Three-time Ski Classics champion and the male skier with the most Pro Tour stage wins, Andreas Nygaard, relies on simplicity in his training. He advocates for the KISS method, which doesn’t refer to worshiping the legendary hard rock band and painting face masks before training sessions, but rather to keeping the training program clear and simple – Keep It Simple, Stupid!

In this article, this year’s Marcialonga champion and five-time Birkebeinerrennet winner shares insights about his training, Team Ragde Charge, and the current level of Ski Classics. At the same time, he is eager to develop the sport further by introducing new ideas and perspectives.

“The World’s Best”

Andreas Nygaard once again sounds cheerful and talkative over the phone. However, his season was not without setbacks—he had his appendix removed after the ski season, which initially meant a cautious return to training.

But there is also good news: he is engaged to his girlfriend, and they are planning a wedding for next summer. His medical studies at university are currently on hold, as he is now fully focused on his skiing career. In November, he turned 34, an age that is still excellent for a long-distance skier, making his career focus completely justified.

A career that is truly remarkable in Ski Classics history. Andreas has won Pro Tour races for nine consecutive seasons, and his total number of victories now stands at 21, making him the second most successful skier of all time, behind Britta Johansson Norgren (25 victories). In addition to this incredible achievement, he is a three-time overall Ski Classics champion, a two-time Vasaloppet winner, and a five-time Birkebeinerrennet champion—with four of those victories coming in consecutive years, including his latest win this season.

Despite these impressive results, Nygaard doesn’t consider himself the most talented skier in the sport.

“I am not the most naturally gifted, but I must be doing something right because I have been so successful. My training philosophy is simple: KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid! I know what I need to do and what my body requires to perform well in winter races. The early-season races serve as great training to get me into peak shape,” Andreas explains his training methodology.

Ski Classics Must Not Become a Second-Tier World Cup

Ski Classics is now heading into its 16th season next winter (Season 13 was skipped because no one wants to carry an unlucky number on their shoulders). The brand value of the series has grown significantly over the years, and the long-distance skiing circuit has become well-established, even though changes and experiments are made almost every season. Having been involved for years, Nygaard has the perspective and experience to analyze the series.

“Ski Classics is in a good place right now, but there’s always room for improvement. Small adjustments could be made, like reconsidering the number of races before Christmas and at the end of the season, or where to position the iconic climbs in races. Take Birkebeinerrennet, for example—the key climb should come right after the first long climb or at the very end, not where it was this time, after a flat section. That was just stupid!”

Nygaard also believes Ski Classics should not try to mimic the current FIS Cross-Country World Cup too much, he says to Maastohiihto.com.

“We need to be careful not to turn this into a B or C-level World Cup, where we race on short loops in small areas. The Criterium races, where we do multiple laps, need to be well thought out, and the judges must be stricter with yellow cards to prevent unnecessary skating techniques. Even the Ski Classics skiers who do well in these short races don’t want to be skiing six 5 km loops at high altitude in some small valley. That’s not why they became long-distance skiers.”

Ultra-Skiing Doesn’t Really Exist

While short-distance races and prologues are their own discussion, what about really long races in the Pro Tour? Nygaard has won the world’s longest ski race, the 220 km Nordenskiöldsloppet, three times and knows what a nearly 12-hour race requires.

“Nordenskiöldsloppet could be included, but it should be the final race of the season. And if it’s added to the calendar, it should stay at 220 km, not be shortened. Nowadays, people want events and challenges that are truly impressive. We don’t need them every weekend, but there should be enough of them. Even I, as a huge sports fan who loves skiing, wouldn’t want to watch Criterium races on a 5 km loop in some random valley I’ve never heard of. Instead, historic races like Tartu Maraton should be part of the Pro Tour.”

Nygaard gets excited about new ideas that could engage spectators. He suggests replacing short Criterium races with Skierg competitions, where top skiers would compete while having their lactate levels and heart rates displayed live. Another idea is roller ski races on standardized skis, which are already a part of summer training.

In skiing, ultra-distance events don’t really exist—apart from Nordenskiöldsloppet—unlike in running, cycling, or triathlons, where events last well over five or six hours. So, is there room for ultra-distance skiing?

“I believe there is. People love extreme challenges. Skiing should have longer races, too. We professionals train so much that it makes sense for us to have tougher challenges. 100 km is no longer what it used to be.”

Training Shouldn’t Be About Gimmicks

For elite skiers, training is often simple, with no room for unnecessary tricks. Early-season races serve as intense workouts before the main racing season begins.

“If you never push yourself to the limit in interval training before the season, your body won’t be able to perform at its maximum capacity. That’s a physiological fact. Race situations are the best maximal workouts, and they have a positive impact on the body. If I complete my key workouts in the pre-season, I know I will race well. Since the pandemic, I’ve been a bit more careful with my training than in previous years. I know exactly what my body needs in terms of high-intensity, endurance, and strength training. If I get the balance right, I can achieve good results,” Andreas explains about his current training approach.

Andreas acknowledges that winning is never guaranteed. The overall level in Ski Classics has increased over the years, but winning has always been challenging.

“I don’t think winning races now is any harder than before. When the series had Petter Eliassen at his peak, Anders Aukland in top form 10 years ago at Birken, or Tord Asle Gjerdalen at his best in Vasaloppet, beating them was just as difficult—if not harder—than winning comparable races today. However, the depth of the field has improved beyond the top 10. Nowadays, the skier finishing 50th in a race is much stronger than in the past. Especially in big events, breaking into the top 20 is significantly tougher than before, but winning the races has always been equally challenging.”

