No Snow Required: How Cross-Country Skiers Train Through Summer and Autumn

Cross-country skiing has one of the more demanding aerobic profiles in sport. Elite athletes record VO2max values — the measure of maximum oxygen uptake — that sit consistently among the highest across any endurance sport, typically above 85 ml/kg/min and sometimes exceeding 90 in exceptional cases. The reason is that XC skiing loads the entire body simultaneously: arms, legs, and core are all working against resistance at the same time, recruiting a larger proportion of muscle mass than running or cycling.

That aerobic demand is built and maintained through summer, on roads and trails, using tools that approximate the motion of skiing without requiring snow. For recreational athletes targeting their first long XC ski tour or race, the summer training toolkit is where the work gets done — and it is more accessible than most non-skiers assume.

The Seasonal Framework

The summer and autumn training year for a cross-country skier follows a recognisable structure:

May through July is base phase. Volume is high, intensity is low. The goal is aerobic infrastructure — building the cardiovascular and muscular capacity that harder work later in the year will convert into speed. At this phase, an athlete training 10 to 12 hours a week should expect roughly 90 percent of that time at low intensity (conversational pace, controlled breathing).

August through September is development phase. Total volume stays similar or increases, but a small portion shifts to higher intensity — threshold work, longer intervals. The body now has the base to respond to intensity; adding it before the base is built produces diminishing returns.

October through November is race-prep phase in the northern hemisphere. Where snow conditions allow, snow sessions begin; dryland sessions become race-specific in terms of duration and intensity.

The summer months are not just for fitness — they are the best time for technique development, because roller skiing and bounding provide immediate feedback in a way that snowy conditions can sometimes obscure.

Roller Skiing

Roller skiing is the most specific dryland training tool available — it uses the identical technique as on-snow skiing, on a road surface, with poles. The resistance differs (roller skis have wheels rather than glide on snow), and the sensation of the glide phase is abbreviated compared to groomed tracks, but the muscle recruitment pattern, timing, and pole mechanics are essentially the same.

Classic roller skis have a ratchet or resistance wheel at the heel that prevents the ski from rolling backward on the kick phase — simulating the grip wax function in classic technique. Standard roads with a gentle gradient (2 to 5 percent) work well. The technique is bilateral: kick and glide with alternating poles (diagonal stride), no-pole double-kick (kick double), or the arm-intensive V-kick where classic and skating mechanics overlap on steep sections.

Skate roller skis are symmetric — they roll freely in both directions — because skate technique derives grip from the angle of the ski rather than a friction mechanism. Roads with minimal traffic and a predictable surface are essential for skate roller skiing; uneven tarmac or sudden drops affect the V-motion and can cause falls.

A beginner to roller skiing should start on classic skis, which are more stable and forgiving, before attempting skate technique. Helmet, wrist guards, and knee pads are standard — falling on tarmac with poles in hand is a different proposition than falling in soft snow.

Where to train: The Scandinavian countries have purpose-built roller ski tracks at most skiing clubs — a smooth, low-traffic tarmac loop with distance markers. In the rest of Europe, purpose-built options are rare, but cycling paths, closed park roads, or low-traffic countryside lanes work. Avoid cobbles, gravel, or any surface that might catch a wheel. The most suitable areas in the Alps for summer roller skiing include the valleys around Davos (Switzerland), Livigno (Italy), and Seefeld (Austria), which host camps for competitive teams precisely because their roads and altitude suit the work.

Running is the second pillar of XC dryland training and serves a different purpose to roller skiing: it builds raw aerobic capacity and load tolerance without the equipment dependency. Most competitive XC skiers run significant weekly volume through summer — trail running for longer efforts, road running for controlled tempo and interval work.

Uphill running is more specific than flat running for XC skiing's demands. Climbing a trail or road at 8 to 15 percent gradient recruits the hip extensors and posterior chain in a pattern close to the diagonal stride. Sustained climbing efforts of 20 to 45 minutes at low intensity form the backbone of a dryland run programme.

Bounding is a drill specific to XC skiing preparation: exaggerated running strides on an uphill, with or without poles, emphasising the kick-off phase from each leg and a long, suspended glide phase in the air. Without poles, it looks like an exaggerated slow-motion sprint up a hill. With poles, it adds upper body loading on each plant, mimicking the diagonal stride force pattern at low speeds. It is not running; it has a specific rhythm and purpose. Start with short efforts of 20 to 30 seconds on a 10 to 15 percent gradient, rest fully, and build over weeks. It is demanding on the hip flexors and Achilles and should be introduced gradually.

Double-pole bounding: uphill bounding using simultaneous pole plants — both poles together, like the double-pole technique in classic skiing. This is upper body specific and useful for athletes whose upper body capacity lags their leg strength. It is a brutal drill if done correctly. Ten to twenty repetitions on a short steep hill will produce significant arm fatigue; this is the point.

Strength and Power

Cross-country skiing is among the more strength-demanding endurance sports because the poles load the upper body throughout the effort. Athletes who neglect upper body and core strength in summer will hit a wall on technical terrain, steep climbs, or long distance race conditions where pole drive sustains speed when the legs cannot.

Priority exercises for XC skiers:

• Lat pull-down and seated row: the pulling motion of the pole plant works the latissimus dorsi and upper back. These muscles need specific development if your training background is running or cycling.
• Tricep dips and press-downs: the pole push through from plant to release is a tricep-dominant motion. Strong triceps convert pole timing into forward drive.
• Hip hinge variations (deadlift, Romanian deadlift): the kick phase in classic technique and the extension push in skate are both hip extension movements. Building hip hinge strength carries directly to on-snow power.
• Core stability: rotating planks, single-leg deadlifts, and diagonal woodchops address the lateral core activation that skate skiing demands as the hips load alternately side to side.
• Jump squats and single-leg bounds: power development for the push-off in skate and classic. Explosive work translates to speed on shorter climbs and in sprint intervals.

Strength training fits most naturally in the base phase (May through July), where 2 to 3 sessions per week complement lower-intensity aerobic work. As intensity on the skis increases in August and September, strength volume typically reduces to maintenance (1 to 2 sessions per week) to allow full recovery for the high-quality aerobic sessions.

Altitude Camps

Many European XC teams stage summer or early-autumn training camps at altitude — not specifically for altitude adaptation, but because the training venues are purpose-built and the competition for road and trail space with other traffic is lower. Davos (1,560 m), Livigno (1,816 m), Ramsau am Dachstein (1,135 m), and the Seefeld Plateau (1,200 m) all have designated roller ski tracks, extensive trail networks for running, and the flat high valleys needed for sustained classic double-pole sessions.

For recreational athletes, attending a coached group camp at one of these venues is the most efficient way to accumulate technique-specific training volume before the snow season. Several Scandinavian national federation academies run open camps in late summer; Swiss and Austrian clubs offer structured weeks for visiting athletes. Pricing varies considerably; contact the venue directly or work through national federation contacts.

Tracking Progress Without Snow

Monitoring progress during dryland training requires metrics that map to ski performance. Roller ski pace on a known route (time to complete a fixed 5 km loop, for example) is one benchmark. Running uphill pace on a standard climb — timed consistently, at the same perceived effort level — is another. Heart rate data across sessions at comparable efforts tracks aerobic development through the base phase.

What these metrics will not tell you is how snow conditions in your first week on skis will translate. Dryland fitness transfers well; dryland technique transfers well; but the first two to three snow sessions of a new season involve relearning the glide sensation regardless of summer preparation. Treat the first week on snow as a technical reorientation, not a fitness test.