Abstract des Autors

Performance in athletic activities that include a significant aerobic component at mild or moderate altitudes shows a large individual variation. The threshold altitude for aerobic impairment may not be universal for all. The Olympic cross-country skiing competitions in 2014 was held in Sochi, Russia at an altitude of approximately 1500 m. Although moderate, this altitude is known to reduce performance in highly trained endurance athletes and elite athletes have a more reduced aerobic power than untrained individuals even down to 900 m (Terrados et al., 1985), while an increased desaturation in the arterial blood in trained cyclists during maximal exercise at only 580 m altitude was demonstrated (Gore et al., 1996). It is also known that individuals react differently during altitude exposure (Chapman et al., 1998). As a consequence elite athletes need to prepare for competitions at relative low altitudes around the same altitude or slightly higher to adapt are hopefully improve aerobic performance in at the actual altitude. Furthermore, different individual responses in the acute exposure and during the adaptation period should be recognized and consequences should be taken accordingly with respect to days in exposure and altitude for living and training. The purpose of this study was to evaluate individual and group performance changes during and after three weeks of training in moderate altitude in elite skiers.