Germany’s cross-country skiing setup is getting a new look ahead of the 2026/2027 season.

The German Ski Association (DSV) has appointed Michael Bonfert as head coach of cross-country skiing, with Torstein Dagestad taking charge of the men’s and Michael Bittner leading the women’s squad.

Bonfert steps into the role vacated by Peter Schlickenrieder, who moved into the sports director position alongside Wencke Hölig from May 2025.

Dagestad, a Norwegian who most recently coached Team Swix Hofseth, is seen as a natural fit for the DSV’s existing training philosophy. According to the press release, Dagestad shares many of the principles of former head coach Per Nilsson. Bittner, meanwhile, is already well known to many of the women’s group, having worked with them in training group 1b.

“With Michael Bonfert, we’ve gained a head coach who is intimately familiar with our shared direction of recent years and will continue it with his extensive expertise,” Schlickenrieder said in a statement on the DSV website, and added:

“I’m particularly pleased that Torstein, a young, highly motivated Norwegian, is joining us. He most recently coached Team Swix Hofseth and is approaching this new challenge at the German Ski Association (DSV) with great enthusiasm.”

Bonfert added, “I have gained a lot of experience in recent years. I now want to contribute this to work with Torstein Dagestad, Michael Bittner, and the entire team to drive the development of our athletes in a targeted manner.”

Axel Teichmann also takes on a new position as Head of Performance, a role designed to extend his coaching expertise across all age groups rather than solely the World Cup team.

“In my new role, I want to contribute to ensuring that we work in a more uniform and targeted manner throughout the entire system – from the youngest athletes to the World Cup,” Teichmann said.

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