Backcountry touring and ski mountaineering can be all-day affairs. Proper carbohydrate intake can keep you on the go. But first, you may have to gut train with high-carb nutrition to keep the stomach settled and the motor primed.
Not again. I just reached 13,500’, and my stomach decided that now was the perfect time to pull the fire alarm and demand a full evacuation. Wag bag at the ready; luckily, this is only a minor inconvenience on a stellar day of skiing the Holy Cross Couloir. This evacuation scenario has been a recurring theme for my spring season after a winter of powder and smiles. Curious, I dove into the available research and consulted some experts to find a solution.
First, let’s look at optimal conditions. The intake of carbohydrates during endurance exercise has repeatedly been shownto have a positive effect on performance compared to fasted efforts. Durations as low as an hour have shown these same benefits to carb intake. That too-short skimo race, which seems too short to be affected by eating a gel, is indeed affected if the gel remains in the wrapper.
How much should I eat? That is the start of the “it depends” conversation, as our bodies are capable of different things and trained to various extents. Studies have shown that glucose, as a single carbohydrate source, can be absorbed by the gut at a rate of approximately 60 grams per hour (g/h). Further trials have combined glucose with an additional 30g of fructose to show that 90g/h of absorption can be achieved. Ultra runners and Grand Tour cyclists have been pushing the envelope even further through gut training gut to be able to absorb even more.
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