Below is a recent interview with Restwise and La Sportiva sponsored athlete, Luke Nelson.
At the North American Ski Mountaineering (”Skimo”, to the initiated) National Championships held in Jackson Hole in early January, conditions were epic, with near-whiteouts in gale force winds meeting racers at the top of the legendary Corbett’s Couloir. Restwise athlete Luke Nelson gutted it out to a fantastic 2nd place, confirming his fast-growing reputation as the young gun to watch, and earning his first invitation to the World Championships. Between recovering from that effort and prepping for World’s, we had a chance to catch up with this rising star.
Luke Nelson - Photo credit to Tanae Nelson
RW: Hey, Luke. We want to be the first of your sponsors to publicly congratulate you on your excellent finish in Jackson Hole this past weekend. Way to throw down!
Before we go any futher: in 10 words or less, tell us what Skimo (Ski Mountaineering) is:
LN: Racing up snow covered mountains, then skiing down in lycra
RW: Let me get this straight: sprint up a mountain wearing skis, then ski race back down, then repeat a few times until your legs are Jell-O. Is that about it?
LN: Pretty close, there is definitely a lot of technique involved, but a full race effort on the courses I’ve raced will surely leave you nicely wrecked.
RW: What are the primary demands, from a physiological perspective, on a Skimo racer?
LN: First and foremost the majority of the time spent racing is going up hill, so a strong aerobic capacity, coupled with the ability to go past the red line that is anaerobic threshold during break aways. Although simply being an aerobic monster is not enough, you still have to be able to ski down fast on very small and light skis on legs that are worked from the climb up.
RW: We first heard about you from one of our other sponsored athletes/coaches, Brian Harder who tipped you as someone to watch. What is your connection to Brian?
LN: Brian is an someone that I have looked up to for a long time. I first met him a few years ago at the Wasatch Powderkeg, but I had known of Brian from many years before when he was mentioned in an Outside Magazine article about Exum Guides. Since meeting him he has been a great source of information about training, equipment and physiology as an endurance athlete. I guess in many ways he has been mentoring me as I have pursued Ski Mountaineering Racing.
Luke emerging from Corbett's Couloir - Photo credit to James Hlavaty
RW: Brian has posted some interesting equipment-oriented posts on his blog recently(http://www.getstrongergolonger.com/). Are you a gear-geek, and does equipment really matter that much in Skimo? (here is an opportunity for you to shamelessly plug your other sponsors, if you want)
LN: I worked in an outdoor specialty store for nearly 10 years so I am definitely a gear geek. I raced for several years on light but not race specific equipment and only had mediocre results. One of the most important additions to my race equipment has been my boots. I am an athlete for La Sportiva and was lucky enough to get a pair of their amazing carbon race boot the Stratos. From the day I got those boots I have consistently been able to ascend 700-800′ per hour faster than using a light randonee boot. In addition to the boots I picked up a pair of Ski Trab Duo Race World Cup skis with Trab’s super light race binding. The combination of this equipment has made a HUGE improvement in my racing. The bottom line is that you can train your body to a certain point and beyond that additional advantage can be made up with equipment.
RW: Talking about the importance of cutting-edge gear, you’ve said that Restwise plays a critical role in your training. Can you give us some insight into how you use it?
LN: I started using Restwise about 5 months ago, I had been plagued with over training and overuse injuries prior because I had the “more is better” mindset to my training. Restwise gave me an invaluable tool to really keep myself from over doing it, since I have been using it regularly I have seen several PR’s, and no injuries.
RW: Do you work with a coach, or are you self-directed?
LN: Right now I am completely self directed, but I have been getting ready to start working with a couch for this upcoming mountain running season. As far as ski mountaineering I’ll probably keep coaching myself.
RW: If you were helping a new Restwise user get the most out of it, what would you say?
LN: Be completely honest with yourself when answering the questions. When I first started using it, it was easy to say “yeah I slept good” or “my energy is normal” , but after thinking about it a while I would realize that I was just being positive about everything and not actually noting the subtle day to day changes. Once you can truthfully answer the questions you will see it as a crucial part of your training.
RW: Now that you’re heading to the World Championships, do you view your sport any differently?
LN: I have to admit that I am a bit terrified, I have been working hard to get to where I am. Now I am off to race in the big leagues. I am more committed to working hard and recovering well to make sure I am at my best for Europe.
RW: I know the Euros are blazingly fast. What are your expectations in terms of how you’ll finish?
LN: To be totally honest I really have no idea, but I am not going to set myself up for failure. I am not going to be delusional and think that I am going to go over there and win, but I am not going to discount myself by thinking I won’t race well against the rest of the world. Whatever happens I am going to make sure that anyone who beats me has to earn it!
RW: And what’s up after the World’s for you? Do you train for next year, or do you step right into a summer sport?
LN: I mountain run competitively in the summer, so I mix running in as part of my Ski Mountaineering training. As soon as I get back from Europe I will hit my first running training block super hard. I will still have a few more Skimo races, but my trail races will start just over a month after World’s.
RW: Favorite quote?
LN: “Being awesome is a choice, if you are whining or complaining remember that you could be being awesome instead” Brad Pilon
RW: What music are you listening to these days?
LN: A mix of punk rock and punchy bluegrass… on the ipod right now Trampled by Turtles.
RW: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions today, Luke, and go show ‘em all the quick way home at World’s!