Magni Smedås has had a fantastic first season as a full-time Pro Tour athlete. Now she has been inspired by Astrid Øyre Slind.

Smedås joined Team Eksjöhus Season XII as a guest skier. With four top-five positions and a podium place in the Tartu Ski Marathon, the 27-year-old decided to focus on long-distance skiing and Ski Classics entirely. With Team Eksjöhus supporting her, Season XIV has become a success story with results she had only dreamed of.

Smedås has extended the contract with the Swedish Pro Team for three more years. And there is a good reason behind it:

“I have really enjoyed Team Eksjöhus. Switching from traditional cross-country skiing to long-distance skiing has been a very positive experience. Now I know what I’m going for, and I know it works,” explains Smedås about the choice for Langrenn.com.

Nevertheless, one great reason she adds was decisive for the choice. Competitor Astrid Øyre Slind has inspired her:

“Team Eksjöhus gives me the opportunity to go all in for the World Championships season 2024/2025. I think several long-distance teams are flexible and positive that the skiers combine that. For me, it will be a very good solution where I can combine both without incurring too much cost,” says Smedås and continues:

“Astrid has shown this year that she is one of the world’s best skiers. The strength and capacity mean that she gets such good results. She is a solid athlete. It inspires me.”

Will this combination affect training and competitions in the coming seasons?

“In terms of competition, there will be a full focus on long-distance skiing. But next year, the goal will be to qualify for World Championships in Trondheim. I will probably also say yes to several competitions that do not clash with long-distance skiing.”

“I have noticed after training more for long races that I have become much stronger. I have also seen this season that the long-distance-specific training has affected some of the results in traditional cross-country skiing. I haven’t gotten worse in sprints.”

Also Read – Silly Season: Smedås Signs Three-Year Contract

Smedås says that the training for long-distance skiing had changed somewhat from when she opted for traditional cross-country skiing. Instead of training two sessions of two to three hours, these sessions have been combined into one session. A form of training she believes she has responded to very well.

Can more women who do traditional cross-country skiing get better by doing more long-distance skiing?

“Yes, now that the women’s 50km is here to stay. There are not that many people who go to much longer sessions than three hours. You must have trained for it in advance to meet the long distances. I think long-distance skiing is a very good exercise, and we can see that the level here has risen a lot in recent years.”

Ups and Downs

There is no doubt that Magni Smedås has had a fantastic season. Victory in Marcialonga, Jizerská50, and third place at Birkebeinerrennet are just some of the highlights that led her to finish second overall behind Ida Dahl after Season XIV.

“Marcialonga was probably one of the biggest highlights of this season. Not just because of the result but because of everything. I was in good shape, the weather was nice, and the atmosphere was incredibly good.”

The ups and downs have come in a row, and Smedås has taken steps to maintain her form throughout the season.

“I have been good at listening to my body and taking rest days if I have felt tired. I have chosen to be more relaxed about the number of hours of training. The most important thing has been to carry out key sessions and focus on profits outside of that.”

What will be the goal next season?

“It will be to push me more against the best. I’m going for the Yellow bib.”

What do you want to improve next season?

“Astrid, Ida, and Emilie are excellent on uphill. I am best on the flats and in sprints. So the goal is skiing hard on the uphill and getting better from there. It’s probably a combination of technique and strength that I need to improve. And not least, double pole more on uphill.”

Motivated for a New Season

The season ended a few weeks ago with the Reistadløpet and Senja 2 Summit. Smedås admits that it was a brutal race to end the season with, but there will also be two spectacular races that she will remember for a long time.

Afterward, she had one of the most leisurely off-season periods in many years.

“I was with the family at Easter. There were some easy family ski trips. In addition, I’ve been snowboarding a bit and just doing pleasure-oriented training. Then I’m extra excited on May 1 to start a new training season.”

“Now I can look back on achieving all the goals I had set for myself. I can pat myself on the back now,” says Smedås and laughs.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consisted of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 68km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.