The four Finnish Pro Teams in the Ski Classics are helping to give young Finnish skiers a chance to try out the world of long-distance skiing at the Pro Tour. Juuso Mattila will be able to test his speed this weekend in Orsa with Team Mäenpää.

Mattila has experience from Ski Classics at Ylläs-Levi and was 73rd in the race last season. Juuso, 22, is looking forward to the Grönklitt weekend with the opportunity to gain more experience from the Ski Classics world.

“It is hard to say my performance goals, but I hope to place as high as possible. My goal is, at least, to ski with the main group, keep the skiing as easy as possible, and be there for the final stretch. If I can get maximum performance and see where my level is, that would be good.”

“I am going there to see the level and what it takes to really excel. It is a bit of a learning curve, but of course, I want to do as well as possible. Top 40-50, even top 30. Top 20 is really tough,” Mattila told Maastohiihto.com at the Finnish Cup in Vantaa. 

Mattila has a realistic idea of what is his strength in double poling:

“The flats and mid uphills. Something like when people are deciding on whether to kick or double pole (in the traditional distances), I always double pole. Even a little steeper, I usually double pole. The kind of gradual climbs and on flat, the fast parts.”

“The weaknesses are in the longest and steepest climbs when the hill requires the so-called special skill. However, those guys (Ski Classics Pros) double pole about 1000 hours a year, so they can handle the steep hills a bit better. I have the power for those flats, the fastest parts, and the gradual hills.” 

The Ski Classics series has seen young skiers heading straight for long distances. Would Mattila be one of them in Finland? When you ask Mattila if he is interested in Ski Classics, the answer is plural:

“I am always looking for that special place where I can achieve the best results. Of course, I would love to make good results here (in the Finnish Cup), but so far, I am not on that podium level yet, so of course, I am happy to try different possibilities.” 

“The sprints have gone well. Ski Classic and sprint are a lot alike. Surprisingly, a lot of sprinters are good there. I am used to training long sessions, so when you are on the move for 2-4 hours, I have got solid stretches there when you are going hard for a long time. It is one of my strengths for sure; I can hammer. That is why I am interested in the Ski Classics world. At least you get long enough races. Let’s go there and do a 70km and see how it goes.” 

For Mattila, Ylläs-Levi was an experience:

“It was terrible from start to finish. I expect the same now. It is pretty brutal. Suppose it is possible to achieve results there. In that case, I am definitely interested,” Mattila says, and it does not seem impossible that he would invest more in the Ski Classics already next season.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists 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, Bedrichov, 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, 67km

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