Last winter, the traditional cross-country skier won the first men’s Swedish World Championships medal since 2017.

For the upcoming season, William Poromaa chooses to have a big part of his preparations at altitude: “Something I really believe in,” says Poromaa.

Last week, the Swedish men’s national team was at a training camp in Åre:

“There have been tough days. For my part, I think the training season has started in a good way. I have started better than last spring and summer,” says William Poromaa to Langd.se.

For the upcoming season, the Swedish national team has chosen to prepare more at high altitudes:

“There has been a request from some skiers to focus more on training at high altitudes. Here there is individualization, but those who want to be more at altitude should be able to do that. Here we will get support from the Swedish Olympic Committee, who will help us with this, which is needed given the financial situation,” said the Swedish national team manager Anders Byström in an earlier interview with Langd.se.

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One skier who chose to go all-in on the altitude plan is William Poromaa.

He tested the setup during last season, and now he will spend three of the training weeks in July on his own at altitude:

“I strongly believe in training at altitude, and it is something that suits me well. Then I haven’t tested how it works over a whole year. But it is something that we will try this year. Perfect to be able to test this before a season where there are no (major) championships,” says Poromaa during the team’s press conference in Åre.

For how long will you be at altitude? 

“If we look at the whole year with the training and competition part, it will be nine weeks at high altitude. And if this turns out well, the idea is that we will take this further into future seasons,” says Poromaa.

On the other hand, there are differences in the approach to high-altitude training within the national team. Calle Halfvarsson chooses an entirely different plan. When the national team’s distance skiers leave for a high-altitude camp in Livigno after the summer, Halfvarsson will gather with the sprint squad in Meråker, Norway:

“There are several reasons for this. One is that I have never been to Meråker before; then, I have a situation where I don’t want to be away from my family so much. And I see this as an alternative where I get good training but can be at home more and keep up with the sprint training. Then I don’t feel as much about training at high altitude; I’d rather do a little harder training in the low altitude,” said Halfvarsson in an interview earlier in the week.

For William Poromaa, his first World Championships medal came last winter when he took bronze in Planica. And in the World Cup, the skier was third place three times.

“The main goal for the coming season is the World Cup overall, and I see I have very good chances in the distance cup. Then there will be more focus on the Tour de Ski now that there are no championships, and I’m still chasing the first victory in the World Cup,” says the 22-year-old from Sweden.