He stopped grinding skis for the national team when he was at the top. Now, he’s stone-grinding for the biggest Pro Teams, biathletes, and World Cup skiers. Lorentz Söderhielm takes us on a tour of his workshop and reveals the details behind the craft of stone-grinding skis.

Lorentz Söderhielm in the Ski Grinding Workshop

Lorentz Söderhielm runs his workshop in Funäsdalen, just a stone’s throw from Bruksvallarna. There, he grinds skis for biathletes, World Cup skiers, and long-distance racers. Lorentz has talked with Langd.se in an interview.

With over 25 years in the industry, Lorentz has become a legend in ski grinding. He has played a key role in many of Sweden’s most significant successes on the cross-country ski tracks.

“My first Olympics was in Vancouver. We won ten or twelve medals there. Then came Sochi, PyeongChang, and Beijing”, Söderhielm recalls.

He ground his last skis for the national team in November 2022.

“After me, Thomas Söderberg took over for the national team,” he says.

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Mastering the Craft

Mastering the craft takes years. Söderhielm bought his first ski grinding machine in 1997 and began experimenting with structures. But it wasn’t until 17 years later that he was truly satisfied with the results.

“I started grinding in 1997 and didn’t know anything. Over time, I learned more and more. But it wasn’t until the Sochi Olympics in 2014 that I felt really satisfied. And even then, there’s always room for improvement,” says Lorentz.

“When I finally mastered the craft, they (the national team) said I was too old. But you never truly master it. I’m turning 68 now, and a guy at Fischer is still grinding at 77. So, I’ve got a few years left,” he says with a smile.

Although Söderhielm has scaled back slightly, he’s busier than ever. He now grinds skis for the biggest Pro Teams in Ski Classics.

“I grind for most of the skiers in Ragde, Ramudden, Engcon, and Eksjöhus.”

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The story continues below.

Craftsmanship at the Core

For Lorentz, the craftsmanship is what truly matters. It’s not just about pushing buttons on a machine. It’s a precision job where even the smallest detail can mean the difference between a good and a bad ski.

“The craftsmanship itself makes up almost 90% of ski grinding. It’s about which diamond you use, which stone you have, how many rotations you run,” Lorentz explains.

“The grinding stone shrinks, and the diamond gets shorter. The parameters constantly change, so you can never fully reproduce or make an exact copy. But I can get it about 95% identical.”

A longer feature with Lorentz Söderhielm is available on SC Play, where he showcases the entire stone-grinding process—from preparing the grinding stone to finishing the ski.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

https://scplay.skiclassics.com/videos/skidslip

In the video above, Lorentz demonstrates how grinding stones are prepared to create specific ski structures.