ASCEND

Ascend began with a simple moment of curiosity.

While watching the 2026 Winter Olympics, I found myself completely drawn into the cross-country skiing events. I had once heard that some of the highest VO₂ max scores ever recorded belonged to cross-country skiers — and watching them compete, it made sense.

The sport looked different from other endurance events. It wasn’t just aerobic capacity. It wasn’t just strength. It was a rare combination of total-body power, rhythm, repeatable force production, and endurance — all sustained at race intensity.

It was explosive and controlled. Brutal and technical.
And unlike anything else in endurance sport.

The Problem: Accessibility

Living in Raleigh, North Carolina, I wasn’t exactly surrounded by snow-covered trails or Nordic ski centers. Even if I wanted to try cross-country skiing, geography — and cost — made it impractical.

That sparked a question:

Could you replicate the stimulus of cross-country skiing without snow?

Nothing could replace the skill of the sport itself. The technical nuances, glide efficiency, pole timing — those belong to skiing.

But the feeling?
The physiological demand?
The full-body output?

That might be possible.

The Idea: Replicate the Stimulus

The goal wasn’t to imitate skiing perfectly. It was to recreate the test:

• Sustained aerobic output

• Repeated powerful hip extension

• Upper-body propulsion

• Grip endurance

• Postural strength under fatigue

• The mental grind of climbing

Hill running, SkiErg intervals, and loaded carries began to form a framework.

When tested together, something clicked.

It felt different.

Not like a traditional road race.
Not like a strength workout.
Not like a typical mixed-modality competition.

It felt like a summit effort — repeated.

The Athlete It Hits

What became clear during testing was this:

Ascend challenges an athlete profile that doesn’t quite have a home yet.

In the mixed-modality world:

• CrossFit Games tends to favor stronger athletes with high-skill gymnastics capacity.

• HYROX often rewards the durable road runner who carries moderate strength.

• Spartan Race and OCR events favor trail runners who excel at climbing and obstacle efficiency.

Ascend is different.

Hill climbing, SkiErg work, and loaded carries reward:

• High power-to-bodyweight ratios

• Strong upper and lower body output

• Exceptional grip endurance

• Postural control under fatigue

• Repeatable force production

In other words — the qualities of a cross-country skier.

The Bigger Vision

Cross-country skiing is one of the most physiologically demanding sports on the planet — but for many people, it’s inaccessible due to geography, climate, or cost.

Ascend was built to bring that test to the masses.

It offers:

• A dryland training tool for Nordic skiers in the off-season

• A summit-style endurance race for those without snow access

• A standalone sport that rewards total-body endurance and power

It isn’t skiing.
It doesn’t try to be.

But it captures the spirit of the effort — the grind of the climb, the rhythm of propulsion, the demand of sustained full-body output.

Ascend was born from a simple idea:

If you can’t get to the snow, bring the summit to you..