This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. Learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award—or about supporting FasterSkier coverage—by contacting info@fasterskier.com.
It’s hard to believe, but the start of the World Cup ski season is upon us. The weekend opener in Ruka, Finland begins November 29th. While many of us will be bemoaning our Thanksgiving excess and recovering from NFL binge watching, the best skiers in the world will assemble in Finland’s northern remote regions— hovering around the Arctic Circle— for the start of the 2024/25 season.
All systems are go for the season opener, with FIS (International Ski Federation) reporting that “after the last snow control meeting … the event preparation group confirmed the event is to take place as scheduled.” There’s a lot at stake for the season opener in Ruka, but cross-country fans may forget that there are other Nordic sports using the same snow for the season opener. Nordic combined, ski jumping, freestyle skiing, and cross-country will all share the Ruka venue so getting the green light from FIS is huge for many ski fans and athletes. The forecast for the area calls for warmer temperatures and rain mixed with snow early in the week, but by Friday, temperatures are predicted to drop well below freezing with several inches of snow each day. Jessie Diggins stated in her press conference on Monday that Ruka just experienced a huge snowfall. So it’s likely the races will be held on a mix of natural and artificial snow. If it’s snowing during the races, the weather could play an outsized role with two of the races scheduled being Classic.
The cross-country race season will kick off with the women’s 10 kilometer Classic interval start on Friday, November 29th at 4:00 a.m. Eastern time. The men’s event will follow at 6:40 a.m. Eastern. You can spare yourself from the dreadful rising time and join us for our same day coverage at FasterSkier.com. As always, our vigilant FasterSkier staff will be watching the races live, so you don’t lose out on your precious beauty sleep, and you can catch up with the results with coverage from us any time.
The beginning of the ski season is like the start of any new sport season. In front of the athletes is only a blank slate, and visions of glory of what might be. It’s time to dream big. For Rosie Brennan’s big dream to come true this ski season she told FasterSkier it would mean “a relay medal at the World Championships.” Same dream for Julia Kern. Same for Jessie Diggins. It’s fair to say that the women’s team is focused on one goal.
U.S. head coach Matt Whitcomb has a slightly different angle on what a dream come true season would be. For Whitcomb a dream season would be “a million dollar donation to the NNF (National Nordic Foundation), because we finish in the top three as a nation.” It’s a dream that would set up the team for continued success and cement their prestige which has been only building over the decades. It’s a fitting ideal for a coach who must take a long term view of the entire program.
While it’s a very long season, it’s nice to get out to a good start, but not imperative. One big thing that Jessie Diggins has learned about opening weekend is to not worry too much about the results. “Unless you lose a glove and end up with a pole in the face (as happened last year), no one is going to remember what happened in Ruka. In the moment it feels bigger than big, but it’s ok to work your way into the season.” Diggins continued that, “you get this back to school vibe and you’re excited to see everyone … I would tell younger Jessie that one data point is not a trend, and it’s not who you are.”
“The first period of racing can vary in importance for the season, depending on the goals and the training build-up,” said Julia Kern. “It is always a confidence boost if the first period goes well; however, it’s not indicative of the rest of the season. Momentum is always a good thing, but sometimes it takes time to build up to speed.” Kern’s gaze is looking beyond the weekend opener. “I am excited for World Champs and going back to some less frequent venues like Cogne, Italy and Tallinn, Estonia. I think the calendar has great flow this year, where there are a lot of exciting stops and formats such as Davos adding a team sprint this year.”
For some, there might be a rush to get opening day jitters over with, but certainly not everyone feels that way. “I want to enjoy it,” said Rosie Brennan. “I’m anxious to get started but I love the early season nerves and the blank slate you start with every year. I think it’s fun to move through all the different parts of the season and embrace all the different emotions each part brings.” Looking down the road a bit, not surprisingly, Brennan is anticipating the World Championships the most. “I’m looking forward to sharing Trondheim (site of the world championships) with my favorite fans, my mom and aunt.”
