Many of the Swedish Pro Teams chose to go to more southern latitudes to do the last preparations before the Ski Classics Season XIV, which starts in Bad Gastein, Austria, with a double events weekend on December 10 and 11. Team Eksjöhus, on the other hand, chose to stay in Sweden for a training camp in Vålådalen:

“We had a lot of commitment in this camp. It’s a good way to come together as a group before what awaits this winter,” says Pro Team Director Oskar Svärd.

Team Eksjöhus’ Sports Manager is Espen Träldal; Joakim Augustsson is the wax manager, and the camp also included the wax assistant Luca Angelini from Italy:

“Luca is a former skier whom I got to know through my trips to Val di Fiemme over the years. He has been in the top 100 at Marcialonga and will be with us all winter. His experiences will be worth their weight in gold, both as a test skier and the experience from different snow conditions out in Europe,” says Svärd.

Team Eksjöhus is entering its second season in Ski Classics.

On the women’s side, it is essentially a completely new team. The captain is Norwegian Magni Smedås, who made a couple of appearances in Ski Classics last season, being third at the Tartu Maraton and fifth at Marcialonga. 

“Magni was with us for a few long-distance races last year. After all, she has run the World Cup in sprints. It feels fascinating,” says Svärd.

The Pro Team also includes Sofie Elebro and Frida Erkers. 

Elebro competed last season for Team Næringsbanken and finished sixth overall. Frida Erkers did her first full season in Ski Classics the previous winter in the Italian Team Robinson Trentino colors.

“Sofie is a solid skier who has had a shot at the podium but hasn’t made it all the way. But the ability is there, and I hope she will reach that level this winter. Frida made several nice results last season, and I think she will take another step this winter,” says Svärd and continues:

“We have a team with three strong ladies. It looks a little different on the women’s side in Ski Classics for the coming winter with several big names retiring, so it will be an exciting season. Team Ramudden has shown before that there is a clear advantage with three strong ladies on the team. We also hope to show that.

On the men’s side, Morten Eide Pedersen is still captain. He had a difficult season last year but has shown emerging form in pre-season. And since last season, there is also Axel Jutterström, who had his big breakthrough with third place at Vasaloppet.”

New to the team is Joel Andersson, who last season won the Swedish long-distance cup.

In addition to the team’s permanent members, there are hopes that both the Swedish national team skier Eric Rosjö and the winner of the Holmenkollen 50km and Reistadløpet, Martin Løvstrøm Nyenget, will start in some competitions this winter:

“Both are dedicated to taking a spot at the World Championships in Planica, and it is difficult to combine. But at the same time, they both said they benefited greatly from going long-distance during the winter. So, we hope to see them in our colors this winter,” says Svärd.

Eric Rosjö:

“My goal is to make it to the World Championships and be constantly in the World Cup. And I feel like I took another step this season. The plan is only classic skiing until at least January; then, it depends on how the season goes. And I’m a skier that may need a good race to get in shape. Last season I got in really good shape after Vasaloppet (where he finished eighth), so we’ll see. But it’s fun to go long-distance, and the double poling is becoming an increasingly important part of my training,” says Eric Rosjö.

Read More: Svärd: “Too Bad That I Didn’t Know Then What I Know Now”