TESTED Park City Altitude 2200m... the Results Were Not What We Expected 😱

This episode of Skirious Problems is a full preseason catch-up: altitude camps, questionable biathlon technique, brutal VO2 max testing, Russian participation, Norwegian team drama, Tour de Ski rumors, and plenty of gossip from inside the skiing world.
Mika and Jimmy are finally back from the United States, but the post-camp separation is already taking its toll. After weeks of training together, they are now split between Ramsau and Lillehammer and both have somehow lost their AirPods. The breakup is real.
We start with the German biathlon team training on the Ercolina in Ramsau, which leads to a passionate public-service announcement: if you are double-poling on skate roller skis, please buy classic roller skis. The boys also discuss Johan Wolfgang’s roller-ski technique advice and why even elite athletes can occasionally look ridiculous in training.
Then it gets serious...or at least slightly more scientific. Mika and Jimmy break down their altitude camp in Park City, including hemoglobin mass, lactate profiles, work efficiency and VO2 max testing. Jimmy predicted he would last nine minutes on the test and then pushed all the way to 9:15, coming remarkably close to the suspected all-time record. The bigger surprise was that his VO2 max barely changed, while his time to exhaustion improved dramatically.
The episode also covers the importance of interpreting performance tests correctly. A higher VO2 max is not always the most interesting result: improved efficiency, better lactate values and the ability to ski faster at the same oxygen uptake may tell a much bigger story.
After discussing the excellent camps in Park City and Rice Lake—and the technical disaster that delayed the live podcast—the conversation turns to ski-world gossip:
• The allegations and ongoing controversy involving Kristine Stavås Skistad and her former coach.
• The complicated relationship between coaching, management, contracts and athlete dependency.
• The latest developments surrounding Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking neutral status.
• Whether Alexander Bolshunov will return to international racing.
• The Norwegian team’s altitude camp in Font-Romeu, including illness, back problems and rumors of internal separation.
• France hosting the opening stages of the Tour de Ski in Les Rousses.
• The possibility of Austria hosting a future Tour de Ski stage—with Ramsau making a very strong case.
• Why organizing the Tour de Ski around New Year is so difficult for race organizers and hotels.
As always, expect strong opinions, questionable comparisons, political confusion, national stereotypes, and just enough sports science to make the gossip feel educational.

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🤳🏼 FOLLOW US:Skirious Problems: @skirious_problems (instagram.com/skirious_problems)Mika Vermeulen: @mikaa_ver (instagram.com/mikaa_ver)James Clugnet: @jimmycluggz (instagram.com/jimmycluggz)