Whitcomb shares Brennan’s sense of not just wanting to get opening day over with, but to savor it. “Getting our rhythm back always feels good, but we aren’t looking to get through it, so much as to get to it. Ruka is one of my favorite venues, and perhaps is my all-time favorite sprint course. The Skate mass start is always thrilling. The opener is exciting. I’m lucky to work with this staff and these athletes. To be a part of a tribe that gets to perform rather difficult jobs in occasionally stressful environments is such a gift. I feel lucky every day.”
The start of the season also signals the seemingly endless parade across Europe and being away from home for months. Everyone has their own way to cope with the challenge. For some, it’s bringing a little piece of home with them. Brennan has perhaps the most unique and frankly surprising approach. The thing from home she absolutely doesn’t leave without? “Teddy! It may sound crazy to be the oldest one of the team and still traveling with my childhood teddy, but don’t knock it till you try it! Teddy is small and at this point, kinda disgusting, but he represents my whole life, my family, and my support team that’s with me no matter how great or tough life on the road is at that moment. I need that daily reminder and something that gives me that sense of safety and peace that family can bring.” So perhaps a message to all of the aspiring junior skiers out there is don’t give away that childhood stuffed animal just yet!
While Brennan favors plush toys for comfort, coach Whitcomb turns to something a little more directly related to skiing. He always takes with him, “a motivational note from Pete Vordenberg (former U.S. Olympian and longtime team coach). He slipped it in my bag in 2009.” That’s a pretty cool motivational keepsake. He continued that, “also, depending on whether it’s in my possession at the time, a wooden heart that Chris Grover (current program director) and I have been furtively stashing in each other’s backpack for a long time.”
Diggins won’t leave home without American gum and toothpaste. “Those are two things that I just really like having from home and I know that’s kind of weird, but I like my things!” She also brings along her own supply of biodegradable glitter. And yes, biodegradable glitter is a thing. Diggins has engaged with Dermatone to launch biodegradable glitter kits, so she can spread the glitter love and be environmentally responsible at the same time.
Besides the items that cheer the psyche and act as a salve for homesickness, there are practical matters like dealing with the lack of sunlight and its proven debilitating effect upon the Circadian rhythm. “I actually find the lack of light rather cozy and exciting,” said Whitcomb. “Personally, I’m not affected by the loss of light, but I know some people travel with special happy lights that are used in various ways. They might stretch under it for 30 minutes a day, for instance. It’s a real thing.”
One thing that won’t fit into Whitcomb’s pocket is the addition of another wax truck for the team. The new truck is, “currently set up and is being waxed in. The grinder is running. Ultimately, the new stone grinder truck is our answer to a fluoro-free waxing world. We are unlikely to be using team grinds in the first year or two, though we will be very dedicated to testing grinds, and developing our system. This is the beginning of a project that will never end but is likely to take several years to really impact the team.” The underlying message is clear. In the arms race for faster ski speed– with fluoros now out of the picture– selecting the best ski grind for the day will be the new weapon of choice.
The U.S. team is now a nice blend of accomplished veterans and up and coming athletes and coaches. The veteran’s perspective helps to guide the team over a long season. Part of that perspective is understanding that there are many possible roads to take to reach the final destination. One of the big lessons learned is, “the acceptance that many training plans can work,” said Whitcomb. “The road of the insecure is to negatively judge that unusual training, and the high road is to support it, and consider its merit. While I believe I have an understanding of what works for the 10 days that lead up to the first World Cup, I’ve seen many different approaches work. One needs belief in their plan. Inter-team judgment hurts this, and support promotes this. If you look at it that way, many ways can work, and it takes the pressure off. It’s pretty simple.”
Last year, the 10k Classic was on the second day of the Ruka weekend, this year it will be the first race. In last year’s 10k Classic, Norway took two of the podium spots in the men’s race, with hometown favorite Iivo Niskanen (FIN) finishing second by a scant 2.9 seconds. It was a bitter pill for the Finn who was looking to thrill the locals with the top spot in his Classic specialty. There’s no reason to think that the Norwegians won’t dominate the podium again. But if the snow falls during the race, it could make it a wide open contest.
