It will be the Ski Classics Legend Petter Eliassen, together with host Mårten Lång and Claire Moyse, Team Nordic Expérience, that (in English) lead the viewers through this weekend’s broadcast on SC PLAY. 

Petter Eliassen is a familiar name in the world of Ski Classics. From 2015, the Norwegian skier started in 50 Pro Tour and 2 Challengers events. Eliassen’s name is carved in the Ski Classics Hall of Fame with 13 wins. His first victory was at König Ludwig Lauf in 2015, and his last was at Vasaloppet in 2020.

Read More: Get To Know The Ski Classics Legends

In 2019, Eliassen was in the lead and won Marcialonga. This weekend, Petter Eliassen is the expert commentator for SC Play on the season’s first Grand Classics event.

Petter Eliassen went to the World Championships for Norway in 2011 and 2013, but was after that, that he took a step over to Ski Classics and the big victories started to come.

Already in his first season with a full long-distance focus, he won four Ski Classics events, including Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet.

How do you see the development in long-distance skiing during and after your career?

“Double poling had already started back then. It was only a few races that I skied with kick wax. But development was fast even during these years. There were many talented sprinters who started investing in long races and then there was an extra focus on double poling. And it feels like the level is now more even at the top. It’s harder to break away,” says Eliassen, who on Sunday will be an expert commentator for the live broadcast of Marcialonga on SC Play.

Eliassen has many solid placements in the Italian long-distance race; but the best memory is undoubtedly the victory in 2019.

“I got an instinct just before the start that I should get up and ski hard early on. My objective was to keep a high speed. We were a group that was in the lead when we entered the hill. I know I had Andreas Nygaard on the back skis, but then I got a gap quite directly on the hill and it grew. It was a great feeling, because I have had several tough experiences in that last climb,” says Eliassen, who won that race with a margin of half a minute to Nygaard.

In 2021 he ended his professional career, but started Marcialonga last year as well. This “as a tourist” (according to his own definition), and finished in 130th place.

“It is a very special race with the atmosphere and where the whole valley is involved and contributes. There are not many places in the world where it would be possible to organize a race like this,” praises Eliassen, who works as a physiotherapist in Alta, Norway.

Read More: Petter Eliassen Opens His Physiotherapy Clinic And Shares Some Tips 

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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, 15km
• 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.

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