INTRODUCTION: Competitive snowsports such as alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding are known to be high-risk sports. 1 Preventative training and testing may be considered promising countermeasures. 2 The aim of this study was to explore current practices, challenges and opportunities related to preventative training and testing in snowsports. METHODS: Qualitative study. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 experts in the field of snowsports, including athletes, coaches, physiotherapists, and sport psychologists. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed based on principles of the grounded theory approach. 3 The codes were grouped into themes from which the most important theories were developed. RESULTS: All interviewed stakeholders reported similar practices of training and testing with the overarching goal of preparing the athletes for the demands of on-snow training and competitions. However, the interviews revealed various athlete-related (e.g., the health status) and contextual factors (e.g., the skill level) that influence the training and testing regimes of individual athletes. Strengthening communication and building a network between different stakeholders was mentioned to be a potential key to solving the challenge of addressing multiple factors at once. Moreover, the stakeholders noted the importance of focusing on the youth level, as injury rates are already high at this level and the potential for improvement appears to be most impactful at this level. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The current practice of preventive training and testing regimes was reported in a similar way by the different stakeholders, although they appear to be highly dependent on a variety of setting-specific influencing factors. In addition to further quantitative research, particular efforts should also be made to address implementation issues such as real-world process optimizations and knowledge dissemination.
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