Planning your skimo race season

Race Season is just around the corner for all Skimo athletes, and if you haven’t started planning your season its’ time to do so. Here are some tips for your season, and an overview of the scheduled Ski Mountaineering races this 2024/2025 season.

When planning a race calendar, structuring your season with A, B, and C races can be highly effective in managing your training load and ensuring peak performance. Planning your race season together with a coach can be really fun.

A-Races

These are the key events of the season—typically 2-3 races that you prioritize and aim to peak for. We design your training plan around these races, ensuring you are in peak form. A-races should be spaced out by 8 to 12 weeks to allow for proper recovery and preparation. For serious athletes, A-races are often championships, world cups etc but for recreational athletes, choose “bucket list” races that excite you. It’s important to maintain focus, as these are the events where you’ll perform at your best​.

B-Races

B-races secondary events that serve as key opportunities to test your fitness without the pressure of peaking. You’ll can taper slightly before these races but won’t give them the same level of focus as an A-race. B-races should still align with the type of A-race you’re preparing for in terms of distance and intensity, so they serve as stepping stones in your training process​. It can be an idea (especially for trail running) to build up the distance of these races over the course of your race season.

C-Races

C-races are lower-priority events that you can use as workouts or fun challenges. You won’t taper or plan specifically for them, but they allow you to test strategies, try new race environments, or simply enjoy a race with less pressure. These can be great for developing skills or just staying active​.

Key Takeaways – Skimo race season

• Plan 2-3 A races in a season, with 8-12 weeks between each.
• Incorporate B races to test your progress, with 2-3 weeks before A races.
• Use C races as fun, low-pressure opportunities to gain experience without tapering.

By categorizing your races, you’ll have a clear focus for the race season, ensuring you hit peak fitness at the right moments while staying motivated throughout the year.

Skimo
Race Season 2025

ISMF World Championships:

The 2025 ISMF World Ski Mountaineering Championships will take place from March 2 to 8, 2025, in Morgins, Switzerland. The events will include the mixed relay, vertical race, sprint, individual, and team races, with around 400 athletes from 25 nations participating. Morgins is a well-known venue for ski mountaineering, located in the Portes du Soleil region, an extensive ski area that spans Switzerland and France​. For all elite athletes this should be one of your A-races during the race season.

Grand Course Races:

These are beautiful races and if you are a true Ski Mountaineer you will definitely want to include some of these in your race season. Some of the iconic Grand Course races include:

• Pierra Menta: Known for its challenging long-distance team format and extreme terrain. It will also host the ISMF Long Distance Team World Championships​ in 2025. I have completed Pierra Menta twice, in 2022 with Jon Albon and in 2024 with fellow Atomic skier Yohan Sert.
• Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG): A famous Swiss race through the Alps, part of the Grand Course circuit​.
• Adamello Ski Raid, Trofeo Mezzalama, and Tour du Rutor: These races also form part of the prestigious Grand Course series​.

Skimo Stats full race overview	https://www.skimostats.com/races/2025
ISMF World Championships	https://www.skimostats.com/race/ismf-world-championships
ISMF World Cups	https://www.ismf-ski.org/webpages/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-2025_ISMF-Calendar_WC.pdf