The evolution of tactics in long-distance skiing has come a long way since cross-country skiing was a sport where the skiers started one after another and headed into the woods. Read more about the Pro Team tactics ahead of the 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon.

Steady improvements in tracks and grooming, ski equipment, and training approach have increased the overall speed, emphasizing chasing marginal gains, and tactics have become a more critical part of long-distance skiing and Ski Classics Pro Tour.

These tactical elements are frequently used by the Pro Teams in long-distance skiing racing.

Don’t Chase Your Teammates

In long-distance skiing races, there will usually be multiple surges where 1-6 skiers form a breakaway group. Often, these athletes will not be the most prominent stars but some of the more unknown skiers. The teams that are part of the breakaways will gain an advantage. Having a skier in the lead group means they don’t have to help set the pace of the main field but can sit back in the pack. The teams without racers in the breakaway who want to win the race must lead and increase their speed. Sometimes, this tactic can determine the outcome of the race.

Surge through a Feed Zone

This tactic was more prevalent in the past before the racers were carrying their bottles. Back then, skiers relied on getting feeds from their service crews on the side of the course. These days, drinking belts have made racers less dependent on feed zones and aid stations, but the tactic is still applied in certain situations. The goal is to surge whenever you get close to a feed zone and prevent other skiers from refueling. If used consistently, your competitors may run out of fuel. 

The disadvantage is that you spend a lot of energy on frequent surges.

Slipstream toward the Finish Line

This tactic is most efficiently used toward the finish line or an intermediate sprint but can be applied on all downhills in a race. The timing is crucial. The distance you should keep to the skier in front depends on several factors, including:

• The hill length – The longer the hill, the more significant the gap you can afford.
• Your own and your competitor’s skis – If you have outstanding glide, you can afford a more significant gap than if you have inferior glide.
• Your weight – A heavy skier glides faster than a light skier.
• The conditions – Snow conditions and temperatures impact the necessary gap.

The advantage of being behind makes you gain on the skier in front. For most of the race distance, it’s better to push on the pole tips of the racer in front of you or stand up slightly to increase your aerodynamic drag and decrease your speed. But there are other considerations when approaching a sprint or the finish line. Assuming you nail the timing, the idea is to allow the racer in front the biggest possible gap at the top of the hill, then dart out to the side and pass them on the finish line. In races with a downhill finish, such as Jizerská50, it is crucial to master this tactic.

Be a Lead-Up for a Teammate

This is one of the most frequently used tactics in Ski Classics. When the skiers come close to an intermediate sprint or a sprint finish, teammates of the prioritized athlete will try to speed up in order to string out the pack and make it harder for the competitors to get up and pass. In contrast, the prioritized skier can draft and save some energy. Then, closer to the sprint or the finish line, the domestique pulls to the side and lets his teammate go. 

Let a Teammate get a Gap

This tactic is most efficiently used on narrow racecourses with few tracks or when the weather/snow conditions are such that a few tracks have better glide. Marcialonga is a race where skiers must be tuned in to this tactic. If several skiers from one team get to the front and spread out across the tracks, one can quickly surge and get away before the competitors can follow. 

Give a Pole to the Team Captain

This tactic has become more widespread over the past few years because of more sophisticated teamwork. The teams have an internal hierarchy and prioritize the best skier. Accordingly, the weaker skiers on the team will have to give up their poles and sacrifice their race to serve the strongest teammate. Of course, to use this tactic, all the skiers must use poles roughly the same length.

Pretend to be More Tired than You Are

This is a classic. The idea is to breathe hard and look as exhausted as possible, even if you are not. When the competitors want you to take your turn at the front, you raise your arms and say you’re too spent or lead only for a short time and then slow down. The goal is to save energy and make your competitors work harder. When you think the others are sufficiently tired, you can spend your saved energy on a surge. 

