How to Train for a 48+ Hour Ski Race

You don’t win Last Skier Standing by being the fastest. You win by refusing to stop.

For Vermont-based Renoun athlete Adam Kruszyna, the ultra-endurance ski event hosted by White Mountain Ski Co. is less about split times and more about mental grit. “It’s one of the only races where it’s not about being the fastest or fittest—it’s about who can suffer the longest,” he says. And suffer he did.

Adam has only competed in the competition once, but made the podium and won the Heavy Metal Division of skiers who used skis that aren't solely designed for SkiMo touring. In his last attempt, he made it 48 grueling hours before calling it. To make it that long, lap after lap up Black Mountain, training hard is a must. And that training isn’t always in the ways you might expect. 

Adam’s approach is simple. There’s no coach. No periodized spreadsheets. No traditional structure. Instead, he goes old-school and intuitive over fully optimized. “I don’t have a real training plan,” he says. “I just ski as much vert as I can throughout the season.”

In the lead-up to the event, he’ll log big days on skins, often at Mansfield, Bolton Valley, or wherever the snow is good in Vermont. The goal isn’t top speed; Adam focuses on durability. That, and learning how to push through discomfort. “The physical part is huge, but mentally, it’s a totally different level. You’re trying to get yourself to go back out when every part of you wants to stop.”

If 24 hours of skiing sounds hard, try pushing through to 48.

“Everyone thinks it’s the 24-hour mark that’s hard. But really, it’s when you get to 36, 40 hours. That’s when it gets weird,” Adam says. “You start to lose your appetite. It’s cold. You haven’t slept. You’re questioning why you’re even doing it.”

Sleep deprivation, deep fatigue, and long exposure to the elements combine to make the final stretch almost surreal. “I wasn’t hallucinating—but I definitely wasn’t thinking clearly anymore,” Adam recalls. “It becomes a mind game.”

If the suffering is that intense, what keeps participants coming back?

For Adam, it’s the simplicity of the format and the community it offers. Lap after lap, racers encourage each other, even as the field peters out. “You get to share a lap with someone you’ve never met,” Adam says. “Everyone’s cheering each other on. It’s really cool.”

Equipment choice matters as well. Adam rides the Renoun Endurance 88, a do-it-all touring setup with the chops to handle ever-changing mountain conditions—frozen cord, fresh powder, spring refreeze, and everything in between.

Registration for Last Skier Standing opens in late fall . The race typically takes place in early February at Black Mountain in Jackson, NH and it sells out fast. If you’re thinking about testing your tenacity, Adam has a few pieces of advice: ski a lot of vert, get used to skinning on tired legs, and most importantly, embrace the suffering.

“There’s no finish line,” he says. “You just go until you can’t.”

You can find Adam on Instagram @AKruszyna

You can find Adam on the hill with Strava

Check out Adam's actual Last Skier Standing Strava activity data

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