Freemotion helping skiers & snowboarders ‘stick the landing’

Fitness equipment giant, Freemotion, is going the extra yard to help the US’s top skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes with con󹀼 dence – while also providing top quality training content for athletes everywhere

In late 2023, Freemotion’s parent company, global fitness tech giant iFIT, inked a partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard (the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic skiing and snowboarding). The project included a complete re-design of the USANA Center of Excellence’s gym in Park City, Utah, with new Freemotion cardio and strength equipment, as well as select NordicTrack cardio machines, for nearly 250 elite athletes and staff. “This partnership is a natural fit because both iFIT and U.S. Ski & Snowboard are deeply committed to excellence, innovation and the progression of athletic performance,” said Mark Watterson, iFIT Commercial CEO. “For iFIT, this collaboration aligns with our purpose to serve athletes of all levels and abilities by providing them with cutting-edge cardio and strength equipment and immersive training experiences.”

The physical remodel

The Freemotion makeover at the gym – housed inside the 85,000sq ft Centre of Excellence building – began with adding state-of-the-art equipment such as the Incline Trainer and Reflex treadmills, Freemotion Glute-Ham Developers for lower body strength and more. The Dual Cable Cross, a favorite among the trainers, was also added to facilitate strength and mobility exercises.

“The Freemotion Dual Cable Cross is a standout piece in this retrofit,” said Watterson. “Its versatility allows athletes to perform a wide range of functional, multi-plane movements, making it ideal for strength, stability and power training. The ability to adjust resistance and specifi c positioning ensures athletes can customise their workouts to target specifi c muscle groups relevant to skiing and snowboarding.”

The Incline Trainer represented another new supplement to the fl oor, which permits cardio training while simulating mountain-like conditions.

New cardio bikes were installed as well as infused with engaging and informative visual content.

“I utilise the Freemotion bikes with athletes the most out of all the cardio equipment because the screens allow me to see their power output as well as their RPM, and their distance,” said Maddison Beck, Athletic Development Coordinator at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “I can individualise each athlete’s program while allowing them to have that individual feedback.”

“These additions are particularly exciting because they cater to the specialised needs of elite athletes preparing for world-class competition,” Watterson said.

Freemotion also dropped in several of its versatile FitRigs during the remodel. Users can go from squatting to core-strengthening leg raises to simple pull-ups in a matter of seconds with the equipment. Foreste Peterson, the Athletic Development Coordinator at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, went as far as to call it the “one stop shop.”

“You literally can do everything there,” Peterson went on. “You can do any kind of lower body exercise, such as lunges, and then go right into a core exercise. You can target your whole body.”

BRIEFING

Content by top athletes & trainers iFIT also recently introduced its Train for the Slopes workout series as part of the partnership. iFIT Trainers Knox Robinson and Shannon Cooper collaborated with professional snowboarder, Lindsey Jacobellis, and alpine skier, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, to assist athletes in their training both from a physical and mental perspective.

In the content series, the four experts lead individuals through cardio, fl exibility, balance and HIIT workouts to prepare for their trips up and down the mountain. Tricks and tips from years of experience are made available throughout the series as well.

A partnership that shreds

Both U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Freemotion have benefited from the partnership thus far through new events and collaborations. As competitions have taken off for the season, seeing the athletes perform at their peak and bringing their expertise to the wider iFIT platform for the masses to enjoy has been equally pleasing.

“The equipment that Freemotion produces matches our desire to push the boundaries to help our athletes get fi tter, stronger and faster,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President & CEO, U.S. Ski &Snowboard. “We love this relationship with Freemotion where we fully outfitted the gym with all the new equipment. There was a lot of excitement both from our high performance experts, doctors and medical practitioners. It’s really revolutionised this center.”

The equipment matches our desire to push boundaries

iFIT understands that the difference between a stuck landing and a wipeout or between gold, silver and bronze, is sometimes made in the gym rather than on the mountain.

“By modernising the gym with state-of-the-art Freemotion cardio and strength equipment, we’re providing tools that not only enhance physical preparation but also ensure efficient recovery and injury prevention,” said Watterson. “Cutting-edge equipment isn’t just a luxury — it’s a necessity to keep athletes competitive and ensure they’re operating at their peak.”