When Iivo Niskanen suddenly reached out in the middle of the final preparations before the season, Erik Valnes was more than a little surprised.

“Iivo Niskanen got in touch and said he wanted to train with me in Tromsø,” says Erik Valnes.

He definitely hadn’t seen that coming.

“It’s very surprising when a foreign skier comes to Tromsø – to be honest, hardly any skiers come here from other parts of Norway,” Valnes tells Iltalehti during the World Cup opener in Ruka over the weekend.

Valnes knows Niskanen a little from before, but mainly as a competitor and rival.

“We’ve met a few times in Muonio and trained together there. Of course, we’ve been on the World Cup tour together for several years, but otherwise we haven’t had any contact,” says the Norwegian team veteran.

Also Read: Unexpected withdrawal for Finnish star before the Ruka 20km mass start

Stayed with Valnes for a week

Niskanen arrived in Northern Norway with his film crew during his build-up for 2025. The Finn trained and had dinner with Valnes for a week.

“It was a week with a lot of weather, so Niskanen definitely got to feel the north wind,” says Valnes.

“A private type”

Valnes goes on to explain that Niskanen is somewhat different in person than the impression people might get from the media, and that the Finn deliberately keeps a low public profile.

“He’s a very private guy in Finland, and he doesn’t go to bars back home because he’s so famous. He seems very private in the media as well,” says Valnes.

He himself has a different view of the Finnish ski star.

“I think he’s a fun guy with good humor. It was easy to get to know him.”

Hopes to meet at the Olympics

Now both are aiming for the Olympics. Iivo Niskanen already has a guaranteed spot on the Olympic team. Erik Valnes expects a fierce battle for places in Norway’s squad.

“It’s going to be very tough. You can fail once, but you can’t have two disastrous weekends. All Norwegians know you need to be strong in more than one discipline. I’m trying to be strong in both sprint and distance to secure an Olympic spot.”

In Friday’s 10km classic in Ruka, Valnes finished sixth, just behind Niskanen in fifth. In Saturday’s sprint, Valnes took second place. Niskanen did not compete. Neither of them raced Sunday’s 20km mass start.

Next Up – Trondheim World Cup

The next stop in the World Cup season 2025/2026 is Trondheim, Norway, taking place next weekend. Scheduled to take place from December 5 to 7, 2025, this stage will feature three days of competitions in Norway.

The event starts on Friday, December 5, with a sprint race in classic technique, followed by a 20km skiathlon (classic/freestyle) on Saturday, December 6, and a 10km interval start race in freestyle technique on Sunday, December 7.

See the complete program for the Trondheim World Cup below.

FACTS Trondheim World Cup Season 2025/2026

• When: Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 7, 2025 
• Who: Elite national skiers – women and men
• Where: Trondheim, Norway
• What: FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Trondheim, Norway

PROGRAM

Friday, December 5: Sprint Classic (More details can be found HERE)

• 9:45 CET: Sprint Qualification Classic, Women
• 9:45 CET: Sprint Qualification Classic, Men
• 12:15 CET: Sprint Final Classic, Women
• 12:15 CET: Sprint Final Classic, Men

Saturday, December 6: 20km Skiathlon – Classic/Freestyle (More details can be found HERE)

• 11:10 CET: 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free, Men
• 13:00 CET: 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free, Women

Sunday, December 7: 10km Interval Start Freestyle (More details can be found HERE)

• 9:30 CET: 10km Interval Start Freestyle, Women
• 11:55 CET: 10km Interval Start Freestyle, Men

Read More: Cross-country skiing World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season 

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