Quick summary:
- ⛷️ Ski touring outing 1000–2000+ D+ = high carbohydrate requirements, cold hydration and regular intake.
- 🍫 During exercise: COOKNRUN bars, dried fruit, Ultra Crackers, sports drinks.
- 🧭 SHERPA automatically calculates the needs based on the D+, your weight and the conditions.
Why nutrition is crucial in ski touring
Ski touring demands a massive energy expenditure: cold, altitude, sustained ascents, and technical descents. Without a strategy, performance drops quickly: unstable blood sugar, loss of mental clarity, hypothermia, or hunger pangs.
👉 The key: anticipate . And that's where SHERPA , our nutrition planner, becomes a major ally. It calculates your carbohydrate, hydration, and electrolyte needs based on your elevation gain, the weather, and your profile.
1. The day before: light, digestible and simple
You don't "stock up" the night before. The body mainly replenishes its reserves after exercise. The night before, the goal is light digestion .
Recommended meals the day before
- Potato + fish / eggs
- Cooked vegetables (carrots, courgettes)
- Compote or poached fruit
👉 Avoid lentils, cabbage, raw vegetables: no need to stress your digestive system before a climb.
SHERPA Tip
Planning your outing the day before on SHERPA gives you: carbohydrate needs → water needs → quantity of supplies to take with you.
2. Breakfast: steady energy for the climb
Fast-acting sugars first thing in the morning cause a spike… followed by a crash. When ski touring, this translates to hunger pangs at 9 a.m. Your breakfast should provide slow and steady energy .
Breakfast ideas
- 🥣 Cookrun porridge + nuts + banana
- 🥚 Eggs + a handful of nuts
- 🧀 Bread + cream cheese + avocado
- 🍏 Applesauce + almond puree (early start)
SHERPA Tip
If SHERPA detects a long outing or a significant D+, it recommends a slightly increased pre-exercise intake.
3. During exercise: maintaining blood glucose levels is the top priority.
When going uphill, you're not primarily fueling your muscles... but your brain . A poorly fueled brain = impaired coordination → dangerous on slopes.
👉 Target: 30–60 g of carbohydrates / hour in small, regular doses.
The best foods for climbing
- 🍫 K2: dried fruits & oilseeds → ideal natural energy in the cold.
- 🥜 Dried fruits / nuts → double effect: fast + long lasting.
- 🧂 Ultra Salty Crackers → perfect for boosting appetite and providing sodium.
- 🍫 COOKNRUN Bars → soft texture even in negative temperatures.
💡 If long & cold effort: add a warm sports drink like DISTANCE (only 1 link per page → no link as already used elsewhere in the blog).
Hydration during the climb
The cold masks thirst, but dehydration is accelerated by dry air + altitude.
- 150–250 ml every 20–30 minutes
- Warm drink if you're out for a long ride
- Avoid sugary drinks during exercise.
SHERPA Tip
SHERPA adjusts water requirements according to temperature and gives you the exact amount to carry.
4. Break at the summit or the refuge
At 2000 or 3000 m, you need to: - warm up - replenish your sodium levels a little - stabilize your energy before the descent
Practical solutions
- 🍲 Hot soup in a thermos
- 🥣 COOKNRUN savory bivouac meals for real breaks
- 🍧 Sweet bivouac meals if you want a comforting + carbohydrate boost
👉 COOKNRUN freeze-dried products are organic, digestible and quick to prepare.
5. Return & Collection
After 1000–2000 meters of elevation gain, your glycogen stores are significantly depleted. Your meal should contain:
- Carbohydrates → replenish stores
- Proteins → repair fibers
- Lipids → calm inflammation
COOKNRUN Recommendations
- 🍲 Bivouac Meal
- 🍫 RECOVERY protein bars for post-workout
- 🍵 Organic teas or organic infusions for gentle rehydration
6. Men/Women: Small differences to know
Women
- They use up glycogen faster → more frequent intake
- Be vigilant about iron levels → altitude + cold amplify the needs
Men
- More muscle mass → slightly higher protein requirements
👉 SHERPA automatically personalizes according to your gender, weight, and intensity.
7. Example of a complete nutrition plan
| Moment | Objective | Useful products | SHERPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour before | Slow energy | Porridge + nuts | personalized carbohydrate requirement |
| Ascent | Avoid hunger pangs | COOKNRUN or K2 Bar | Recommended carbohydrates/hour |
| Hydration | Water stability | Warm drink | Water volume according to temperature |
| Summit | Heat + sodium | Ultra Crackers + soup | Cold-fighting food tips |
| Back | Recovery | Recovery Bar | Appropriate post-exercise intake |
FAQ – Ski touring & nutrition
How to avoid hunger pangs?
Eat every 45–60 minutes. SHERPA will tell you the optimal pace based on your effort.
What to drink while ski touring?
Drink water or lukewarm tea regularly. Have a sports drink if you're out for a long run.
Why avoid sugar at breakfast?
It triggers a peak → fall → hunger pangs in the middle of the climb.
Which food supply is best suited to cold weather?
K2, COOKNRUN bars, Ultra Crackers: they remain consumable even at low temperatures.
Conclusion
In ski touring, nutrition is your guarantee of performance… and safety. With regular, easily digestible and appropriate intake, you climb better, descend more clearly, and fully enjoy your day in the mountains.
By combining COOKNRUN bars , Ultra Crackers , K2 , sports drinks , bivouac meals and a personalized plan via SHERPA , you are ready to tackle any D+.
Photo ©Blandine Reynaud