The best American man was Gus Schumacher’s 22nd place finish. Schumacher has been on what feels like a straight upward trajectory since then, so there is a lot of optimism for improving upon that finish. Ben Ogden, Luke Jager, and Zanden McMullen all finished outside of the top 30 in that race. They will be hoping to start the season off with a better opening day showing to get the season’s momentum going early. Ruka will be an early test for Ogden who had to call it quits early last season—and was forced to miss Minneapolis— because of illness.
Another racer to keep an eye on will be Canada’s Antoine (Tony) Cyr. Cyr’s results started ramping up toward the end of last season. On the last weekend of racing, he placed 11th in the 10k Classic in Falun. Last year in Ruka, Cyr finished 27th in the 10k. If he can build off of last year’s Falun momentum with a good start in a Classic race, he could be a North American sleeper to keep an eye on.
The biggest wildcard in the women’s field will be the return of Therese Johaug (NOR). Johaug retired at the end of the 2022 season, but she has quickly reestablished herself at the top of the game. Her performance in the opening of the Norwegian domestic racing season last weekend certainly grabbed everyone’s attention. For those who thought Johaug’s return would be some kind of skiing social victory lap, think again. Last weekend she won the Women’s 10 kilometer individual start Classic race in Beitostoelen, Norway by beating the venerable Heidi Weng by almost 40 seconds. It bears repeating that her margin of victory was 40 seconds over only 10 kilometers!
Weng got revenge and eked out a victory over Johaug the next day in the 10k individual start Freestyle. Weng managed to hold onto a 0.6 second advantage to take the win. Weng’s victory notwithstanding, it looks like Johaug will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. Whether she will be as dominant as she was two years ago, and whether she races throughout the entire season remains to be seen. But no matter what, everyone is on notice to watch out for Therese. Given her performance in the Classic at Beitostoelen how can she not be the favorite going into the first Classic race of the season?
The American women had a great day in last year’s 10k Classic, with Rosie Brennan taking her first individual Classic podium by finishing second, Jessie Diggins finishing 11th, and Novie McCabe 30th. Brenan has told FasterSkier that she really likes the grinding nature of the start of the season races, so expect her to be in contention for a podium again. The unknown factor will be how her Classic legs are feeling. Last weekend, she told FasterSkier that, “I know that I have the ability to succeed right off the bat, but success is never a given, and there are many variables at play.” The pressure of performing on opening day doesn’t bother Brennan, “There are many people that support me in order to have success and I want to deliver. I enjoy that type of pressure, it makes me feel like I‘m doing something for more than just myself and it allows me to better find my limits.”
But all eyes will be on Jessie Diggins, as she begins the defense of her Crystal Globe championship. If she can duplicate the hot start she had to last season, it will only help her in her title defense. “I’m very excited for a new season,” Diggins said in her news conference Monday. “I feel like I’m sitting here as a different stronger version of myself.” Diggins went on to address her mental health status, “I feel like being vulnerable has actually let me connect in a very different way with a lot of people. I feel like I’m coming back in a much stronger place.” Diggins feels that, “I’m in a much more solid place than I’ve ever been in before.”
American fans should also keep an eye on Sophia Laukli. Laukli has been working on her Classic technique, and though a 10k race is a little too short to be exactly in her wheelhouse, it could be an interesting barometer for an early glimpse into whether her striding game has improved. Last year she finished 44th in the 10k Classic. Last weekend she took an impressive 7th place in the Norwegian season opener in the 10k Classic beating out many impressive names and finishing only 38 seconds off the podium It’s hard to believe that she won’t see a dramatic improvement from last year’s 44th place.
