She is a former artist with millions of streams on Spotify who returned from a Himalayan summit and sought a new challenge. She tried cross-country skiing a year ago, signed up for Nordenskiöldsloppet, and will debut in Ski Classics in January. Meet the Swedish skier who is a recruit in the Danish Skimarathon Team.

There are many paths to Ski Classics and long-distance cross-country skiing. For most who pursue cross-country skiing, the interest is born early. Fortunately, there are exceptions.

One of these is 29-year-old Chloé Hansson, from Gothenburg, Sweden, who moved to Kiruna three years ago:

“It was my interest in nature that brought me North. Over the past few years, I’ve been heavily involved in mountain climbing. Just over a year ago, I returned from climbing a 7,000-meter peak in the Himalayas, and at that time, I was fully determined that this year’s goal would be to reach the top of Mount Everest. But it became a different goal,” says Chloé Hansson with a laugh.

When she returned from the Himalayan expedition, her partner asked if she wanted to try cross-country skiing.

“I tried classic skiing a few times and then signed up for Nordenskiöldsloppet. I thought it was a good idea to have a year to prepare. If you sign up for the world’s longest ski race with the intention of classic skiing all the way, you have to prepare”, Chloé says to Langd.se.

Did you sign up for the world’s longest ski race shortly after trying skiing for the first time?

“Yes, that’s correct. But I’m the kind of person who is very goal-oriented. I had a training base from my previous experience with CrossFit. And from the moment I decided that cross-country skiing was what I wanted to focus on, I trained 15-20 hours a week alongside my full-time job.”

She has participated in one race so far, on roller skis, where she completed the 157 XCC Open:

“I started in the elite category and am delighted I didn’t finish last. And even though it showed how much I still have to learn, it definitely left me wanting more. During the summer and fall, I did many five-hour sessions to build a base, and now it will be all about classic skiing.”

Her performance in the roller ski race in Liared, Sweden, caught the attention of the first and only Danish Pro Team, the Danish Skimarathon Team. When Ski Classics resumes on January 13, 2024, with the 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon (formerly Pustertaler Ski Marathon), Chloé Hansson will be part of it. Then there will also be the Engadin La Diagonela and Jizerská50, to begin with.

“My initial plan was to aim to compete in Ski Classics next year and focus entirely on the Nordenskiöldsloppet, but now it will be a slightly accelerated plan. So, this will be a trial season, and then I will train hard to perform in Ski Classics next year. I feel that I’m not where I want to be yet. But it’s not surprising given that I’ve only been skiing for a year,” says Chloé, who, until a few years ago, was very active in the music scene.

She was part of “Idol” a decade ago and made it to the live Friday finals. Seven years ago, she signed a record deal, and her (Chloé Gisele) most-played song, “Play,” has 3.7 million streams on Spotify:

“I was involved in music until three years ago, but I found it difficult to identify with the music industry; it’s so superficial. Despite being practically brand new to the skiing world, I feel that this suits me much better,” concludes Chloé Hansson.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV

The Season XV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 15 events on 11 event weekends in 6 different countries. The season started in Bad Gastein, Austria, on December 9, 2023, and will end in Norway with the 100km Ski Classics Grand Finale Janteloppet on April 13, 2024.

Next up is the 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon in Italy on January 13, 2024. The event marks the fifth Ski Classics Pro Tour stage of Season XV.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV (2023/2024)

• Event 1: December 9, 2023 – Bad Gastein PTT, Austria, 13km
• Event 2: December 10, 2023 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: December 16, 2023 – La Venosta Criterium, Italy, 37km 
• Event 4: December 17, 2023 – La Venosta ITT, Italy, 10km
• Event 5: January 13, 2024 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, Italy, 62km
• Event 6: January 20, 2024 – Engadin La Diagonela, Switzerland, 56km
• Event 7: January 28, 2024 – Marcialonga, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 11, 2024 – Jizerská50, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 17, 2024 – Grönklitt Classic, Sweden, 60km
• Event 10: February 18, 2024 – Grönklitt ITT, Sweden, 13km
• Event 11: March 3, 2024 – Vasaloppet, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 16, 2024 – Birkebeinerrennet, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 6, 2024 – Reistadløpet, Norway, 50km
• Event 14: April 7, 2024 – Summit 2 Senja, Norway, 60km
• Event 15: April 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Grand Finale – Janteloppet, Norway, 100km

More information about the Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com