Christmas has just arrived and today we had a chat with traditional cross-country and long-distance Pro Tour skier Petter Soleng Skinstad, from Team Coop.

In a relaxed conversation, we talked about his season preparations, his first races this winter, the Visma Ski Classics Premiere in Orsa Grönklitt, his plans for the upcoming competitions and of course, whether to train or not on Christmas Day.

Petter Soleng Skinstad is an experienced Norwegian skier, both in traditional cross-country skiing and long-distance skiing, being an athlete and Pro Team Director for Team Coop. With 24 Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour and 3 Visma Ski Classics Challengers starts on his shoulders, and with 93 points this season, he is currently 37th place in the Visma Ski Classics Champion Competition.

Now that you know more about Petter, grab a cup of coffee, sit comfortably on the sofa, and come enjoy this Christmas chat with him!

Petter, first of all, congratulations on your races last weekend. We had the feeling that all you guys are training hard and ready for the Visma Ski Classics Season XII. How were your races last weekend? Have you been racing this season before the Orsa Grönklitt Premiere?

“Thank you! My season opening was okay! The last few months have been super busy and I feel I need some more time to be in my best shape. However, the Individual Prologue was far better now than it was when I did my first one two years ago. Hopefully I’ll be able to progress from here. As a part of my training for Visma Ski Classics I started in the Norwegian season opener in Beitostølen, so this was my second weekend of racing.”

And how was your preparation for the Winter Season? Did everything go according to plan?

“All in all the preparations for the season have been good. I have been able to train well and specific all the way from May until now, without any major injuries or sickness. The last few months I’ve had too much to do, so I haven’t had the needed time to rest to be in my best shape now. However, I’m planning to change that starting this Christmas.” 

You are an experienced skier in both traditional cross-country skiing and long-distance skiing. Before the Visma Ski Classics Premiere, did you start in any cross-country skiing races? How was the feeling? In your opinion, is traditional cross-country skiing a complement to long-distance skiing races? Or is it difficult to combine both during the Winter Season?

“Yes, I did the Norwegian season opener in Beitostølen, where I have started my season the last 12-13 years – ever since I was 18-19 years old. It’s no problem to combine the two different parts of our sport, but with more and more specific training for long-distance skiing as well it’s getting harder and harder each year to be good at both. For me, it’s all about long-distance skiing now, as all my training is focused on long-distance skiing. Also, the main reason I stopped focusing on traditional skiing was the fact that I didn’t feel my body could perform well at that type of skiing anymore. With some health issues and years of hard training without getting any better, I found that long-distance skiing was the only right thing for me at this point in my career.”

And now Christmas time has arrived. On Christmas Day are you ‘Team Rest’ or ‘Team Training’? Do you like to stay at home with your family and friends and relax on the sofa or do you like to do a Christmas workout?

“For me, Christmas is all about doing the things I love the most with the people I love the most. This means that I go skiing with friends and family before eating Christmas food and enjoying the holidays. I usually train every day during Christmas, and that also helps me enjoy all the good food even more.” 

So you are an active skier at Christmas time, what is your training routine and your favorite workout on this special day?

“The last few years I’ve been doing longer, easier sessions on Christmas Day. Earlier we’ve been doing both Christmas intervals and Christmas strength sessions. It’s all about having fun and doing what you love, and I’m lucky to have friends and family to do these things with, even at Christmas.”

And as it could not be missing, Christmas is a time for reflection and also for receiving presents. Which ‘gift’ would you like to receive this year from Santa Claus?

“I really don’t have any Christmas wishes this year. I’m lucky to have great people around me, partners who support us and all the equipment I need to be a skier. All in all, I’m doing what I love and I’m lucky to be able to do so. However, if I have any New Year’s solutions for 2022, it would be to enjoy even more, work a bit less and get better at saying no – to have more time relaxing with friends and family.” 

Get to know more about Petter Soleng Skinstad here and here. 

Full Results from Orsa Grönklitt Premiere you can see here and here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!