The Pro Team athlete has a huge engine and has clocked up 10.000 training hours, most of which alone. Now, he’s ready for one of the best Ski Classics Pro Teams.

The 29-year-old from Norway has just completed another Ski Classics season. He’s still chasing the first podium place but has reached a magical number. During the penultimate Ski Classics event of Season XV, Magnus Vesterheim surpassed 10,000 training hours, most of them alone. 

Ten thousand is the number of hours often referred to in research as the base required before you can expect to reach the top international level.

Do you feel any difference after reaching 10.000 training hours?

“Well, yes and no. It’s just a number. But what is certain is that I am much more confident in what I do, and my training work has improved during that time. Before, it was luck and chance that I would be in the top 10, but now I know I have the level to fight for the podium with the best as long as I’m healthy and have good skis. I didn’t reach my goal of a podium finish this winter, but that was due to illness,” Vesterheim tells Langrenn.com. 

Now, he’s ready for a new Ski Classics season and joining one of Ski Classics’ best Pro Teams. More about that is further down in the article. 

Skier by surprise 

Vesterheim would be almost 30 years old before he reached the magical 10.000 training hours due to several things. First and foremost, he started skiing when he was over 20 years old. 

Vesterheim initially planned to be a football player, and then he wanted to set a world record for the fastest ski expedition across Greenland in 2015. Both plans fell by the wayside. He became neither a footballer nor the world’s fastest person to cross Greenland. 

Read More – Magnus Vesterheim: The Football Player Who Became Pro Tour Skier

But when the Greenland project fell through, he wanted to put the basic training he had built up to good use. 

“I trained a bit for the Greenland cross, and it occurred to me that I might be good at cross-country skiing. I had no interest in cross-country skiing until the national championships were held in Harstad, close to where I live, in 2015. When I saw the 50km race there, I thought ‘they don’t go that damn fast.” The fact that they weren’t that fast was just because the conditions were so bad. But I didn’t know that, so I thought I could do that too,” he recalls. 

Vesterheim started several Norwegian Cup and FIS races and finished between 124th and 177th place. In the 120-kilometer Troll Ski Marathon, he was an hour and a half behind the winner. 

“I was damn far behind,” he admits.

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But Vesterheim didn’t give up on the idea of a skiing career. Instead, he switched to long-distance skiing and double poling. 

“It was a time when long-distance skiing was on the rise. I was super motivated and followed what the elite skiers posted about their training sessions on social media, especially Øystein Pettersen, who had just retired at World Cup level and was now going all in for long-distance skiing. He was so open about his sessions and how they went, which was a great inspiration,” Vesterheim says. 

The first long-distance races after he shifted focus went significantly better than the Norwegian Cup races.

Vesterheim finished 57th and 52nd at Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet, respectively, in 2017. The following year, he finished sixth at Vasaloppet. But he is still chasing his first podium place. Fourth place at Birkebeinerrennet 2023 is currently his best result. 

Ten thousand hours of training later, Vesterheim has a much better understanding of what it takes to go fast in both 50 km and 100km. 

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Hardened

Research often refers to 10,000 hours of training as the base required before you can expect to approach a stable international top level. This applies whether you play violin, tennis, or long-distance and traditional cross-country skiing. 

It takes a while to accumulate that many hours. For Vesterheim, it happened towards the end of his sixth cross-country season. Now, he’s ready to take a step up. 

After two years on his own, one year with Team Parkettpartner (now Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso), and the last three years with Team Kaffebryggeriet, he is switching teams. 

Why are you switching teams now?

“It’s certainly possible to get on the podium with the setup I’ve had, but I feel it’s the right time to try something new.” 

Vesterheim points out that there are advantages and disadvantages to both small and large teams, but he is looking forward to becoming part of a more professional organization.  

“I’m looking forward to being part of a bigger team, where I’ll have people around me in a support system that facilitates 100 percent and doesn’t have to perform simultaneously. I’m hoping that a change of environment and a new, bigger team will be the thing that pushes me over the top.” 

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Vesterheim hopes, among other things, that the team change will improve the quality of training and preparation. 

“I’ve never had a coach. It will be interesting. Pølsa has inspired me. I have a bachelor’s degree in sports, so I feel I’ve had some idea of what to do. But I can’t wait to get a coach. I have a lot to learn.” 

See all of Magnus Vesterheim’s results in Ski Classics

Are there specific things on your mind?

“I hope to get better at what I’m already good at. For example, I’ll never be good at a bunch sprint where everyone is equally fresh after X kilometers. I need to reduce the size of the peloton to have any chance when the sprint for victory takes place,” says Vesterheim, and continues:

“And then there are things I struggle with, such as turns and technical courses. So, I’m looking forward to doing more sessions on roller ski tracks with others, getting matched, and getting feedback on what I can do.” 

Joining Team Aker Dæhlie

Team Aker Dæhlie is preparing for the Ski Classics Season XVI (2024/2025) and has started to present its squad. This weekend, a popular name already known to fans and followers of Ski Classics was presented: Magnus Versterheim, who is joining the ranks of the Norwegian Pro Team. 

Read More: Magnus Vesterheim joins Team Aker Dæhlie