Opening day will also be an early test for Julia Kern. Kern has been struggling with injury and has had to resort to alternative training methods throughout the summer. Ruka will be an early marker to see if she’s been able to maintain her skiing fitness. “I am both excited and feeling a bit uncertain,” Kern told FasterSkier. “I was in a great place during New Zealand camp. Unfortunately, since that training camp, I have been dealing with back issues that have greatly impacted my normal training routine. However, my energy has been good, and I had a good last week of training at home. This time of year, I think the most important launching point is having good energy going into a long season of racing.”
Saturday will be for the Classic Sprinters with the heats beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern. For those who just can’t get enough racing and may need to fill time during bouts of insomnia, you can follow the Sprint qualifiers live through the FIS website starting at 3:00 a.m. Eastern—enjoy that!
Last year Norway dominated the men’s Ruka Classic Sprint, but in an unexpected way. The Norwegians advanced seven skiers into the semifinals. But, in a true shocker, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) didn’t make it to the top of the podium. Klaebo was in the midst of recovery from illness. His countryman Erik Valnes (NOR) took the victory. It was no secret that Klaebo had been sick, but seeing other skiers blow by him still felt extremely unsettling and shocking to witness. But there was no reason to remain feeling badly for Klaebo for long, as he went on to dominate the Sprints later in the season like no one else ever has. He won the Sprint in the Norwegian opener last weekend and looks ready to dominate again.
The top American finisher that day was Ben Ogden, in 11th place. Later in the season Ogden would go on to claim his first World Cup podium in Toblach in the Freestyle Sprint. After Friday’s 10k and Saturday’s Sprint, we should have some solid insight into where Ogden’s conditioning stands.
For the women last year, the first Sprint race of the season was a preview of the rest of the year. It was all of the Swedes against Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad. Emma Ribom (SWE) won the opener, but Skistad later went on a late season tear which saw her winning the last three World Cup Sprints in Klaebo-like dominating fashion. When Skistad is firing on all cylinders she is in a league of her own. But there is a huge question mark facing her this winter. In a still developing story, Skistad is reported to have undergone stomach surgery of an undisclosed nature several weeks ago and is not scheduled to be in Ruka. She is reportedly returning to training, but there isn’t any detail on when she is expected to return to competition. Until Skistad returns to the field, Swedish podium sweeps could be a common sight this winter.
For the Americans the test will be to see if Julia Kern can rebound from her aforementioned injury. Diggins and Kern finished 7th and 8th respectively last year. It will also be interesting to keep an eye on Diggins’ early season Sprint performances. Last year, once she had gained control of the Overall points standings, Diggins sprinted very strategically choosing to go out hard in the first round and ensure accumulating points by reaching the second round of heats. It will be intriguing to see if she will adopt a more traditional strategy early in the season and go out more conservatively in the opening rounds.
Sunday will be the first Distance race of the year, featuring the 20 kilometer Freestyle mass start. The men race first, with coverage starting at 3:30 a.m. Eastern, followed by the women at 5:25 a.m. Eastern.
Epic—that was the only word to describe the American women’s performance in this event last year. Sweden’s Moa Ilar won the race, but it didn’t get as much attention as the results of those behind her. It wasn’t just that Diggins and Brennan finished second and third, but Diggins crossed the finish line with a bloody mouth having had her pole yanked off her hand toward the end of the race, and then getting plunked in the lip during the new pole exchange. The finish line picture was one for the ages. It’s hard to imagine that the 20k will be as compelling as last year’s race, but you never know. As Whitcomb said, the 20k Freestyle mass start is “always thrilling.”
Keep an eye on Sophia Laukli during this race. The race features two things she really likes: distance and skating. It will also be a good indicator of whether she was able to fully recover from her running season injuries to start the season in top form. Last year she finished a solid 14th, and a move into the top ten would announce that she’s a real presence in distance racing, and not just at the extremes of Alpe Cermis. Last weekend she finished 11th in the 10k Freestyle in the Norwegian opener, and she looks to be ready to start the season in fine form.
Also keep an eye on Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones who finished 22nd in last year’s 20k Freestyle. Jones had a difficult season last year, as her World Cup racing ended after Minneapolis. She’ll be looking to return to her form from two years ago when she had multiple top 20 finishes, including finishing 18th overall in the Tour de Ski.
