Tunnel Vision in Germany & Austria - Michaela Keller-Miller
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- By Michaela Keller-Miller
Tunnel Vision in Germany & Austria
After spending the summer at home in Craftsbury, Vermont, I headed to Europe with the Green Racing Project to ski laps in the Oberhof, Germany snow tunnel, race in German Biathlon Summer Nationals, and cap off camp in the mountains of Ramsau, Austria. This was a fantastic block of training with ample technique and speed work.
We started off in Oberhof to take advantage of the indoor ski tunnel which is essentially a giant walk-in freezer with groomed ski trails. From the outside, the ski tunnel looks like a bunch of attached shipping containers built into the terrain to provide a few legit hills inside. The tunnel is a tiny loop with two out-and-back spurs attached which totals about 1.3 kilometers of skiing. The temperature is maintained at a constant 25 degrees Fahrenheit, so the conditions stay the same 24/7 and they typically only have to groom once a week. I’m assuming this also prevents the snow conditions from breaking down too quickly.
Skiing in the snow tunnel.
Oberhof has multiple biathlon ranges. This is from an indoor range; the old computer you see is actually a high-tech way of showing exactly where each bullet hits on target.
Skiing in August is a great way to ensure my technique is in a good place and to transfer any technique changes to intensity on snow. I worked on keeping my glutes engaged and driving forward throughout the entire V2 skating motion (and in double pole). I also thought about getting off my ski quickly and pushing off the entire foot as soon as I plant my poles in V2. I could go on, but I’ll leave it at a couple tips that have been working for me. Since the tunnel is so small, we took and watched a lot of technique video. I’d recommend getting a friend or coach to film your own technique since this is the best way to see whether what you’ve been practicing is what you’re going for.
Sprint simulation workout in the tunnel.
There’s also a four-point biathlon range in the tunnel allowing for on-snow combos at race pace. We did plenty of workouts without the range to focus on fast and technically sound skiing without added components. However, we also did a two-stage time trial to continue getting in biathlon on-snow reps. If you have more questions about the tunnel, check out this video which gives a quick tunnel tour and sprint workout recap:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN58rpkjR3U/?igsh=N3c4a3d5eTZ0OWc0
From Oberhof, I went with the GRP biathletes to Arber, Germany to compete in the rollerski German Biathlon Summer Nationals. These were the final winter qualifying races for the Germans, so the field was very deep and competitive. The field even included last winter’s World Cup overall winner, Franziska Preuß. Luckily for me, these races were a low-pressure opportunity to race against the best and practice what I’ve been working on all summer. I raced the first two days; day one was a short individual (12.5km) with penalty laps rather than a time penalty and day two was a traditional sprint format (7.5km).
Afternoon jog in Arber, Germany.
The first day went okay with a couple tangible areas that I felt I could improve for day two. I was skiing a little frantically on the first day, so I consciously thought about all the technique changes from the snow tunnel, like getting off my ski quickly to keep my momentum moving forward (rather than letting my leg drag behind me). I also made sure to push hard throughout the whole race to prevent leaving too much in the tank. I was deliberately hanging onto anyone else who was skiing well and hammering the transitions and gradual uphills harder. I also worked on coming into the range confident and visualizing a perfect setup and shot execution. It wasn’t a perfect race; I shot 2,1 and could always improve my range time. However, I felt strong and fast skiing and executed the range process as intended. So, I’m walking away from these races feeling like I’m heading in the right direction!
Racing at German Nationals.
After the detour in Arber, I rejoined the GRP skiers in Ramsau, Austria. We were supposed to ski on the glacier there, but poor and low snow conditions meant that skiing was unsafe and not possible. Instead of skiing, we racked up training hours trail running and checking out the rollerski loop. It had been a while since I’ve been in the bowl of giant mountains, so it was easy to see the silver linings of no glacier skiing. All in all, Europe camp was a success with snow, race practice, and mountain training.
We did get to take the gondola to the glacier on an off day. The hut we’re walking to had coffee and tiramisu. Most of us had never been to Ramsau, but our ski tech and coach, Nick, pointed out all the areas that had snow in previous summers that are now completely barren.
Happy Fall!
Michaela Keller-Miller