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13.05.2017 - Athlete

Portrait (2/3): Matteo Eydallin

SAINT-JEAN DE MOIRANS, Fr. – Second part of our interview with Matteo Eydallin. We wanted to know more about his vision of training and philosophy as an athlete. Be surprised, people.

Read the first part here.

PART TWO:

Sensations, lactic & Factory Team

Dynastar: How would you define your way of training? What makes it distinctive?

Matteo EydallinI like to simply listen to my body. I have already used a GPS watch a couple of times of course but I don’t like it. I am more of a “field” kind of guy. The figures actually don't mean much to me. I have training plans that I try to stick to very seriously but how I feel is the best indicator.

D: Can you be... more precise?

M.E.Well, for instance, sometimes when you’re checking your heart rates the week prior to a race, you can be like: “Wow, I am in super shape. I’m going to smoke them on Sunday!” but you end up having had a bad day. Sometimes it’s the opposite. You can feel all lazy and tired on Thursday and still deliver one of your best days during the race the following Sunday. Not to mention that weather and snow conditions play a huge role in this sport.

D: So what does a typical week of training look like for Matteo Eydallin?

M.E.Wanna know the secret for success, huh? (laughs) Well there’s no real secret. If I have raced on Sunday, I like to go out there on Monday and Tuesday for an hour or two. Wednesday is dedicated to volume-orientated training so I usually go out for 3 to 4 hours. Thursday is more for quality and cardio training, though. I am used to do strides on that day. Friday is usually a rest day as this is often the day of travelling to the location of the race. On Saturday you just check up the route of the race and Sunday is usually race day.

D: Do you do cross training with other sports?

M.E.Not really… I know most of my fellow professional ski mountaineers like to run or do some sessions on the home trainer but I don’t like to mix those disciplines up. I go climbing or bouldering once in a while with my friends. It gives me the opportunity to work on my agility, my flexibility, my strength… and to drink a couple of beers as well. It definitely helps to clear your mind!

D: Your training methods have been set years ago but you only joined the Dynastar Factory Team last year. Can you tell us more about you and your relation with the brand?

M.E.Fred (Eudier, in charge of Technical Support for Athletes at Dynastar) first asked me to try the Pierra Menta Factory skis up last year. From the very first time I tried them, I felt immediately good, especially on the downhill parts. To me, they offer the perfect compromise. Even when I feel tired after giving it all on an uphill, I know I will be able to still do something great on the downhill. They feel like alpine skis to me. They can be hard to ski for the random skier as they are a bit technical. But they make a real difference when racing!

D: To you, what are the three words that would best describe the Pierra Menta skis?

M.E.Lightweight, for sure. They definitely are the lightest skis I have ever tried. Then I would say dynamism. The curves are quite well shaped; it makes them powerful on the uphill parts, especially on hard snow. And then, demanding. They might be a little bit harder to ski for a random skier, as they’re quite technical. But, to me, they are the best. 

D: The Factory Team has been created to work along with athletes in the making of our skis to find the perfect compromise between performance and comfort. What would be your next recommandations?

M.E.: (takes a few seconds to think) As I said earlier, it’s a really hard ski and so it’s quite demanding for a beginner or just a random skier. Sometimes, when you’re skiing in soft snow you’d rather have more flexible skis. But it’s always the same thing: if a ski is more flexible, it’s less powerful.

 
Part two will be published on May 16th.