Improved performance, better resistance to fatigue and faster recovery from injury: these are the main benefits of sports training carried out in part in hypoxia, i.e. with a rarefied oxygen supply. The Hypoxie Valais project, launched jointly by The Ark Foundation, SpArk, the Clinique romande de réadaptation (CRR) and Elitment, aims to develop and democratize this training technique, while establishing best practices. It will also provide a basis for economic development in this up-and-coming field, in which the Valais region has a great deal to offer.
Training in hypoxia, i.e. at altitude or in similar conditions, is increasingly documented at the scientific level, thanks in particular to the work of Professor Grégoire Millet of the University of Lausanne. According to Millet, the first studies on hypoxia date back to the 1960s, in the wake of the Mexico Olympic Games. In Switzerland, the resort of Saint-Moritz also quickly established itself as a training ground for combining life and training at altitude.
Today, thanks to hypoxia chambers, it is also possible to live on the plains and train under high-altitude conditions. “The advantage of the Valais is that all forms of altitude training are within easy reach,” says Grégoire Millet, who contributes his scientific expertise to the Hypoxie Valais project. “By combining sessions in the wild and in hypoxia chambers, it is possible to improve not only performance, but also resistance to fatigue. It’s not a question of opposing outdoor or hypoxia chamber training methods. Both can coexist well, especially if trainers are involved in the new protocols that are being developed,” emphasizes Grégoire Millet.
Two hypoxia rooms in Valais
Valais now has two hypoxia rooms: one at the Clinique romande de réadaptation (CRR) and the other at the SpArk technology site in Sion. “The aim of the Hypoxie Valais project is to make our region a national benchmark for hypoxia training,” explains Frédéric Bagnoud, General Secretary of The Ark Foundation. “There is certainly something to be developed in economic terms too, since hypoxia will create – no pun intended – a call for air for athletes of all levels and disciplines.”
“Hypoxie Valais is an ambitious project, oriented towards new technologies and innovative methods. It is aimed at elite athletes, through sports federations, but also at amateur athletes,” notes Michaël Duc, who co-directs the project. In concrete terms, several dozen young athletes will be able to benefit from the existing infrastructures and know-how for hypoxic training. No less than 100 hours of use of the Valais hypoxia chambers will be made available to several sports federations.
Educating trainers and developing best practices
“As Audrey Chaperon, project manager and sports coach at Elitment points out, “In addition to performance, hypoxia training also aids recovery, particularly for injured athletes. “This program also aims to educate trainers in this promising new practice, and to develop good practices and protocols. There are still many things to be tested in connection with hypoxia training, such as the dosage of workouts or the ratio of hypoxia to open air.
The idea behind Hypoxie Valais is to bring together federations, coaches and athletes to gain experience and expertise in the field, before extending the project to all interested athletes. This one-year pilot project can also count on the expertise of Sierre’s Institut Icare to analyze the data collected. It should make it possible to develop a sustainable economic activity around hypoxia, or at least lay the first foundations.
