An on-site test battery to evaluate giant slalom skiing performance

The purpose of this study was to determine if an on-site test battery would distinguish among three levels of giant slalom skiing ability. The test battery consisted of a 20-m shuttle run test, Wingate 60s cycling test, hexagonal obstacle test, high box test, double leg jumping test and vertical jump test. These tests were selected since previous studies have identified aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, power and agility as important components for Alpine skiers. Both construct validity and criterion related validity of the test battery were examined using data from 11 club skiers, 14 divisional level skiers, and 9 provincial level skiers. To establish construct validity, univariate F tests examined differences among the three levels of skiers. Significant (P less than 0.05) differences were found between the club skiers and the better skiers (divisional and provincial level) for the following test variables: peak power, mean power, and post-exercise lactate for a 60s Wingate cycle ergometer test, high box test, hexagonal obstacle test, double leg jumping test, and shuttle run test. Criterion related validity was established since there were significant correlations between giant slalom performance time and the hexagonal obstacle test (r = 0.82), high box test (r = -0.80), and double leg jumping (r = -0.86). These data illustrate that an on-site test battery can be used to distinguish among giant slalom Alpine skiers.