The Norwegian cross-country skier Emil Iversen (31) joins the private team Team Northcom and opens up about the new team, everyday training, and about being outside the national team.

Emil Iversen, who is now aiming for a comeback to the World Championships on home soil in 2025 after he was left out of the national team in April, is joining the Norwegian private team Team Northcom. 

Iversen is one of three skiers in Team Northcom. The other two are Matz William Jenssen (22) and Gjøran Tefre (28). 

Langrenn.com chatted with Emil Iversen about training, the logistics of being outside the national team, and his new team.

“I have never had as many opportunities as after I was left out from the national team,” says the 31-year-old Norwegian.

Mentally “in a completely different place”

Two months into his new life outside the national team, the 31-year-old is enthusiastic and determined. 

“So far, it’s great. Doing things differently is exciting, and there’s so much positivity around me. It’s motivating, and it’s nice to train,” says Iversen, and adds:

“I am mentally in a completely different place than last winter, and I feel in good shape. I will continue to build on that. I can’t guarantee that I will go fast in the winter, but I have faith that I will get up to speed on my skis, and so do those around me.” 

Coincidence gave full throttle

Northcom, which has a self-defined goal of being “the world’s best sponsor,” is one of several partners for Iversen but is an important piece in his comeback project and support team. He says that the collaboration with the new sponsor started with a combination of luck and coincidence through Iversen’s recently retired skier and now serviceman Pål Trøan Aune. 

“Pål Trøan Aune retired this winter but is now part of Team Ivers. He has been with Team Northcom for a while and discussed how collaboration could be exciting for Northcom. When I met Northcom CEO Morten Stomperud, we immediately got on a good note. We quickly learned that collaboration with them is perfect for Team Ivers,” says Iversen. 

What does collaboration with Northcom mean for your project?  

“I get both money in my account that allows me to focus 100 percent and the opportunity to use Pål Trøan Aune as a training partner, ski tester, and staff in my team. I will be part of a team where the three of us who are athletes can inspire each other, and which has Pål. And then I will race with Northcom’s logo on the suit,” says Iversen, and explains that Aune will be a key partner in his project: 

“I have known Pål for many years and trained a lot with him. Pål definitely has strengths that I hope to take advantage of now, for example, get some tips on how to make better tactical assessments in sprints.” 

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Have you got everything you need for the investment in place now? 

“Yes, it looks very good now. After I was left outside of the national team, I only had opportunities and no limitations. Alongside Pål Trøan Aune and the two other skiers in Team Northcom, I have an offer to join (national team coach) Eirik Myhr Nossum and the regional team Elon Midt-Norway at gatherings and training when it suits.” 

You turned down the offer of a place in Team Aker Dæhlie, but your new coach Trond Nystad is associated with Team Aker Dæhlie, and your Northcom colleague Gjøran Tefre is part of that team. Do you have any connection to that team or cooperation on gatherings?  

“Yes, I have been an ambassador for Dæhlie for a long time, and from last year for Team Aker Dæhlie. I still have that role, and they have offered me to participate in gatherings and training sessions with them as well.” 

Read More: Emil Iversen unveils plan for comeback 

How do you solve health follow-up, testing, and training, when you do not have access to the Olympiatoppen? Not everyone has 1.5 million Norwegian Krones for their treadmill, right?  

“That’s the least of the problems! I have a doctor as a neighbor, and there are roller ski treadmills for testing around every corner in this country. Among other things, there is one in Meråker, which I use. 

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Unique sponsorship philosophy

Team Northcom now consists of a total of three cross-country skiers: Matz William Jenssen (22) from Oslo, Gjøran Tefre (28) based in Lillehammer, and Emil Iversen (31) in Trondheim. 

“We are three skiers with different plans in everyday life and at different career points. Emil has many years on the national team behind him, has enormous experience and lots of knowledge, and is now betting with his own Team Iversen. We have Mats, who is young and promising and is on Team Elon Oslofjord daily, and we have me, who is on Team Aker Dæhlie. In addition, we have the X factor that we get to keep Pål Trøan Aune. Although he has given up and is part of Emil Iversen’s private team, Pål is also continuing as a staff in Team Northcom,” says Tefre. 

“That is what is unique about Northcom as a sponsor. They bring in skiers and staff with completely different expertise and qualities, so everyone has someone to push them and someone to reach out to. Northcom sees its role here as facilitating a platform where we can exchange experiences and impressions, spar with each other, and develop ourselves to get everything out at the highest level. They take traditional sponsorship cooperation to a new level,” says Tefre. 

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The Northcom boss: “A golden opportunity” 

Northcom boss Morten Stomperud says that getting Emil Iversen into the team not only gives the company and the others in Team Northcom a source of inspiration but also a golden opportunity to expand the team. 

“Pål (Trøan Aune) was part of Team Northcom until he quit. He is a person who is passionate about skiing and a person we care about, and it continues after he hangs up. So, when we heard Emil wanted to include Pål in the support team in his private plan and Pål said he wanted to, we saw a perfect opportunity to combine it. We give Emil access to Pål and cover the costs,” says Stomperud. 

What does Iversen bring to the team and the company?  

 “Emil is a nice guy. He has a lot of experience and is nice to be with. So, he is a great source of inspiration for the other athletes on the team. But we are sure that the others, not least Matz, can inspire Emil. Those who have seen Matz make turns on cross-country skis understand that he will teach Emil to turn better.”

For the company, Stomperud sees that Iversen can inspire the employees and increase the visibility of Northcom.

“We have 140 employees. Most people don’t care about cross-country skiing. But some do, and they think it’s awesome. He is, after all, a World Champion. And he has over 100.000 followers on Instagram. It’s nice if he tags us,” says Stomperud.  

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Close and constructive cooperation

Tefre says Northcom’s sponsorship philosophy has given him good experiences on several levels, and the first meeting with the company’s general manager Morten Stomperud made a big impression.  

“When I met Morten Stomperud in Northcom for the first time, and we were going to discuss a collaboration, he cut through and just presented his expectations. And those expectations are towards himself. He said that ‘we shall be the world’s best sponsor.’ This started a collaboration that has developed into a close and constructive relationship between the company, employees, and me as a skier,” he says.  

For the 28-year-old from Førde, who is now entering his third season with Team Northcom, this starting point has given the sponsorship collaboration a unique dimension and made it part of the project he enjoys.

“With Northcom, it’s different than just writing an invoice and talking once a year when the agreement expires. They involve us in what happens in the company and invite us to different things where we are included in a way that is not just about shining a light on the event. It gives me the feeling of contributing something that adds value to those we work with, and I am proud to represent my sponsor.” 

A “team outside the team” 

Team Northcom is a “team outside the team” and contributes in ways other than the framework laid down by the athletes’ sporting plans. 

In this sense, it is no problem for Team Northcom if the skiers are part of other private teams on a daily basis, such as Team Aker Dæhlie in Gjøran Tefre’s case, in the Ski Association’s regional team such as Elon Oslofjord, where Matz William Jenssen is a member, or bet on their own, such as Emil Iversen. 

“When I told Northcom about the offer I had received from Team Aker Dæhlie and asked them what they thought about it, they were positive. So now I will compete in a Team Aker Dæhlie suit with the Northcom logo on it,” concludes Gjøran Tefre.