Intermediate & Advanced Ski Touring
Builds the endurance and strength you need to climb more vertical and ski stronger during bigger days.
Training Plan Overview
Meet Your Coach
Plan Description
The 12-Week Intermediate Ski Touring Training Plan from Mountain Training Center is designed for motivated backcountry skiers who already have a foundation of training and want to take their fitness to the next level. Whether your goal is to climb more vertical in a single day, link up longer tours, or simply feel stronger and more durable in the mountains, this program provides the structured approach you need to get there.
Sample Week
- Rest Day
- Warm Up: Spiderman Step + Reach, Mountain Climbers, RKC Hip Flexor Stretch, Squat Prying, and Jog/Row/Ski Erg/Bike
- Core: Front Plank Shoulder Taps, Side Plank Rotations, Bear Crawl, and Deadbug with KB
- Strength & Conditioning:
- Leg Blaster Circuit #1 with Squat Jump, Split Squats, Single Leg Deadlift Hop, Jumping Jacks, and Threading the Needle.
- Circuit #2 with Lateral Lunge Knee Up, Push ups, Box Step Up, Pull Up, 90-90.
- Circuit #3 (optional) Ski Erg, Walking lunges, and Skater Hops
- Cool Down
- Warm Up: with Spiderman Step + Reach, Mountain Climbers, RKC Hip Flexor Stretch, Squat Prying, and Jog/Row/Ski Erg/Bike
- Indoor Endurance Option: Equipment of choice: jog on treadmill, hike on treadmill at incline, stairmaster, elliptical, stationary bike. 30-60 min (may do a combination of equipment to prevent boredom)
- Outdoor Endurance Option: Run, hike (try some incline), bike at your "forever" pace- this is a pace that feels like you could go for a long time- fight the urge to go too fast!
- Warm Up: with Spiderman Step + Reach, Mountain Climbers, RKC Hip Flexor Stretch, Squat Prying, and Jog/Row/Ski Erg/Bike
- Core: Plank to Dolphin, Paloff Press, and Mountain Climber
- Strength & Conditioning:
- Leg Blaster Circuit #1 with Air Squats, Split Squats, Single Leg Deadlifts, and Threading the Needle.
- Circuit #2 with Goblet Squat, Push ups, RKC Hip Flexor Stretch, Pull Up, 90-90.
- Cool Down
- Free Day: No workout planned. Light recovery movement encouraged.
- Warm Up: with Spiderman Step + Reach, Mountain Climbers, RKC Hip Flexor Stretch, Squat Prying, and Jog/Row/Ski Erg/Bike
- Indoor Endurance Option: 45-90min (may do a combination of equipment to prevent boredom) + Pick ups - 25 sec slowing building into fast but smooth intensity. Followed by full recovery x6 reps. These can be done continuously or sprinkled throughout.
- Outdoor Speed Zone 4 Option: Hill Climbs: Find hill with 6-10% grade, that takes 30-60 sec. to ascend 10-15 min warm-up jog or dynamic warm-up. Sprint the uphill (zone 4), recover on the downhill (take these super slow): 3 reps consecutively. 10 squat jumps/ 10 walking lunges
- Aerobic Conditioning W/ Hills or Incline
- Run, hike, hike with 15-25 lb pack, bike: road, gravel, mountain. Incline hiking or running preferred for today’s workout due to better specificity to uphill in ski touring.
- 60-120 minutes depending on your fitness levels! Continue to progress vert. 2000k+ if possible. (Zone 2 intensity/ Aerobic threshold or below/ Easy-moderate intensity)
- Mini Strength (Optional): Barbell Step Ups, Plank, Wall Sit
Get Started with
Intermediate & Advanced Ski Touring
Frequently Asked Questions
All of our training plans are hosted through the platform TrainingPeaks. Upon purchasing one of our plans, you’ll create an account with TrainingPeaks and access the plan via desktop or mobile app.
With our training plans, you get access for life. This means that you can use the training plan for as many cycles as you wish, year after year.
This varies between plans but it is often recommended that you have access to a gym.
Of course! Plenty of our athletes live nowhere near mountains. We make a point of giving a variety of training options in each of our plans.
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