Several experts have advocated for scrapping the traditional Norwegian national team model. The fact that Skistad and Klæbo have now signed with the Ski Association could be a step towards just that.

On Friday, Kristine Stavås Skistad accepted the offer to join the Norwegian national team, surprising everyone.

Exactly one week earlier, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and the Norwegian Ski Association reached an agreement on a national team contract for the upcoming season.

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With that, two of the world’s very best cross-country skiers are part of the national team when the World Championships are held on home soil in Trondheim in the transition between February and March 2025. Both have done so on the condition of being allowed to continue their own routines, something that has not been common within the national team model before.

“Dream contract”

The reason Kristine Stavås Skistad chose to accept the national team offer this year after two years outside is that she can continue with the same routine she has had. And that she can, in principle, continue to stay outside the national team except for competitions. “A dream contract,” says the 25-year-old and coach Lage Sofienlund about the agreement they have made with the national team.

“Surprising. When it was put on the table, things quickly changed for us,” says Lage Sofienlund to NRK Dagsrevyen.

Until Thursday, both Sofienlund and Skistad expected a private arrangement outside the national team for this season as well.

“It has never been about opposing the Norwegian Ski Federation. It has been about doing what you believe in,” says Sofienlund.

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Freedom

For Skistad, “doing what you believe in” means NOT following the national team’s training setup, being able to train with the club, in the club, and continue her own private routine just as before. The fact that the Ski Association now allows this was a game changer.

“It’s nice that we have reached a point where a different athlete who needs something other than most others can be a part of it (the national team) even if you are not a part of it in the coming months until the season,” Skistad said to NRK when she announced that she had accepted the national team offer for the upcoming season.

Similarly, for Klæbo, who also feels that he has been understood regarding his unique needs and desires. The superstar has now been given the green light to follow his own routine leading up to the season but participate in the national team’s training program when it fits into his schedule.

A turning point Sofienlund believes that the agreement Skistad has secured marks a turning point in Norwegian cross-country skiing and the role of the traditional national team model.

“It is a step into a new national team model. You cannot avoid, in the times we live in, having to consider individual needs,” says Sofienlund.

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Aukland wants to go even further

Anders Aukland wants to take it one step further. He has been both inside and outside the national team as an athlete. He has been a pioneer and a driving force for the development of cross-country skiing for more than two decades.

“To foster development, you must be curious, hungry for more, and willing to try new things. You must be open to new methods,” says Aukland to Langrenn.com.

The veteran was involved in establishing and developing the long-distance skiing series Ski Classics, which is built on a model based on commercial professional teams similar to cycling. The series and concept have had a tremendous development in recent years, while traditional cross-country skiing struggles with dropouts and revenue loss.

Aukland believes that commercial private teams with athletes from different nations, both men and women, and athletes of different ages are the future of cross-country skiing, and that a change must happen if cross-country skiing is to survive.

“It’s inspiring to see others doing things right over time, and to see that other environments produce good athletes, and that it’s not just national teams,” he says.

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Aukland is curious about exploring training methods and approaches from other sports, has dared to push boundaries, and has been generous in sharing his expertise. It’s a culture he sees throughout the long-distance skiing community, and one he believes more should take advantage of.

“I also think that all-round environments could look at what Emilie Fleten, for example, is doing. There is no doubt that what the long-distance ski girls are doing has merit, which is transferable. There are probably several things here that all-round environments could be inspired by and motivated by,” says Aukland.

In what way do you mean?

“It’s about both attitudes and approaches, but also about the training aspect. Emilie has had good continuity and progressed step by step over time. She has endured what she has trained, stayed healthy, and made progress. It should be interesting to hear how they prepare during the summer and autumn. I think many could learn a lot from that.”

The veteran was involved in establishing and developing the long-distance skiing series Ski Classics, which is built on a model based on commercial professional teams similar to cycling. The series and concept have had a tremendous development in recent years, while traditional cross-country skiing struggles with dropouts and revenue loss.

Aukland believes that commercial private teams with athletes from different nations, both men and women, and athletes of different ages are the future of cross-country skiing, and that a change must happen if cross-country skiing is to survive.

He envisions a future where there could be a joint international series with both long-distance skiing and all-round cross-country skiing.

“To achieve that, you may need to look more at what they do in cycling. There, you have commercial teams recruiting across nations and environments, and competing internationally for their teams and for the national team in championships,” says Aukland to Langrenn.com, and concludes:

“It may be a long way off. It will require a change in the top organizations. But I think it will force itself in the long run.”