INTRODUCTION: Despite the fact that recent development of cross-country skiing technique has led to an increase in the importance of upper body power, there is a substantial lack of specific equipment for upper body force and power evaluation. In order to reproduce in the same way kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the skiing motion, a new specific upper body ergometer has been developed and tested by elite cross-country skiers. In this study, the reliability of this device was assessed comparing upper body power measurements with ski performance on field. METHOD: Thirteen cross-country skiers and biathletes (6 men, 7 women) competing at international level volunteered for the study. To evaluate the validity of the ergometer, the participants performed two tests. The first test consisted of a 60-s simulated sprint race on snow at varying terrain. Strain gauges on the ski poles allowed determination of the longitudinal forces. Several cameras placed in different areas of the track allowed us to collect kinematic data of the skiers in 2*2D in different techniques (double poling, V1, V2). During the second test, we simulated a 60-s race with the ergometer. Cameras were placed on the back and the side of the skiers to collect the kinematic data. The ergometer allows seeing the variation of the strength and of the power developed by the athlete regarding the time factor. RESULTS-DISCUSSION: A strong correlation between the kinetic parameters collected on the snow and those that resulted from the test with the ergometer was noted. The kinematic and kinetic results indicated that there are no significant differences (P<0.01) between the data collected with the ergometer and the data collected on skis, whatever the technique. CONCLUSION: The following study shows the reliability of this ergometer for the evaluation and training of skiers.
© Copyright 2010 Book of Abstracts. 5th International Congress on Science and Skiing, Dec. 14 - 19, 2010, St. Christoph am Arlberg. Veröffentlicht von University of Salzburg, Interfakultärer Fachbereich Sport- und Bewegungswissenschaft/USI. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.