After his聽聽on the聽Rettenbauch聽glacier in聽Solden, Austria, on October 25, American聽聽confirmed he is still the fastest human down a slalom course on skis. The 31-year-old from Park City, Utah, is a three-time Olympian and the only man in U.S. history to win multiple gold medals in alpine skiing. He鈥檚 also won twenty-five World Cup races and is the owner of five World Championship crowns. 聽
Ligety鈥檚 passion for mountain sports extends beyond the snow. He loves mountain biking and he co-founded聽, an alpine gear company on a mission to 鈥渦n-limit an athlete鈥檚 pursuit of fun through technological advances in engineering.鈥 We caught up with聽Ligety聽upon his return from Europe to learn more about his habits for peak performance.聽
When There鈥檚 Snow on the Mountain鈥
During the season, we are generally on the mountain before 8 a.m. and ski hard for up to five hours.
Hit the Gym鈥
In the off-season, I鈥檓 in the gym 5-to-6 days a week. I focus most on training the ski-specific muscles: everything in my lower body and core.
鈥nd Hit the Trails
I also spend a lot of time mountain biking. It鈥檚 tons of fun and builds leg power that is transferrable to skiing.聽
Protein and Fat Are Your Friends
A little over a year ago, I switched to a high-protein, high-fat diet. Protein is especially key for keeping muscle on. I aim for at least 150 grams per day. This doesn鈥檛 mean I don鈥檛 eat carbs, but if it鈥檚 more mashed potatoes or more steak, I go for the steak.聽
Sugar Isn鈥檛 Always the Enemy聽
I tend to avoid sugars on a day-to-day basis, but it鈥檚 a different story on race day. I make sure I鈥檓 timing my intake to get a performance boost, not a crash. That means pounding a Coke about 45-to-60 minutes before a race, and nursing an energy gel 10-to-15 minutes out.聽
Download Pre-race Podcasts
I鈥檓 a total nerd. Before a big event, when I鈥檓 warming up and getting into the zone, I鈥檓 generally not listening to music. I prefer podcasts鈥攖hey keep my brain engaged. I love NPR. 鈥淧lanet Money鈥 is great.聽
Switch Up Your Recovery
I wear compression socks, especially when I鈥檓 traveling. The last thing you want is for your feet to be swollen from a flight and then need to jam them into ski boots. That鈥檚 never fun.聽
I鈥檒l take ice聽baths leading up to a competition, but in the offseason, I don鈥檛. There鈥檚 some science that ice聽baths can actually stunt adaptations to training. I am, however, a big believer in active recovery at all times鈥揳 light spin on the bike or even just a walk can help fast-track recovery after hard efforts on the mountain or in the gym.
Return from Injury Slowly
I鈥檓 pretty lucky in that I鈥檝e only been hurt badly once. But yeah, coming back can be tough, not just physically, but psychology too.聽It definitely took me a little time to get my confidence back on skis. But after a few days on, I was good to go.聽
Develop a Pre-Race Routine
I focus on priming my system prior to races so I can be ready to go right out the gate. I鈥檒l spin on the bike for 10 minutes when I wake up and do some core work, too. 聽It鈥檚 all about activating the muscles I鈥檒l use during the race early and often. 聽I鈥檓 actually doing core work and mobility exercises right until the gun goes off.聽
Anxiety Is聽Okay
I can get pretty anxious before races鈥擨鈥檇 almost worry more if I wasn鈥檛. I just try to channel that energy into the skiing side of things, transmit the heightened awareness to the run.聽
Nothing Beats Home, but France Is Pretty Dope
I love skiing in Utah. I grew up skiing on those mountains. Park City and Deer Valley are some of my favorite ski areas in the world. That said, skiing in the French Alps is also pretty sweet. All the skiers out there are super cool. And the ski areas and surrounding towns, like聽Chamonix, are incredible.聽
Focus on Function and Form
I鈥檓 a total聽gearhead. 聽If you are going to make me pick, I鈥檇 say goggles are my favorite type. So much goes into making a technologically-sound, high-performance goggle, but there is still plenty of space for design and style.聽