HYROX STATION 1 OF 8
The Hyrox SkiErg: the standard, technique and mistakes
The SkiErg is the first of the eight Hyrox stations: you pull 1,000 m on a ski ergometer, a machine with two handles that you pull down towards your hips, and the distance is the same in every division. The damper, the dial that sets the air resistance, starts at 6 and you may change it. Keep your feet on the base plate, because a foot on the floor earns a warning and then 15 seconds a time. Pace it so you still have legs for the sled push that follows.
What the SkiErg is
A Hyrox race has eight rounds. In each round you run 1 km and then do one workout station, so you finish with 8 km of running and eight stations done in a fixed order. The SkiErg is station 1, straight after the first run.
The SkiErg is a machine with two handles on cords above a fan wheel. You stand on a base plate, reach up, and pull the handles down and back, a little like a cross-country skier planting poles. A monitor counts the distance, and a judge resets it before you start.
Hyrox says this station targets the arms, shoulders and core, and that it also uses the lower body when you ski efficiently. The distance is 1,000 m for every division.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
- HYROX: The Fitness Race (official site) checked 18 Oct 2026
The SkiErg standard by division
Hyrox sorts racers into divisions: Women, Women Pro, Men and Men Pro in the Singles race, where you race alone. Open is the standard race and Pro is the heavier one. The SkiErg does not change between them, so the only setting that is yours to choose is the damper.
| Division | Distance | Damper at the start |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 1,000 m | Resistance 6, you may change it |
| Women Pro | 1,000 m | Resistance 6, you may change it |
| Men | 1,000 m | Resistance 6, you may change it |
| Men Pro | 1,000 m | Resistance 6, you may change it |
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
SkiErg technique
Start tall, with the handles above your head and your arms long. Begin each pull by hinging at the hips and bending the knees as the handles come down. Your legs and trunk (your torso) start the stroke and your arms finish it.
Let the handles rise again as you stand back up. That return is the only rest you get between pulls, so keep it relaxed and smooth.
Hyrox presets the damper to resistance 6 and lets you change it as often as you like. Try a few settings in training and keep the one you can hold for 1,000 m. A higher number puts more load on every pull, and that load can tire you before the 1,000 m is done.
You may lift your feet or use a jumping motion, and your heels may hang over the edge of the base, but they must not touch the floor. When your feet come back down, they must land on the base plate. At 1,000 m, stay on the plate and raise an arm so a judge can confirm the distance.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
Common SkiErg mistakes
Pulling with the arms alone. The arms are the smallest muscles in the stroke, and they tire first. Hinge and bend so the bigger muscles share the work.
Starting like a sprint. This is the first station of eight, with seven runs still to come. A pace you can hold to the end of 1,000 m leaves more for what follows.
Stepping onto the floor. If a foot touches the floor instead of the base plate, the first infringement is a formal warning, the second costs 15 seconds, and each one after that costs another 15 seconds.
Walking off early. You may only leave the machine after a judge confirms the distance.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
Where the SkiErg sits in the race
The SkiErg opens the race. You arrive after the first 1 km run with no earlier station in your legs, which makes it easy to start too fast.
The sled push is next, after run 2. It leans on your legs, so the SkiErg is where you decide how much of them you bring to it. Use your legs on the pull, hold a steady pace, and leave the station with your breathing under control.
Our advice: run 1 and run 2 at your even race pace, ski steady, and treat all three as your warm-up for the sled push. Ski hard enough to get warm and steady enough that you reach the sled ready to push.
Between the first run and the machine you pass through the Roxzone, the marked transition area around the stations. The Head Judge and their team assign your machine, so you cannot pick your own.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
- HYROX: The Fitness Race (official site) checked 18 Oct 2026
A SkiErg session to try
This session rehearses the opening of the race: a run, the SkiErg, another run, then the sled push, twice. The SkiErg part is 500 m, half the race distance. Race weight means the sled weight for your division. Effort runs from 1 (very easy) to 10 (all out).
| Block | What you do |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | Row for 8 minutes at effort 3 with long, easy pulls. Then run 400 m at effort 3, with a few strides (short, quick bursts of faster running) at the end. |
| Main | 2 rounds. Each round: run 600 m at effort 6, controlled, so your heart rate comes down. SkiErg 500 m at effort 8 with long, full pulls. Pace it, because the legs you save carry over to the sled. Run 600 m at effort 6. Sled push 50 m at race weight and effort 8, with your hips low, driving through the floor, at an even pace and with no sprint over the first metres. |
| Cool-down | Row for 8 minutes at effort 2 with long, smooth strokes. |
The SkiErg in Complete
Complete starts from your long-term goals, and any workout that reaches Apple Health counts. Roads are Complete’s ladders of targets, which you take on next to your friends. The Hyrox SkiErg station has its own Road, which your official race results move. A separate SkiErg Road can count an indoor workout, as long as the workout is named as a SkiErg workout.
Frequently asked questions
How far is the SkiErg in Hyrox?
It is 1,000 m for every division, and it is the first station after the first 1 km run.
What damper setting does Hyrox use on the SkiErg?
The damper is preset to resistance 6 for all divisions. You may change it as many times as you like.
Can your feet leave the SkiErg platform in Hyrox?
You may lift your feet or jump while you ski, and your heels may hang over the edge. If either foot touches the floor instead of the base plate, that is an infringement: a warning first, then 15 seconds, then another 15 seconds each time.
Does the SkiErg change between Open and Pro?
No. The distance and the starting damper are the same in every division. The heavier divisions differ on the sled push, the sled pull, the farmers carry, the sandbag lunges and the wall balls.