A private team in Lillehammer is taking on 11 new skiers, including Calle Halfvarsson. Behind the growth is a coaching profile with a training regime that few others dare to offer.

See the full selection of skiers for Team Swenor-Splitkon 2026/2027 further down in the story.

Coach profile Vetle Leander Johansen runs a brutal regime – but the results speak for themselves, and the young Norwegian has become a talking point both nationally and internationally.

Now skiers are flocking to Team Swenor-Splitkon, which is expanding the team from seven to 18 athletes for the upcoming season. And it’s not small names who are coming in.

Also Read: Changed coach – increased VO2 max by 10 percent

Among the new skiers is the slightly faded Swedish star Calle Halfvarsson.

The 37-year-old specifically applied to the Norwegian team to work with the young successful coach, with the goal of winning a medal at the World Championships on home soil next winter.

The article continues below.

Startling results

Although Vetle Leander Johansen is only 24 years old, he already has a long list of skiers who have delivered remarkable results after hiring him as their coach.

The buzz started in the summer of 2024, when Eirik Mysen shared O2 tests that showed extraordinary improvement in just three months – and he had beaten the entire national team elite at 3000 meters.

The following winter, Mysen won his first Norwegian Championship medal at senior level, won his first Norwegian Cup race and competed in his first World Cup in several years, all after just over six months with Johansen.

Several athletes report similar progress.

This winter, Johansen sent both twins Julie and Norah Sand-Hansen to the Junior World Championships, where Julie took home Norway’s first gold medal on the women’s side.

Shortly after, Simon Hjelmeset Kirkeeide made his World Cup debut with 12th place in the 50km in Holmenkollen. The lightning-fast biathlete also took silver in the Norwegian Championship relay in January, after a thrilling duel against Simen Hegstad Krüger on the final leg.

More money and more hands

There are two reasons why the team can now expand by a whopping 157 percent compared to last year.

One is more money, the other is additional coaching staff. Vetle Leander Johansen has now brought in his cousin, Sivert Leander Johansen, as assistant coach.

“Splitkon is coming in as title sponsor alongside Swenor, which is why we have now changed our name to Team Swenor-Splitkon. That, combined with strong support from our current sponsors, and the fact that Sivert will take coaching responsibility for a number of skiers on the team, makes it possible – both financially and practically,” the head coach tells Langrenn.com.

“Sivert, who is also an active skier himself, will take responsibility for most of the new team members. I will be responsible for Calle Halfvarsson and Eskil Skarstein Rød, as well as all seven who are continuing from last year,” he adds.

A brutal regime

The team will still be based in Lillehammer and holds group training sessions there several times a week. In addition, there will be a total of four training camps during the dryland season, and Vetle Leander Johansen is also available to athletes around the clock.

Vetle Leander Johansen is convinced that it is precisely this daily contact and follow-up that is one of the success factors behind his brutal regime. The athletes put in over 40 hours a week during certain periods.

“We train a lot, and we train hard. But that requires having control and being able to make adjustments on an ongoing basis. So I have a strong belief in being close to the athletes.”

Team Swenor-Splitkon 2026/2027

• Håvard Andersen, 19, Fana IL – new
• Ola Aurmo, 23, Lom IL – new
• Calle Halfvarsson, 37, Sågmyra IF/Sweden – new
• Andreas Bergsland, 25, Trøsken IL
• Sondre Brattabø, 21, Osterøy IL
• Daniel Egedius, 21, Vind IL – new
• Felix Egedius, 16, Vind IL – new
• Oskar Eek-Reme, 20, Fana IL
• Birk Møller Gundersen, 24, LYN ski – new
• Jørgen Harby, 25, Brøttum IL
• Andreas Hermansen, 21, Vang SKLF – new
• Markus Håheim, 20, Voss IL – new
• Sivert Leander Johansen, 26, Drammens BK – new
• Lars Olav Kåsa, 22, Gulset IF – new
• Marcus Dahl-Rismyhr, 21, Trøsken IL
• Tørres Nøstdal, 21, Eid IL
• Eskil Skarstein Rød, 21, Oppegård IL – new
• Ludvig Rørvik, 20, Førde IL – new

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