Juuso Mäkelä became the best Finnish male skier on the Ski Classics Pro Tour last winter, finishing 31st overall. The season’s first race, the Bad Gastein Criterium, saw him finish 15th, and he managed to finish in the top 30 six times during Season XV.

Juuso’s team, Team Kaski-Ekovilla, was the best Finnish Pro Team, finishing 13th in the overall Pro Team standings; however, at the end of May came the news to long-distance skiing fans when the team announced that they were calling it quits, and Juuso was left without a squad.

Read More: Team Kaski-Ekovilla calling it quits

A new team is yet to be announced, but his confidence in the future is high.

“It’s a pity that the team quit. We had a good spirit, and financially, I got used to the fact that things were taken care of. I worked hard on skis and waxing, testing waxes with Optiwax, and we did very well during the season. It was a bit of a strain, but I preferred to take responsibility so that I could ski on good skis,” Juuso says to Maastohiihto.com.

So why does a very successful Finnish Pro team throw in the towel?

“Kari Varis and the supporters wanted a solid team that could succeed. They were frustrated that no skiers in Finland wanted or could commit to the sport. Especially on the women’s side, it wasn’t easy to find skiers, and you don’t ski in the top 10 without top women who can score points. In Finland, people come to the Ski Classics to experiment and only ski one or two races. With that attitude, you can’t compete in this tough series.”

Juuso also wanted to thank Pro Team Director Kari Varis and the whole team, acknowledging that his level rose through long-distance skiing training. According to the skier, strong upper body capacity is also helpful in traditional skiing, and the Ski Classics champions have shown that their training also pays off over shorter distances.

Juuso Mäkelä is now looking for a new team and wants to put his all into the sport. If a good offer comes, the skier is ready to join a foreign Pro Team. If no team is found, he will focus on a few main races on the Pro Tour and the 50km race in the Lahti World Cup.