The man who torments our ski cracks in summer
23.5.2022
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Manuel Wenk
Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin have been competing for victories at the top of the Ski World Cup for years and regularly win medals at major events. While the athletes are in the limelight, their coach does his work in the background. A visit to Christian "Chrigel" Brill.
On 20 March, the 2021/22 ski season ended in Courchevel and Méribel, France, with Marco Odermatt winning the overall World Cup. The season had already started on 23 October 2021 in Sölden, Austria. In between, the Olympic Games took place in Beijing in February. Here, the athletes from Switzerland cleaned up in style and won no fewer than nine medals. Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin alone won four of them.
The next winter is still a long way off. But not for their coach Christian "Chrigel" Brill. While we look forward to the summer holidays, the ski and fitness coach is already working on the next successes of his two athletes. I meet the likeable man from the Bernese Oberland for an interview in a private fitness centre in Einsiedeln.
Coaching career instead of skiing career
In his younger years, the man from Wengen was a ski racer himself in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. But not very successfully, as he says with a broad smile. So he gave up his dream of an internationally successful skiing career, did an apprenticeship as a carpenter and trained as a ski instructor. He then trained as a ski coach and became involved in the local ski club. From there, his path led him via the regional performance centre and the Bernese Oberland Ski Association to the national performance centre "Mitte" in Engelberg. Even back then, he accompanied the juniors Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin, among others. After attending the relevant diploma courses at Swiss Olympic, the 46-year-old family man has now been coaching the two athletes for five years in a dual role as ski and fitness coach.
Christian Brill, the summer holidays are usually rather short for your athletes, aren't they?
Chrigel: That is indeed the case. After the World Cup final in France, we used the good snow conditions for training sessions. There were also various equipment tests. The whole thing lasted until around the end of April. Wendy and Michelle will return to summer training in mid-May. We will then carry out various tests with the athletes at the national performance centre in Magglingen and carry out an initial assessment. I'll then quickly see what I need to focus on at the start of summer training.
And in what condition do Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin return from their summer holidays?Both are very disciplined. It's not as if they completely let themselves go for three weeks. On the contrary. They are so ambitious that I have to slow them down.
Preparation for last season was complicated. Michelle Gisin suffered from mononucleosis and Wendy Holdener broke both hands
Everything was actually going according to plan for Wendy until 4 October. Then came the training accident and afterwards we had to get plan B out of the drawer, so to speak. In addition to the physical aspects, it was mainly about the mental aspects. Of course, under these circumstances, she missed important ski training sessions during this injury break, and her giant slalom turns in particular were somewhat neglected. But then we were actually back on track relatively quickly.
And how was it with Michelle?
That was more difficult. Due to the illness, we basically had to shut down her entire system first. The issue then stayed with me throughout the winter and we had to see from day to day what worked and what didn't. Like Wendy, Michelle is a competitor through and through. We always had to make sure that she didn't want too much too quickly. In the end, I was very impressed by her performances this season.
Pre-season preparations with obstacles
Wendy Holdener's preparations for the 2020/21 winter were not without injury. Shortly before the start of the season in Sölden, the 29-year-old broke her right fibula. Among other things, I was able to chat to her about this last summer during a visit home in Unteriberg.
So next winter is already on the minds of the coach and the athletes. As things stand today, both riders are healthy and are starting their pre-season preparations.
What do the next few months roughly look like until the giant slalom in Sölden at the end of October? Can you outline this "in a nutshell"?
Based on the analyses I mentioned earlier, we will set the initial training priorities. Depending on the situation, the focus can be on building strength or endurance. Basically, both basic endurance and stamina are decisive factors. I always train basic endurance in the spring to build up fatigue resistance.
And then?
We usually go out on the snow for the first time at the beginning of August. By then, the main part of the athletics training has been completed. In between, there are always performance tests. This allows me to see how the skiers' athleticism is progressing and what I need to incorporate into these training sessions in addition to the skiing technique. The aim is for Wendy and Michelle to be in top shape at the start in Sölden.
Skiing is a complex sport. Many factors play a role: strength, endurance, coordination and agility. What is the most important thing?
That's a difficult question. We focus on the following training areas: mobility, strength in the lower and upper extremities as well as in the core, aerobic and anaerobic capacity and agility. Of course, strength is a decisive factor. Enormous forces act on the athletes. These forces need to be tamed. But good endurance is also crucial. We often train on glaciers at around 3,000 metres, especially in summer. The exertion there is very high. If your stamina is poor, your recovery suffers.
And the other factors?
We usually build coordination into the afternoon programme of snow training, for example jumps. It's all about finding the right balance. And then you mustn't forget that skiing is a technical sport. All that strength and endurance won't do you much good if you don't have good skiing technique. Then you won't be fast.
What role does the age of your athletes play in training planning? Michelle and Wendy are both in their late 20s
Basically, the older the training age, the more regeneration. With my riders, we attach great importance to the quality of training. The volume decreases, the quality of the training increases. This means high load, high speed, high intensity and we reduce the volume of training accordingly. At a young age, certain movement sequences and coordination skills have to be repeated over and over again until they become second nature. Of course, Wendy and Michelle have had this foundation for a long time.
I notice that there are only free weights here in this weight room, where Wendy Holdener also trains. So machines are not a topic for you?
There is a leg press here in Einsiedeln, otherwise we really do train exclusively with free weights. But of course we also use the leg press from time to time, for example, if I want to work out a specific muscle. But otherwise it's really the free weights.
How do you feel about new training methods, such as occlusion training or blood flow restriction training? Carlo Janka, for example, used this towards the end of his career to get his back problems under control
I have that on my radar. And of course it's a very interesting approach. Advanced athletes in particular benefit from the metabolic stimuli. However, it is a mental challenge, as such a training session is very painful (smiles).
And what does an average workout for Michelle Gisin or Wendy Holdener actually look like? What do you train with them when they're back from their holidays?
I could explain this to you in detail now. But you know what? How about I just show you and you can try out the training yourself right away?
Okay, challenge accepted. I'll go and get changed then.
Legday or the workout of a professional skier
What happened and did I survive the challenge? The detailed training video will be available soon. Here's just a little taster:
You want more pain and agony - you want to see me suffer? Then follow my author profile here and don't miss the sequel.
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
