Andrew Hooge, CSCS
What could be better than water to rehydrate after a long day on the slopes? Spanish researchers have discovered that lager could be a better rehydration tool than a glass of water. Apparently it has something to do with the carbonation, salts, and sugar.

Twenty-five lucky students took part in the experiment at Granada University. After running on a treadmill in a 104-degree room to exhaustion, their hydration levels were measured and then were given either two and half pints of beer or water. Both groups were allowed to drink as much water as they wanted.

What were the results? Students who were given the beer had “slightly better” rehydration than those only given water. Sounds good to me!

The scientists concluded that athletes should include some good old-fashioned lager as part of their diet. On average a person will lose a quart of sweat for every hour of moderate to intense exercise. Now I certainly don’t endorse drinking while skiing or using beer as a staple to improve your skiing performance, but it looks as though there might be some credence to what seems to be a staple in many skiers post ski-day meals. Who knew!

Stay Fit Skiing!