Physiological characteristics of elite snowboarders

Aim. To profile the physiological qualities of elite snowboarders and quantified the relationships with snowboarding performance. Methods. Ten alpine (ALP, mean±SD age: 25.6±4.4 yrs; body mass 78.1±12.1; height 178.4±9.8 cm; sum of 7 skinfolds 74.8±19.4 mm; body fat 13.8±3.7%) and ten snowboardcross (SBX, mean±SD age: 23.5±4.3 yrs; body mass 77.2±9.2; height 181.0±4.9 cm; sum of 7 skinfolds 70.1±21.1 mm; body fat 11.9±3.5%) elite male athletes undertook aerobic power (cycle ergometer maximum oxygen uptake), muscular isometric strength (maximal isometric voluntary contraction, MVC), and muscle-power (vertical jumps), as well as ALP [parallel giant slalom (PGS) and parallel slalom (PSL)] and SBX simulated competitions. Associations between measurements were assessed by correlation analysis. Results. Absolute (ALP 383.1±38.0 W, P<0.01; SBX 339.7±41.3 W, P<0.05) and relative (ALP, 4.6±0.5 W·kg-1, P<0.01; SBX 4.5±0.3 W·kg-1, P<0.05) power output, power at the first (ALP 196.0±53.7 W, P<0.01; SBX 192.8±24.3, P<0.01) and second (ALP 285.4±60.6 W, P<0.01; SBX 280.4±20.3 W, P<0.01) ventilatory threshold, MVC (ALP 731.9±181.9 N·m-1, P<0.001; SBX 680.1±76.8 N·m-1, P<0.001) and leg stiffness (ALP 31.4±4.8 N·m-1·kg-1, P<0.01; SBX 25.4±3.0 N·m-1·kg-1, P<0.01) were highly correlated with PGS (r = -.88 to -.97), PSL (r = -.84 to -.94), and SBX (r = -.89 to -.93) performance times. Conclusion. To meet the demands of snowboarding competition, elite snowboarders require highly developed muscular strength and power. This study provides criteria for the selection of appropriate physiological variables for the longitudinal monitoring of relevant parameters in snowboarding.