In Norway, the alarm has been raised about the equipment race in cross-country skiing. It has become an extremely expensive sport for young people, who often bring 20 pairs of skis for a season. “It sounds completely insane,” say Swedish stars Maja Dahlqvist and Linn Svahn, who are reacting strongly to the growing equipment race.

Norwegian champion Iver Tildheim Andersen recently raised the alarm about what he describes as a growing race for equipment in cross-country skiing. Now the Norwegian Ski Federation wants to make changes.

Tildheim Andersen said that it is not unusual for young skiers to bring around 20 pairs of skis to be tested before races at the Norwegian Championships and the Junior Cup. According to the leadership of Tildheim Andersen’s club, Rustad IL in Oslo, children as young as nine also show up to races with bags full of skis.

These are claims that upset the Swedish national team stars.

“I think: Is that really true? It sounds completely insane. I don’t think it’s the right way to go. It wasn’t like that when we were younger. Back then, you had the equipment you had and made the best of it,” Maja Dahlqvist tells Norwegian TV2.

Linn Svahn is at least as clear:

“I actually think that’s madness.”

Is it becoming a sport for the wealthy?

What is clear is that the situation has changed for the worse in recent years. While equipment has become more expensive, many young people today have significantly more skis than today’s stars did at that age.

Maja Dahlqvist, for example, got by with two pairs of skis in each discipline. Just like Iver Tildheim Andersen, she believes that parents have a great responsibility.

“I started roller skiing when I was 16, you know. This is about the parents. I don’t think they help their children by giving them ten pairs of skis when they are that young. If anything, I think they do the opposite,” Dahlqvist says.

Svahn is worried that the equipment race will create greater disparities within the sport.

“I believe we should try to reduce the differences within the sport. Equipment is one factor that increases the differences, and I think it can lead to fewer people taking part.”

“When I skied my first race, I borrowed a pair of classic skis for a freestyle competition. That doesn’t happen anymore, but it should,” Linn Svahn says.

Wants to change the rules

Is cross-country skiing becoming a sport for the rich? Is it no longer a sport for everyone? With many families under financial pressure, the equipment race is today a limiting factor for many.

That is why the Norwegian Ski Federation now wants to try to reverse the trend and make sure that cross-country skiing continues to be a sport for everyone, even for those who do not have the means or the desire to spend large sums on equipment.

Concrete measures could come as early as this autumn.

“It’s probably the worst cases, the exceptions, that are being highlighted. Our experience is that most parents have a healthy attitude. But there is a race,” Håkon Solvik, chairman of the Norwegian cross-country committee, tells TV 2.

He describes how the equipment race can create a vicious spiral.

“When you see what it takes to have good skis for different snow conditions, in terms of structure and so on, and some people have that, a spiral is created where more people want the same thing. It becomes peer pressure.”

Rustad IL has chosen a different model for several years. Children and young people are only allowed to race with one pair of skis in each technique. As they get older, they can borrow race skis from the club if needed.

Norwegian Ski Federation President Roger Finjord praises the club’s initiative.

“I am sure that all of skiing Norway sees what Iver Tildheim Andersen sees. He is a wise person with good values and a big heart for skiing, and Rustad is a wise club. They have led the way and shown what can be done to create good conditions,” Finjord tells TV 2.

Working toward new rules

At its annual meeting this spring, the Norwegian Ski Federation decided to work on values and attitudes in order to limit the number of pairs of skis young people have access to.

“This is a challenge we take seriously. Some changes will be made as early as this coming season, mainly in that we will talk more about attitudes and values. In the long term, the goal is to see what changes we can make. There could, for example, be rules on skis and waxing,” Finjord says.

At the same time, Håkon Solvik believes the development has gone in the wrong direction.

“It probably ties in with the rest of society and other sports. We see a trend where both the cost level and the level of ambition are increasing, whether it’s the number of running shoes, cross-country skis or soccer cleats. There is a lot of focus on expensive soccer cleats and several pairs there too. It recurs in every sport.”

At the same time, he does not rule out that tougher measures may be needed going forward.

“It may require compulsion, where skis are registered, without me wanting to preempt any decision. First and foremost, however, it will be about value-based measures, which may mean you feel a little questioned if you show up with large numbers of pairs of skis.”