technique but it holds up over long distances." For those of you who don't know Oberbreckling, his accomplishments winning the Birkie Elite Sprints four times, a ninth-place overall finish in the full Birkie and All-American at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Around 1990, Scott disappeared from the ski scene to go back to school for a degree in optometry. He also got married, moved to Colorado and started a family. Then he resurfaced a couple of years ago. In fact, on a return visit last year, Oberbreckling won our local Lapham Loppet in Delafield, Wisconsin. Oberbreckling's short e-mail made me suspicious since, over the almost 30 years I've known him, he has always downplayed his achievements. I figured there was more to this race than Scott was letting on. When I Googled the Coureur des Bois ultra ski race, my suspicions proved to be well founded. This is a direct quote from the race coverage in the Steamboat Pilot: "When the 43-year-old Boulder resident stopped to finally absorb his surroundings, he had crossed the finish line at Steamboat Lake Outfitters and shattered the 90K course record by nearly an hour, finishing in 4 hours and 16 minutes." So what was this special V-1 that helped Oberbreckling take almost an hour off the previous record time for this Colorado ski race? I call the stroke the resting V-1 that when used properly feels as if you are sleeping on your poles. It is very efficient, requires the minimum energy for decent speed and is particularly effective in fast and icy snow – just the kind Scott encountered at the Coureur des Bois. While the V-2 and open field skates are definitely faster than the resting V-1, they require more energy and balance that is hard to produce when fatigued. So just what is this resting V-1? Its execution is very much like its name. You simply fall forward onto your poles and let gravity do most of the work of poling. Surprisingly, this doesn't mean that your body drops huge distances. It moves several inches forward and down, not 90 degrees as in the double-pole. Then when gravity has done its job, you simply rock and skate over to the weak side ski, then rock back again, falling on your poles. As you can tell from the description, this form of the V-1 depends more on lean and momentum than vigorous poling and dynamic leg action. And in long races like the Birkie, when your body wants to quit, it is an excellent stroke to help you stagger up those long hills. It's not as fast as a more dynamic version of the V-1, but when you're tired, you need all the help you can get. What makes this stroke effective are two things. First, the effort required is less, so it is very economical, especially in fast conditions. Second, it is much more stable than the open field or V-2 skates. Since you are falling on your two poles at about the same time your strong side ski hits the ground, those three points form nature's most stable geometry, the triangle. You won't slide out, even in the iciest conditions. Then, momentarily, you rock over to your weak side ski with a fairly wide stance. Since that ski is not supported by poles in the snow, you immediately rock back to the three points of stability on the strong side. Compare this to the open field and V-2, which require gliding on both skis before planting the poles. On ice, especially when tired, both of these strokes can become very difficult for all but the most gifted. There is, however, one requirement to use the resting V-1: Your arms and poles must be lined up properly. And this is the tip I gave Oberbreckling when I skied with him at Lapham Peak the day after the Lapham Loppet. His V-2 and open field skate technique was perfect. But when he went up the steeper hills, I noticed that his poling position was much different than when I coached him as a junior skier in the '80s. Over the years, his hands had moved to a very wide position, well outside his elbows. As a result, it was almost impossible for Oberbreckling to apply his body weight to the poles. If he did, he would simply fall between his poles. So now his V-1 poling was relying mainly on his triceps. He was getting no help from gravity or his stomach muscles and had very little lat involvement. The best way I know to teach the proper alignment for poling in the V-1 is through the resting V-1. So what is the most efficient hand/pole position? The key is that the poles are aligned with the inside of the forearms so that when pressure is applied to the poles, there is a direct power link to the snow. In other words, the poling force is parallel to the forearms. If the hands are too wide, as in Oberbreckling's case, or too narrow, it is impossible to just "hang" on the poles and let the body initiate the force. The bottom line is that when your hands and arms are lined up properly, it's easier to let gravity initiate poling for effortless power. And if you're in a shorter race, it's at better position from which to apply power. The resting V-1 also lays the groundwork for the more aggressive V-1 in shorter races. To go faster, just exert more pressure on the poles with a slightly longer stroke, actively swing your legs farther forward and slightly increase your forward lean. Give the resting V-1 a try. You might like it. For video sequences of different World Cup skiers exhibiting elite V-1 form, go to http://thesimplesecrets.com/.
Of course there is another reason to roller ski. No matter how much biking, running or canoeing you've done, you still have to adapt to the different physiological requirements of skiing. I'm always amazed at how my body suffers when I first start roller skiing again, no matter how good my biking is at the time. In the old days, I roller skied all year. But lately I have just biked over the summer. So again this fall I was reminded that skiing and bicycling have different muscular requirements. I went through two tough weeks of adaptation. Even the fairly casual skier is well served by roller skiing before the snow falls. We have so little snow time in the Midwest that it is a shame to suffer once it arrives. Lee Borowski is a past USSA Nordic Coach of the Year, Badger State Winter Athlete of the Year, and the coach of several Junior, Senior and Collegiate Skiers-of-the-Year. He has also coached many Masters skiers who have won both national and world championships. In addition, Lee is the author of several books, many articles and four videos on cross-country skiing. He runs the website http://thesim plesecrets.com/. To order Borowski's NEW Simple Secrets of Skating or The Simple Secrets of Striding (demonstrated through footage of Olympic and World Champions and available on VHS and DVD), send $25 plus $1.75 shipping (Wisconsin residents add $1.27 tax) to Lee Borowski, 4500 Cherokee Drive, Brookfield, WI 53045.
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