Winter athletes are made in the summer - Martin Nörl

German snowboard cross star Martin Nörl only stands still when he’s meditating.

The friendly and down-to-earth Martin Nörl grew up in a family of ski enthusiasts near Landshut. But because he liked snowboarding much better from the moment he first encountered snow, he received his first snowboard as a Christmas gift when he was just five years old. Today, it’s clear that his parents made the right decision. Martin looks back on a snowboard cross career that’s currently on a steeper climb than some of his most challenging runs: In both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, he took first place in the overall World Cup standings.

Martin tells us why, in addition to a lot of training, the calm after the storm is also part of his strict routine.

“Theupcoming season isn’t a major event. Expectations have naturally risen—both my own and those from the outside.”

Since Martin Nörl first competed for DJK-SV Adlkofen in 2009—finishing 47th at the European Cup in Bad Gastein—his style, strength, and success have improved significantly. After numerous international competitions and steadily improving finishes, he placed eighth at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and, on top of that, claimed his first World Cup victory in the 2018–19 season in Cervinia. As a result, he even finished third in the Snowboard Cross World Cup standings at the end of the season. In February 2021, at the Snowboard World Championships in Idre, Sweden, he finished fifth in snowboard cross as the top German competitor.
In the 2021–22 season, he won the Snowboard Cross World Cup with three victories, and at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he placed ninth in the individual event and fifth in the team competition.

Since then, Martin has been unstoppable: In the 2022–23 season, he defended his first-place finish in the overall World Cup standings from 2021–22. Now he wants to live up to the high expectations—both his own and those of others. To do so, he relies on peak physical conditioning, mental strength, and inner calm.

“For me, ahealthy body means, above all, being pain-free.”

True to the belief that winter athletes are made in the summer, Martin is currently—at the time of this interview in August 2023—in the midst of an intense training session for the upcoming World Cup season, which begins in December. But since there’s no snow in Germany right now, he’s doing his training in Australia. First, it’s winter there right now, and second, there are excellent snowboard cross courses there for optimal training.

This situation highlights that Martin’s annual routine is unusual; throughout the year, he’s always working toward the short but very intense competition season during the winter months. To that end, he trains six days a week in the spring and summer. Like many other professional athletes, Martin is part of the German Armed Forces’ sports promotion program and therefore trains a lot at the barracks, where he has ideal conditions for his varied training regimen. Snowboard cross races place high demands on his entire body. That’s why he deliberately trains in a very versatile way:

“I train strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, sensorimotor skills, and coordination through targeted exercises and training sessions. Starting in August, I’m usually back on the snow and my board.”

And he does just that wherever in the world there happens to be snow. One thing is clear: For such varied training over several months in different locations, not only must the body be flexible, but the mind must be as well. During competitions, however, as Martin explains, structured routines define his daily life: “Thursday is testing day, Friday is official training, Saturday is the qualifying round, and Sunday is the final.”

“You can meditate anytime, anywhere.”

Although competition days are clearly structured, they naturally place extreme demands on the athletes. In addition to several days of peak physical performance, there’s also the fact that they often have to travel very long distances—sometimes halfway around the world—and therefore have to contend with jet lag, changing hotel beds, and other travel-related stresses. When Martin is at home, he likes to unwind after tough training sessions and competitions by having good conversations with family or friends. On the road, the entire team supports one another, and if that’s not possible or he still feels too wired before bedtime, meditation helps him.

“You can meditate anytime, anywhere. I like to use guided meditations for this. Whether you’re a competitive athlete or not, I can only recommend it to everyone.”

And he adds with a little smile: “Surely everyone has five minutes a day, right?” In addition to his evening meditation, Martin swears by another constant for good sleep, because for him, sleep is the key to sustainable recovery: “I take the BLACKROLL® RECOVERY PILLOW with me everywhere I go.”

“Whether it’straining or competition: after every intense session, I hop on the roller.”

To be one of the best snowboard cross riders in the world, you need a body that can consistently perform at a high level and even improve. Complex and varied training plays a major role in this, but recovery after training and after demanding race days is also essential for Martin. After intense workouts, he likes to “get on the roller or the ball” or cycle out the tension. Fortunately—and of course thanks to his exceptionally well-trained body—serious injuries haven’t been an issue for Martin so far. By his own account, it’s mainly been bruises, which he’s been able to heal completely thanks to extensive work with physical therapists. Since Martin also takes a lot of care of his own muscle recovery, his BLACKROLL® Recovery Set consists of a foam roller, a foam ball, a pillow, a blanket, a FASCIA GUN, COMPRESSION BOOTS, RECOVERY SLOPES, and LOOP BANDS.

It’s great that we get to follow your impressive career this way. We thank you for the interesting insights into your exciting daily life as a professional snowboard cross athlete, balancing life at the barracks with the rest of the world, and wish you a successful 2023/24 season!