Pro Team athlete Luisa Griessbaum of the Cibes Lift Ski-Willy Marathon Team opens up about a season derailed by illness and how she is finding her way back ahead of Season XVIII.
The Ski Classics World Championship Season XVII started with real promise for the 28-year-old skier. A podium at the Gastein Classics Challengers event and a 40th place at the Bad Gastein Criterium set a solid tone, and her results in Switzerland the following month were even more encouraging. A 4th place at La Saireda Roseg, another Ski Classics Challengers event, preceded her best Pro event finish to date, 31st at Engadin La Diagonela, a result she had been chasing for some time.
“It was both the best and the worst season I have ever had,” she says to ProXCskiing.com. “I had completely underestimated how poor the recovery would be after a night race, especially while staying at altitude. Even so, I achieved my best Ski Classics result so far at La Diagonela, missing the top 30 only by a narrow margin, which has been a long-term goal of mine.”
What followed was among the hardest stretches of her career. At Marcialonga, she collapsed 10km from the finish, later discovering she had been racing with a serious virus.
“The race was torture for me right from the beginning, but anyone who knows me well knows that Lui does not give up. So, I fought my way forward kilometer by kilometer until my body finally gave in.”
The recovery took months.
“For two months, I could barely get out of bed. Even 30-minute walks were so exhausting that I had to go straight back to sleep afterwards. For four months, I was unable to train at all. I started by gradually extending my walks in the forest, then moved on to Nordic walking, and eventually to longer hikes with more elevation gain.”
The experience reshaped how she listens to her body.
“Even though it was the most disappointing season of my career so far, it is also the one I learned the most from. I learned to listen more carefully to my body’s signals and to allow myself one or two extra rest days than originally planned when I feel that I need them.”
Also Read: Cibes Lift Ski-Willy Marathon Team: Season XVII in review
Back on snow at Dachstein
She is based in Ramsau am Dachstein, and the setting shapes her entire approach. A typical summer training week includes two strength sessions with a focus on core work, one session on the glacier, two interval sessions, and the remainder split between roller skiing, road cycling, trail running, and mountain biking.
“The training conditions are perfect, and it never gets boring in the mountains.”
Her current favorite summer training session reflects where she is in her recovery.
“At the moment, it is my double-threshold day on the SkiErg, because there I have 100% control over my intensity. Those sessions do not overload my body, but they still make me noticeably and measurably better from week to week.”
The glacier day carries a different kind of value.
“Up there, you simply forget all your worries, and every time I feel like I am entering another world. My mental energy is always fully recharged after that day.”
As a biomechanist, her tip for recreational skiers is direct: do not neglect core strength.
“Of course, you need to accumulate plenty of double-poling training hours and include one or two interval sessions per week if you want to improve your endurance. But many people forget how much performance can be gained through proper double-poling technique, and that is only possible with a stable and strong core, so that the power is transferred where it is supposed to go.”
Looking ahead, Griessbaum is targeting the home double weekend in Gastein to open Season XVIII, though she is taking a measured approach.
“I am simply taking it as it comes and not putting pressure on myself. If I feel good and fit, I will line up in the Pro events. If not, I will take a step back first and gain some race experience again in the Challengers events.”
She also hints at a new role within the Cibes Lift Ski-Willy Marathon Team set to be announced soon.
“Whether I will be able to represent the team as an athlete or not, this season will be a very special one for me,” she says, adding that the team’s broader ambition remains clear. “Our goal is for the team to keep growing together and becoming more professional year by year, so that we can gradually close the gap to the top Scandinavian teams.”
Read More: Ski Classics World Championship Season XVIII
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Author: Leandro Lutz
Photo: Private