In the men’s race last year, American Gus Schumacher showed a harbinger of things to come with a 16th place finish. It will be another opportunity for Schumacher to prove that his star is rising. Norway took two podium spots that day with a sweep only being interrupted by the feel good second place showing of Michal Novak (CZE). In addition to dominating the podium, Norway placed six skiers in the top ten, and until proven otherwise, they will be the favorite for every podium position in every men’s race until someone proves that they can pry the podium out from under Norwegian feet.
Success at the World Cup level requires much more than just skiing fast. The logistics of moving around Europe with hundreds of skis and dozens of team members can be daunting, and part of it falls onto Whitcomb to coordinate. If you’ve ever flown for a cross-country ski trip you know that handling a bag of skis can be a huge hassle and make or break your ski trip. But for the pros, there’s much more riding on it, and the logistics are just a bit more elegantly managed. “The most successful athletes know by March that they are likely to be on the World Cup in November,” said Whitcomb. “So 90% of their fleet stays in our wax truck, Yolanda (the team’s name for their pet wax truck). Everyone on the team brings at least a small ski bag home in March that covers SuperTour Finals, as well as spring, summer, and fall skiing needs. It’s the athlete’s responsibility to bring that bag back. In September or October, our techs make a visit to the factories in Europe and pick up skis from the summer and fall ski run productions. Lastly, the industry brings a few pairs for the athletes to the first World Cups, and the various ski companies always have additional skis on hand at nearly every venue. We have capacity in Yolanda for something like 700-800 pairs of skis. If you can believe it, this fills up quickly, so we try to only keep the performing skis on hand. If we get new skis, we try to trade the old, poorly performing skis out.” Managing 800 pairs of skis might sound like a nightmare, but it’s just part of the process for preparing for the rest of the season.
Whitcomb explained the way the season long logistics management works. “The World Cup is a system that has a nice flow to it. Most weeks, our team will travel to the next venue on Monday, and then train Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We race Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and then repeat the process. Chris Grover, our Program Director, runs the majority of pre-season logistics. That largely includes flights and working with each organizing committee to secure housing and a good meal plan. We place a lot of emphasis on our “Curran Family Nutrition Program” (named after supporters of the team), which involves, among other things, organizing chefs for as many venues and winter training camps as makes sense for our housing. If we have houses or apartments, we often have a chef so we can control the quality of our food. This accounts for about 1/3 of the winter. This has made a massive difference to our health and performance. Zoom in a bit and the logistics change focus to training day and race day performance. We have 22 athletes racing in Period 1, which means we have 22 different training plans. We plug them all into a shared document so athletes can easily find a training group that matches their workout on a given day. Winter life is a little more lonely than summer life, so we emphasize the importance of long, big group meals, team walks at night, or game night. If we don’t vibe as a team, we’ll be beaten by the teams who do. The waxing and grinding trucks are a whole other deal. When the athletes and coaches travel by bus or plane on a Monday, many of the techs will have swiftly departed after the races on Sunday for the next event. The drives are often long. In Period 1 for this season, they first drive the trucks from Tallinn, Estonia, which is where the trucks summer, to Muonio, Finland. That’s 600 miles, plus a several hours ferry across the Gulf of Finland. Then it’s back to Ruka, Finland, which is only five hours. Then they’re off to Lillehammer, Norway which is about 900 miles, and then down to Davos, Switzerland, which is another 1,200 miles. Know, too, that the big truck is limited at 89 kph (55mph).”
It takes a lot to make the giant World Cup wheel go around, and with the 2024/25 season now upon us, fans can now go through their own process of gearing up for another exciting season of racing.
Ken lives in Southeastern Michigan. He’s an avid outdoor sport enthusiast. He’s an attorney, former Mayor of Northville, Michigan, and former bowling center owner. He’s spent much of the last 36 years trying to chase down his wife on classic skis; to no avail.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
