A new location welcomes Pro Teams and their athletes, as the Ski Classics season starts in Bad Gastein, Austria, with a two Pro Tour events weekend, Bad Gastein PTT – Pro Team Tempo and Bad Gastein Criterium.

On Saturday, December 10, the Season XIV will get a great kick-off to a thrilling season with the Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo of 15km. The Pro Teams and their Pro Tour skiers will have a chance to present their new race suits, sponsors and introduce their new recruits.

The Pro Team Tempo is organized as an interval start competition with block starts. One Pro Team is starting at a time in reversed order according to the Pro Team ranking of the previous season, with the top 5 ranked teams spread out in the starting field. The gap between the blocks is 4 minutes, and the female athletes start 30 seconds after their male Pro Team athletes. The finishing time of the team’s 2nd ranked male, and the 2nd ranked female will count for the classification. 

On Sunday, December 11, the event weekend continues with the second event in Season XIV, the Bad Gastein Criterium, a 35km long-distance race offering stunning scenery in the vicinity of the Tauern Alps. The Bad Gastein Criterium is a mass-start race that will have several laps and a challenging course.

Contrasts and extremes characterize Bad Gastein: tradition meets modernity, untouched nature and natural healing resources meet urban dynamics, art, and culture.

In addition, the spatial location is unique: a waterfall in the middle of the village center, which is reminiscent of earlier times with magnificent buildings in the Belle Époque style, has made Bad Gastein the “Monte Carlo of the Alps.” 

But the southernmost town in the Gastein Valley has much more to offer. With peaks that exceed 3000 meters and its connection to the Hohe Tauern National Park, it is a paradise for nature and sports lovers.

Sportgastein, situated at 1600 meters above sea level, is particularly popular and unique in winter, with snow guaranteed from mid-November to the end of April due to its location. 

Long-distance and traditional cross-country skiers will enjoy a network of perfectly prepared tracks – both for classic and skating – and can appreciate the winter landscape surrounded by the Hohe Tauern National Park.

“We are proud to welcome Bad Gastein to the Ski Classics family. Bad Gastein is the ideal location to start the Ski Classics Season XIV in the Alps and gives an exciting new flavor to the Pro Tour,” says David Nilsson, CEO Ski Classics.

Lisa Loferer, CEO of the Kur- und Tourismusverband Bad Gastein and organizer of the “Gastein Classics,” is aligned with the same thoughts: 

“We are very pleased to be part of the Ski Classics series from the coming season and to be able to host the prologue here. For us, this is an ideal opportunity to present our unique cross-country skiing to the international cross-country skiing scene. In addition to the Pro Teams, we also cordially invite amateur skiers to participate in one of the four competitions and enjoy the high valley of Sportgastein.” 

The prologue weekend in Bad Gastein, Austria, is an excellent kick-off for the Ski Classics Season XIV, with two thrilling events in the Alps.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: Release June 8, 11:00 CET
• Event 4: Release June 9, 11:00 CET
• Event 5: Release June 9, 11:00 CET
• Event 6: Release June 10, 11:00 CET
• Event 7: Release June 11, 11:00 CET
• Event 8: Release June 12, 11:00 CET
• Event 9: Release June 13, 11:00 CET
• Event 10: Release June 13, 11:00 CET
• Event 11: Release June 14, 11:00 CET
• Event 12: Release June 15, 11:00 CET
• Event 13: Release June 17, 11:00 CET
• Event 14: Release June 17, 11:00 CET

• Full Season Release June 17, 16:00 CET

More info about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.

Access videos and complete broadcasts from Season XII through SC Play.

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