After the news of their three-year partnership with Coste and Fromageries Marcel Petite, Team Nordic Expérience announced today that Swedish skier Hedda Bångman has joined the Pro Team for the 2022/2023 season.

ProXCskiing talked with Hedda Bångman to learn more about her and her ambitions for the upcoming season. 

Hedda, can you tell us a little bit more about you? 

“I was born in Stockholm in 1995 and started skiing when I was 6 years old. I grew up in Stockholm until I was 13 years. Then my family and I moved to Kaxås (a village between Åre and Östersund). I started racing when I was 8 years, and I have since then been very passionate about skiing and racing (it’s just so much fun to push yourself as hard as you can).”

“My long-distance ski career started in the summer of 2020 when I moved back from Colorado, where I did college. My sister, Evelina, started long-distance skiing a year before I moved to Colorado. She inspired me to do the same; go over to long-distance skiing once I was done with college.” 

You did a great last season with Team Eksjöhus, with a solid 8th place at Årefjällsloppet. Why did you choose to move to a French Pro Team? 

“I am satisfied with the last season, and I think I was a stronger and faster skier than my first season in Ski Classics. It was certainly a challenging season as I moved to a new city (Umeå) at the end of January to start medical school (which was so exciting). I am grateful for my experiences in Team Eksjöhus, but it feels good to move on and get new experiences with Team Nordic Expérience. I feel that Team Nordic Expérience and I are on the same page, which I think is really important for making great performances.”

So, will you be based in Sweden or moving to France? 

“I will be based in Sweden since I am attending medical school here, but I will be joining the team on the training camps, which I look so much forward to.” 

What are your ambitions for next year?

“My goal for next season is to ski faster than I did last season. As I had one top ten placement last year, I really hope I can manage to take some more top 10 placements and perhaps finish top 6 in some race.” 

What will be the most significant changes for you with this new Pro Team? 

“I think the cultural exchange will be the biggest difference skiing for team Nordic Expérience compared to Eksjöhus. But I am so excited to visit France, get to know my new teammates, and share knowledge and experiences. Hopefully, I will get some new inputs that I can adapt to my training. I am very excited to join Nordic Expérience, and I think I will develop myself both as a skier and person. I am also very motivated to stay determined and disciplined to be able to combine an athletic and academic career.” 

ProXCskiing also talked with Maxime Grenard, Pro Team Director, to know his point of view about Hedda Bångman and what he thinks she will bring to the team. 

“I think Hedda can be a strong point for the team. With the departure of Kati, we needed to strengthen the team on the women’s side. We needed a girl who could regularly break into the top 10. That’s why we contacted Hedda, a reference athlete on the circuit.”

“We have the same vision for the future, so it was a good fit. I think she will be able to bring her experience and expertise to the whole team. We can’t wait to start working with her, to be able to exchange and immerse ourselves in the Swedish culture.” 

When will your first training camp take place? 

“Our first camp will be on June 15, but Hedda will not be able to be there, as she has just finished her exams. She will be at the second training camp, in the Haut Jura, from July 10 to 16. We are looking forward to that!”