Asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) are common in high-level athletes and especially prevalent in cross-country ski athletes. In a recent online questionnaire distributed to high level Swedish cross-country skiers, 29% of adolescent athletes (age 15-19) and 35% of senior athletes self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma. Cross-country skiing has been identified as an independent risk factor for development of EIB and it has been hypothesized that a combination of the cold and dry climate, high ventilation rates, training frequency and duration may contribute to airway inflammation and trigger bronchoconstriction during or shortly after exercise. Alongside pharmacological management, there may be strategies that athletes and coaches can utilise to manage asthma or EIB. Several studies suggest that warm up routines containing short bouts of high-intensity exercise may offer protection against subsequent EIB, termed a ‘refractory period’. In cross-country skiers, refractoriness was observed in around a third of athletes in a small cohort. Other athletes may display a gradual, progressive EIB; whether these athletes also respond to high-intensity warm-up warrants further investigation. Heat-exchanger masks have been shown to reduce the severity of EIB substantially in athletes with mild to severe EIB in cold conditions (-15°C to -25°C). It is recommended that athletes with asthma/EIB explore the efficacy of high-intensity warm-up regimes on airway responses and utilise heat exchanger masks, especially on the coldest days.