Snowboarding
How I fuel: Katie Ormerod
The British snowboarder on her love for roast vegetables and how she prepares for the slopes.
Snowboarding is demanding on the body. Spending six or seven hours on the slopes hitting the jumps and practising tricks can burn more than 500 calories an hour, so fuelling is crucial to help athletes get through the day and recover afterwards.
Even more so for British snowboarder Katie Ormerod, who often follows up a day snowboarding with a gym workout or a run. With a schedule like that you can’t just live off traditional skiers’ fare such as fondue and raclette – you need to keep on top of your nutritional game to perform at your very best.
Here, Katie reveals what a pro snowboarder eats and drinks to keep in tip-top condition to ensure she’s fully fuelled and recovered after a tough day’s training ready to do it all again the next day.
What do you eat to fuel you through an average day’s training on the slopes?
Vegetarian Katie preps a lot of her own food for when she's up on the hill
© Syo van Vliet / Red Bull Content Pool
I try to eat a balanced diet, so for breakfast I usually have plain cereal topped with berries or chopped bananas. When I'm snowboarding I usually take nuts and dried fruit to snack on. For lunch I'll have a veggie wrap – I'm vegetarian, so I always make things like that for when I’m on the hill. And then when I come down to dinner I’ll have pasta for carbs, with lots of vegetables – I love my veg!
I usually have a Red Bull when I have my snack, then I'll have another around lunchtime to keep me going for the afternoon session
Do you work with a nutritionist?
Not specifically – we do have one as part of the GB Snowsport team who gives us tips and meal ideas.
Do you change your diet on competition days?
No, never. I always stick to the same sort of food because I know it works for me. I always feel like I've got enough energy.
How do you use Red Bull during training and competitions?
Katie incorporates Red Bull as part of her nutrition plan
© Syo van Vliet / Red Bull Content Pool
I usually have a Red Bull when I have my snack, then I'll have another around lunchtime to keep me going for the afternoon session. And it’s the same during competitions – it depends when I'm competing, but if I'm on in the afternoon I'll have one half an hour to an hour before I compete, and then I'll be feeling pretty good.
Do you eat anything specific to help with recovery?
Snowboarding can burn 500 calories an hour so fuelling up is vital
© Syo van Vliet / Red Bull Content Pool
I tend to just listen to what my body is telling me. If I’m craving something in particular – whether it's fruit or a specific food – then I'll eat that.
What's your all-time favourite meal?
Basically just lots of roasted vegetables! At Christmas, for instance, I just have a plate full of different types of roast veg. Sweet potatoes are my favourite.
I've been travelling since I was really young. You have to just learn to cook for yourself
Are you a dessert fan?
Occasionally. If I was going for anything it would be some kind of hot chocolate pudding.
If we were coming over for a fancy dinner, what would you cook us?
My go-to is a veggie lasagna. I layer different vegetables instead of meat, so I'd do a layer of sweet potato, aubergine, carrots, mushrooms, things like that. It's really tasty. It’s my own recipe – I figured it out myself after experimenting with different things. I realised that I really love vegetables, so I thought I’d try layering them and it really worked well.
It sounds like you're quite handy in the kitchen…
I’m all right. I guess because I've been travelling since I was really young, I've had to just learn to cook for myself. I've definitely picked up a few tips here and there.
Do you cook most of your own meals?
It depends – if we're on a team trip and we’re all staying together then we usually cook together, or one person will cook for everyone and we'll alternate each night. That’s great, as then you get to try a range of different foods, and everyone has their own specific skills – some people are good at making curries, others are good at making pasta.
And are you a fan of fondue when you're out on the slopes?
Not particularly – I'm not really a big cheese fan!