There are countless stories of skiers who hang out in the back of the pack and never contribute to the group’s speed. They just appeared to be at the end of their ropes. But then, a few kilometers from the finish, they are the ones who surge and get a gap.

In Large Men’s Fields, “Hide Away” so that the other Women do not know if you are in Front or Behind

In some races, like Vasaloppet, when women and men start together, women end up in a large men’s field, which can sometimes be confusing. Several hundred skiers can be together. Using some cleverness, you can take advantage of disappearing in the crowd and get further ahead in the men’s field than the other women. When the group then bursts open, you get some advantage. Then, it’s about being smart and controlling where your biggest rivals are in the field.

Let Someone Get Away (and Surge Up again later)

This tactic is most frequently used in determining phases of the race and when the speed is high. Usually, the tactic is used by fast skiers who can stay cool and calculated even when exhausted. Without slowing down too much, they let the skier in front get a small gap. When the gap is about five to ten seconds, they surge in order to drop any competitors in the group and overtake the skier(s) in front. 

Start without a Drinking Belt and then get it on Top of a Hill

We talked earlier about the drinking belts and how they have made it less important to drink from the side of the trail. The disadvantage of the belt is the weight you have to carry with you. Especially on the uphills, you want to avoid pulling on 1-2 kg extra. It has, therefore, become more common in recent years to plan when receiving the belt so that you prevent skiing with it in the heaviest parts of the course. An example is Marcialonga. Many start the race without a belt and go uphill to Canazei before they get it. Then, you can go with it all the way down the valley before throwing the belt at the bottom of the last hill.

Choose the Fast Lane

In certain snow conditions, there are considerable differences in the glide from one track to the other, even if the tracks are very close. There are different reasons for this, including how the sun hits the trail, how snow falls from trees next to the trail and into the tracks, how the grooming machine is operated, and where the TV/media snowmobile drives. 

Skiers learn to recognize these factors, and these considerations are often the reason why skiers might choose to change tracks. They want to find out if the glide is better in one of the other tracks. In many long-distance races, skiers choose to stay behind the TV snowmobile, even though the other tracks look perfect.

However, when the snowmobile drives on the course, there is air mixed into the snow in its wake, which decreases the friction and makes the snow faster. This is a significant advantage, especially in falling snow. While very few – if any – skiers prefer to ski behind the snowmobile, it is sometimes necessary because the glide is much better there. This tactic can determine the race’s outcome if used close to the finish. Accordingly, the sprint for the track with the best glide often starts several kilometers before the finish line.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV

The Season XV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 15 events on 11 event weekends in 6 different countries. The season started in Bad Gastein, Austria, on December 9, 2023, and will end in Norway with the 100km Ski Classics Grand Finale Janteloppet on April 13, 2024.

Next up is the 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon in Italy on January 13, 2024. The event marks the fifth Ski Classics Pro Tour stage of Season XV.

Read More: 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon this Saturday in Italy

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV (2023/2024)

• Event 1: December 9, 2023 – Bad Gastein PTT, Austria, 13km
• Event 2: December 10, 2023 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: December 16, 2023 – La Venosta Criterium, Italy, 37km 
• Event 4: December 17, 2023 – La Venosta ITT, Italy, 10km
• Event 5: January 13, 2024 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, Italy, 62km
• Event 6: January 20, 2024 – Engadin La Diagonela, Switzerland, 56km
• Event 7: January 28, 2024 – Marcialonga, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 11, 2024 – Jizerská50, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 17, 2024 – Grönklitt Classic, Sweden, 60km
• Event 10: February 18, 2024 – Grönklitt ITT, Sweden, 13km
• Event 11: March 3, 2024 – Vasaloppet, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 16, 2024 – Birkebeinerrennet, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 6, 2024 – Reistadløpet, Norway, 50km
• Event 14: April 7, 2024 – Summit 2 Senja, Norway, 60km
• Event 15: April 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Grand Finale – Janteloppet, Norway, 100km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com