The Ski Classics legend admits that each year, training must be evaluated as a whole and adjusted slightly if needed. If training does not evolve, progress can stagnate.

“I have won Ski Classics races for eight consecutive years, so I believe I need to continue in the same manner. I’m not the most naturally gifted endurance athlete, so the fact that I’ve maintained this level for years shows that I’m doing something right. I might tweak small details, but my overall training philosophy remains the same. I keep my training fairly simple and know what works for me. If I change anything, it’s mainly for motivation—to keep me engaged. In the end, training is quite straightforward. You need a certain number of hours, a specific amount of endurance training, and a set number of high-intensity sessions. If you stay healthy and avoid injuries, results usually follow.”

Andreas mentions that he has drawn inspiration from cycling, where Zone 2 training—keeping lactate levels at 1.5 mmol—is now widely used to improve anaerobic capacity.

“Training isn’t like a switch that you flip to get specific results. It’s more like a dimmer switch that needs to be adjusted. Training itself isn’t easy, but it can be executed simply. Once your foundation is solid, you can fine-tune things, like choosing what kind of intervals to do and why. There are many options, but the key is to do these sessions consistently. If your base fitness isn’t strong enough, you can get into shape quickly, but it won’t last. Developing aerobic fitness takes a long time, while anaerobic training sharpens performance, allowing you to win races and reach your full potential. Personally, I only need a few anaerobic workouts to fine-tune myself for competition, but I can’t overdo them.”

Andreas’ typical training weeks consist of 20 hours of training from June to January. Each week, he includes one or two higher-intensity sessions, ensuring that lactate levels don’t rise too high. Training camps increase the weekly training volume, followed by recovery periods, but the overall weekly average stays around 20 hours.

Team Ragde Charge: A Strong Team Chemistry

Our discussion about training shifts to the team the skier has represented throughout his long-distance skiing career. Team Ragde Charge underwent significant changes last spring, with the men’s podium trio—Johan Hoel, Kasper Stadaas, and Andreas Nygaard—remaining in the team while other skiers were let go. A new addition to the team is Stina Nilsson, who is returning to long-distance skiing from biathlon under the guidance of the Aukland brothers.

“I can’t say I’m happy about these changes, but I understand why they were made. It would have been nice if all the men and women could have stayed on our team. However, sometimes tough decisions have to be made. Personally, I would have liked Karstein Johaug and Torgeir Hovland to still be part of the group. They played a big role last winter and enabled the three of us to succeed last season. Not all skiers can win races, and teams need athletes who support the team—those who push hard in training, bring good energy at the dinner table, and help out in races when necessary. Professional sports, however, are not a ‘public right,’ and financial decisions have to be made from time to time. Our team management decided on these changes, and for some, leaving was quite easy, as their contracts had expired and their performance levels were not quite what was expected. For others, the departure may have been more difficult, but this is part of the sport.”

Team Ragde Charge secured all three podium spots in the overall men’s standings last season, but was this success among teammates a surprise to the experienced skier?

“Before the season started, I knew Kasper was capable of winning races, but I was a little surprised at how dominant he was early in the season. At the start of the season, he was like Emil Persson the year before, winning all the races. Johan, on the other hand, has always been near the top in almost every race and training session, so I knew he was in good shape. He may not be the fastest skier in the group, so he doesn’t win as often. It wasn’t a big surprise to me that both skiers did so well last season. Of course, our overall success last winter was a pleasant surprise because you can never predict in advance how the race season will go. There are so many factors at play, from skis to daily form.”

How will the cooperation of the strong trio left in the team work in upcoming races, and does the team have an official captain since any of them could win races?

“We didn’t have a team captain this season, but if we found ourselves in a situation like at the 3 Zinnen Ski-Marathon, where there were five skiers left at the end and all three of us were in the group, Johan had to do the work and chase down any breakaways because Kasper and I were the faster skiers with better finishing sprints. As the season progressed, the situation changed, and everyone raced for themselves. Of course, we worked together whenever possible. This year, our tactics and teamwork worked very well. Nowadays, the pace is so fast from the start that if you are playing a supporting role, you have to be a really strong skier. We are quite honest with each other before a race and admit if we don’t feel like we’re in shape to go for the win. Skiing isn’t like cycling, where it’s much easier for those behind to catch up with the leaders. It’s been a long time since someone won a race without being the strongest that day, and I believe that will continue. Maybe Johan could be the strongest on the day but not create enough of a gap on the chasers and lose in the final sprint. But in general, the strongest skier of the day wins the race, regardless of tactics or other factors.”

Andreas explains that they communicate during races and make decisions based on how they feel at the moment. Before the race, they come up with a plan, but it always evolves based on the situation. Of course, they all want to win races, but they also understand the importance of teamwork.

“If Emil Persson had been at the same level as last year, we would have had to think about different team tactics to beat him. The entire existence of our team is based on winning races. We don’t really care about other placements, so we always aim for victories strategically. Next year, we’ll see what tactics we use to secure those necessary wins,” Anders summarizes at the end of the interview, reflecting the mindset of the entire team.

This season, Team Ragde Charge has not been as dominant on the men’s side as last year, but the team still has skiers capable of winning, with Nygaard’s two victories proving this. In addition to the men, the team also has a victorious woman—Stina Nilsson, who has now won both the Vasaloppet and the Birkebeinerrennet. Team Ragde Charge remains one of the strongest Pro Team squads in long-distance skiing.

This article was previously published on our site and has been updated today.

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