The Pro Tour skier missed large parts of the last season due to illness. Now the long-distance skier Klas Nilsson is looking forward to the coming season.

Here, the 36-year-old talks about peaking late, investing full-time as a father of three, Team Curira, and the work of finding a new team for the coming season.

It has been a challenging year for Klas Nilsson in terms of skiing. A year ago, he broke two ribs, which meant that the pre-season preparations did not look as intended.

But he got through both rib fracture and summer training and showed with a tenth place and tough competition at Klarälvsloppet, a Ski Classics Challengers event, that he was on the right track in terms of training.

But during the winter, one cold came after another, and in mid-January, he was hit by a covid infection. 

This meant another competitive break. 

But already in the second race after his return, Tartu Maraton, just a few weeks after the positive test result, he finished sixth in the Estonian Ski Classics event:

“It was a very nice message for me, partly considering all the hassle that has been during the season. Because it is essential to master several parts of skiing, it is important for the future. The form before Vasaloppet felt very good, but I think my ski choice, unfortunately, cost a top position. The disappointment after Vasa was great, and it was hard trying to come back after that. The Birkebeinerrennet, which has always been a challenge for me, was a better experience where I almost hung out all the way. And then there was a new period of illness, which meant that the season ended after Birken,” says Nilsson.

The 36-year-old father of three (with children aged three, six, and eight) from Skellefteå, Sweden, has competed for Team Curira over the past year. But immediately after the end of the season, it was clear that the team would be closed down:

“They have handled it well towards us skiers, and we received the information before it went out officially, so there are absolutely no hard feelings. Then there are a lot of lessons we learned during last year’s season that we could have benefited from next winter. But now we have to compete in other teams,” says Nilsson.

How do you feel about your continued dedication as a skier?

 “I absolutely want to continue. I’m 36 years old, but I’ve only been investing entirely for three years, and I’m completely convinced that I have not reached my peak as a skier. I have a lot to develop, but at the same time, I have built up a great experience that I hope to be able to contribute to a new team both when it comes to training and skiing. Then when it comes to what role it is about in a team, it isn’t easy, but as long as you are in the main group in a race, you help the team.

When is it clear which team you are going for next season?

 “The honest answer is that I do not know. Some teams have heard from me, and I have thrown out some hooks, and I would like to have something ready pretty soon. But at the same time, it is important that it is right. It is important to find a good team at finding the right skis. Grinding and structure are very crucial. Those parts determine if you can be up far ahead in the main group and fight for the victory or if you cannot keep up with the main group. So big is the difference between good and not good skis.”

Do you want to dedicate full time to skiing?

 “It is almost a must considering that we have three children. If I were to work as well, it would not have been possible to get all the training hours needed at this level. And I’m really willing to do the hard work it takes, but I set up the training a little differently than many others. I have started and trained hard now. The plan is to put a lot of pressure on the training until July, when it will be a calmer month to be able to invent things with the children during the summer holidays, and then I will do it again.”

Two years ago, Nilsson was the fifth and best Swede at Vasaloppet, and it is the long race between Sälen and Mora that is the big goal for the coming winter.

“Vasaloppet is special for all long-distance skiers and also for me. And it is a race that suits me well with the relatively flat track profile. But I would say that to succeed at Vasaloppet, you need to have a good season even on the way there. I usually try to put extra power on performing well in the competitions in January until Marcialonga, then there will be a little more training in February to be in the best shape of the season when it’s time for Vasaloppet,” concludes Klas Nilsson.