The billionaire CEO of tech giant Palantir skis for at least 5 hours a week, and has the same body fat percentage as prime Michael Phelps, report says

• Palantir CEO Alex Karp is a fitness fanatic who skis for up to five hours a day.
• Axios reported he has just 7% body fat – similar to Michael Phelps' at the 2008 Olympics.
• Karp has been pictured at events in ski gear and sometimes exercises during interviews.

Alex Karp, the CEO and cofounder of data company Palantir, has just 7% body fat, Axios reported.

The 55-year-old told the outlet that he attributes his fitness to spending at least five hours a week cross-country skiing, often in the countryside near his home in New Hampshire .

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps had a body fat of 8% around the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he took home eight gold medals.

The New York Times previously reported that Karp sometimes skis between 40 and 60 kilometers a day (roughly 25 to 37 miles), weather and time permitting. He even opened Palantir's first-ever pitch to public investors while roller skiing through a forest, and recorded the company's 2021 holiday message on the slopes.

In 2020, Palantir moved its headquarters from Palo Alto, California to Denver – close to some of the country's best ski spots .

Karp told Axios that with fitness he focuses on distance rather than speed, something he learnt from athletes in Norway.

"To run like a deer, you have to spend 90% of your time running like a snail," he said, adding that this approach builds up a powerful base of fitness.

Karp also does daily tai chi and stretching, and keeps pairs of swimming goggles in his office . He's has been pictured at events in ski gear and sometimes exercises during interviews, like the one with Axios.

Though Karp isn't on a strict diet, he's cut out added sugar, Axios reported.

"I don't give things up forever," Karp said. "I have a special event, I eat sugar. If I'm traveling and someone has a really nice Danish, I enjoy every minute of eating it."