INTRODUCTION: Laboratory tests are a useful tool to obtain data of athletes' genera! fitness. These data can be used to monitor training and to adapt the training program (Svensson & Durst, 2005). This study evaluates the influence of physical fitness parameters on snowboarding performance as a further justification of performance diagnostics. METHOD: 37 members (15 female, 22 male) of the Austrian Junior, European and World Cup Snowboard teams in the disciplines Freestyle, Snowboardcross (SBX) and Parallel participated in the study. On several occasions the following tests were administered: bicycle ergometry, isokinetic core and leg strength, isometric bench press and pull (not for Freestyle), countermovement Jump, Biodex stability test and an indoor start Simulator test (Freestyle excluded). For statistical analysis (SPSS 14.0 for Windows) a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to check for normal distribution and a Pearson correlation coefficient to correlate the parameters with FIS and WC points were used. To identify parameters important in predicting snowboarding performance, a multiple regression analysis was carried out. An Independent t-test was used to evaluate differences between groups. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The men were significantly better than the women in all fitness tests except bicycle ergometry (no difference) and the stability test (woman better than men, p < 0.05). No significant correlation could be found between FIS/WC points in the freestyle events. DISCUSSION: The results indicate that the testing battery is a good predictor of FIS and WC points, especially for women and that the fitness parameters are more important for women than for men. A high aerobic capacity seems to be fundamental to achieve good results over the whole season. The correlation of the start test to FIS points in Snowboard Cross confirms earlier findings of an infernal report that the position immediately after the start highly influences the finish. To predict performance in men and particularly in the parallel discipline other factors such as the psyche or equipment may be more relevant. CONCLUSION: Physical fitness is crucial in elite snowboarding. Snowboarding disciplines have varied physical requirements therefore test batteries should reflect the different events. For example, a test battery for freestyle snowboard should contain more coordination tests.
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