Curdin Perl was a professional cross-country skier and active in the World Cup until the end of 2017. His 4th place in the overall standings of the Tour de Ski in winter 2010/2011 and the triumph with the team at the World Cup in La Clusaz (FR) in December 2010 are outstanding.
Since the likeable Grisonian announced his retirement from top-level sport, he has been passing on his knowledge to other athletes. In addition to cross-country skiing courses and training camps, Curdin also offers training planning for athletes. Azum is his coaching platform of choice.
We asked Curdin how the winter season 2021/22 has gone and how he has fared in the first year with the planning and control in his daily coaching routine with Azum. But read for yourself.
Azum: Curdin, the 2021/22 cross-country skiing season ended a few weeks ago. The competitions at the Olympic Games in Beijing were the big highlight of the past season. What do you remember most about the winter of 21/22?
Curdin Perl: I remember many interesting hours on the track with motivated customers. There wasn’t one big highlight of the season for me, but every time I can say goodbye to a satisfied customer and give him or her an “aha” experience during a cross-country lesson, that’s a little highlight for me.
A: How has the season been for you and your athletes?
CP: I no longer compete myself. Many of my clients have made great progress in technical aspects. Some of them competed in the “La Diagonela”, the “Engadin Skimarathon” and the “Wasalauf” and were able to show strong performances and great times.
A: Were you able to achieve your goals?
CP: Yes! Of course there is still a lot of work to do and of course you can always increase your goals, but the most important thing is that some competitions could take place again this winter, which was completely uncertain at the beginning of the training planning.
A: Most cross-country skiers have probably recently finished the season break and are getting back into structured training.
How did you feel about the season evaluation with Azum? How was the handling for you?
CP: I find working with Azum easy and clear. Especially for me, who prefers to be on the slopes rather than sitting in front of the computer doing office work, this is of great importance. Since I’ve known Azum for a while now, I’m finding my way around better and better and I also “dare” to make more adjustments, which allows me to work much more efficiently than when I started.
A: At the beginning of the new season, which training content do your athletes find first on their Azum agenda?
CP: At the beginning of the new season (1st May for the cross-country skiers!) there is a lot of basic training on the programme. These are mainly longer sessions with low intensity.
A: You have been working with Azum for about a year. Why did you choose Azum back then?
CP: Azum approached me at that time and through the personal support in the initial phase I quickly found my way around.
A: Is there any functionality that you can point out as particularly valuable from your experience?
CP: I find it helpful to be able to set up a grid (templates) that I can use and add to again and again.
A: With Azum you can cover various sports and add your own content to them. Which sports have you added to your coaching platform?
CP: “Skigang” (..yes I know, this is not a “recognised” sport, but for us cross-country skiers, walking with poles is an important training content).
A: Finally: Would you recommend Azum to other cross-country skiing coaches?
CP: Definitely! The database of ideas and exercises can be a helpful tool for coaches to add more variety to their plans.
Curdin, thank you very much for your detailed answers! We wish you and your athletes a great summer and a successful preparation for your main season. The next winter is coming for sure 😊
You can find out more about Curdin and what he has to offer hier.