Altitude Training in New Zealand

Accommodation

It is now recognized that the best method of altitude adaptation and performance enhanced training is the live-high train-low technique. The Wanaka Snow Farm is the perfect venue for this to occur.

 

There are ideal facilities located at Queenstown (600M) and Wanaka (600M) for the training low or train between 1450 m and 1800 m at the Snow Farm & Snow Park and stay Snow Park Apartments situated at an altitude of 1450m for living and acclimatising after training.  Book on Line

 

The Snow Farm and Snow Park  are the ideal facility for the live-high train-low method of altitude training; the accomodation at altitude has facilities perfect for living high and acclimatization.

 

The Snow Park apartments are ideal for people wanting to prepare their own specialised diets

 

U.S. Olympic coach Dr. Joe Vigil had this to say about altitude training: "Since 1968, 95% of all Olympic and World Championship medals from the 800 through the Marathon were won by athletes who lived or trained at altitude ... It can therefore be concluded that altitude training is necessary for success in endurance events."

 

Live-high, Train-low

 

Previous altitude training research in the 1960s and 70s studied athletes who both lived high and trained high. However, these studies showed mixed results. But more recent research published by Levine, B. & Stray-Gundersen, J. in the July 1997 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers demonstrated convincingly that athletes perform best when living (including sleeping) at high altitude and training at low altitude.

 

There was no performance improvement in any of the other groups (living high and training high, living low training low). Low altitude training combined with high altitude acclimatization produces the best of both worlds - better oxygen uptake, transport and conversion to energy along with the training effect of high oxygen workouts. (Levine, B. & Stray-Gundersen, J. Journal of Applied Physiology Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 102-112, July 1997)