Last season was good, but Petter Soleng Skinstad felt he didn’t show his full potential. And just when he was feeling stronger, he tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to stop until June. The result? A more extended holiday than he had initially planned. 

But after having rested for so long, it seems that the Norwegian skier from Team Coop is back in shape, and the data about his summer races shows that. Petter Skinstad finished Totenrullen, Alliansloppet, and Klarälvsloppet at the 25th, 21st, and 17th positions, respectively. 

But despite the recovery, Petter still had to struggle with some health issues during summer. 

“After I started training again in June, I needed time to get back in shape. But when we went to Blink Ski Festival in August, I was feeling quite strong”, says Skinstad, who is currently attending a training camp with Petter Northug and Pål Trøan Aune from Team Northug Crucible. 

“But unfortunately, I got ill again after those races and had to use antibiotics. But surprisingly, my shape was good at Toppidrettsveka and Allianslopet. All in all, the rollerski season was good and maybe the 5-6 training weeks I lost turned out to be good for me. I am feeling confident as the new season approaches,” continues Petter.

As the new season is coming fast, Soleng Skinstad shares his goals with us: 

“To be stronger than ever, to have better skis than I’ve had earlier, and to have a bigger and better support team than before.” 

These are all the necessary ingredients to get better results. And despite valuing all Ski Classics races the same way, his strategy will be “to find my best shape from the middle of January, and I will use the first races of the Season as part of my training and testing new equipment.”

Training Camp in Gran Canaria

Petter Soleng Skinstad is currently on Gran Canaria Island, on the south side of the island, for a two-week training camp with Petter Northug and Pål Trøan Aune, and they are joined by Kristin Tomasson, who is the Pro Team director for both Team Coop and Team Northug Crucible. 

After Gran Canaria, they will move to Tenerife for another 17-18 training days. That means that the athletes from Team Coop and Team Northug Crucible will spend an entire month of training in the Canary Islands. 

According to Petter, training during the fall can sometimes be challenging in the Scandinavian countries. So, the recipe is heading south to train and rest mentally.

“We’re here because the weather is very safe, so we’ll be able to do all sessions as planned, which normally can be quite difficult in Norway this time of the year. We’re also here to relax and enjoy a full month with less work after having lots of things to do before we headed south.”

“We’re mainly double poling, both flat and uphill sessions, but we’re also doing some running and strength training. The first week we trained around 25 hours, and something close to that will be the goal for the remaining three weeks as well,” says Petter after a day of training.

Gran Canaria, one of the Spanish islands located close to the coast of Africa, is known for its warm and dry climate, white sand beaches, and high mountains suitable for the training of elite-level athletes. The highest point is in Soria, and climbing it means going uphill for 21 kilometers.

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“In Gran Canaria, my favorite training sessions are rollerskiing in the valley of Soria and climbing the hills. I also like to rollerski from Mogan to the island’s highest point. We also do some nice trail running sessions, which feel good to let the arms recover,” says Petter.

Read more: What Will Be Northug’s First Snow Competition After His Return?

After the training camp in Gran Canaria, Pål Trøan Aune will return home. Petter Soleng Skinstad, Petter Northug, and the Pro Teams’ director Kristin will be heading to Tenerife, where Mathias Aas Rolid from Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso will join them for the second half of the camp.