Ski Classics is a series of long-distance cross-country ski races in classic style that has been held since 2011. In season XII, 2021-2022, the circuit included 14 events, in a professional tour for the 35 Pro Teams involved. From 2015 to 2022, the official name of the circuit was Visma Ski Classics, thanks to their main sponsor. The special thing about the Ski Classics concept is that anyone can start the races: professional or amateur, male or female, 25 or 75 years old. Everyone stands together on the same starting line to face the same weather conditions and the same course. Ski Classics has also, since April 2019, launched the concept of Challengers. This tour has been created to connect and promote long distance skiing events worldwide. By autumn 2021, 39 races were on the Challenger calendar, combining cross-country skiing in winter and roller skiing throughout the year.

History

The cup was first arranged in 2011. The Czech skier Stanislav Řezáč won the men's overall cup, and the Swiss skier

Seraina Boner Seraina Boner (born 11 April 1982) is a Swiss cross-country skier who has been competing since 1998. She has competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultu ...

won the ladies' overall cup. In 2012, the cup consisted of 7 races. The races were Jizerská padesátka,

Marcialonga Marcialonga is a cross-country ski race which is arranged for the last Sunday in January in Trentino in Italy. It was first held in 1971 and has been a part of Worldloppet as long as Worldloppet has been around. The run begins in Moena, where the ...

König Ludwig Lauf König Ludwig Lauf is a long distance cross-country skiing race, that takes places in Germany, and is part of the international long distance cup Ski Classics and the Worldloppet series. The race is over distances of 50 km and 23 km in ...

, Tartu Maraton,

Vasaloppet (Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in the c ...

Birkebeinerrennet Birkebeinerrennet (lit. The Birkebeiner race) is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It debuted in 1932 and has been a part of Worldloppet since Worldloppet's inception in 1979. The Birkebeinerrennet is one of th ...

and the final Norefjellrennet which was cancelled because of lack of snow. The Norwegian cross country skier

Anders Aukland Anders Aukland (born 12 September 1972 in Tønsberg) is a professional Norwegian cross-country skier who has won both Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He lives in Oslo. Aukland also used to compete in athletics, and is a former nation ...

won the overall cup. He participated for the Norwegian team Team Xtra Personell. The Swedish skier

Jenny Hansson Jenny Hansson, born 26 August 1980, is a Swedish former cross-country skier who competed between 2002 and 2013. Her best World Cup finish was third in the 4 × 5 km relay in Sweden in November 2008. Hansson's best individual finish was 39th ...

won the ladies' overall cup. In 2013, the cup consisted of 6 races, Jizerská padesátka,

and Årefjällslopet. It is an overall-cup, a sprintpoints-cup, a youth-cup and a team competition. The most profiled teams are Team Xtra Personell, Team United Bakeries, Team Coop,

Team Tynell A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to info ...

, Team Skinfit Racing Team and Team Skigo. In 2014, the cup consisted of 6 races, among them La Diagonela,

and

Rickard Tynell Rickard is both an English surname and a masculine Swedish given name. It is of European origin and it is closely related to the given name Richard and the surnames Rickards and Richards. People with the surname *Bob Rickard (born 1945), founder ...

won the first race, held in Switzerland due to lack of snow in Czech Republic.

Events Season XII: 2021/2022

Previous winners

2011
Teams #Team Xtra Personell #Team Exspirit #Team United Bakeries Champion Men #Stanilslav Rezac #Jerry Ahrlin #Anders Aukland Champion Women #Seraina Boner #Jenny Hansson #Susanne Nyström Sprint #Anders Aukland Youth Men #Anton Sjöholm Youth Women #Laila Kveli 2012
Teams #Team Xtra Personell #Team Exspirit #Team United Bakeries Champion Men #Anders Aukland #Stanislav Rezac #Jörgen Brink Champion Women #Jenny Hansson #Susanne Nyström #Seraina Boner Sprint #Stanislav Rezac Youth Men #Morten Eide Pedersen Youth Women #Laila Kveli 2013
Teams #Team Xtra Personell #Team Coop #Team United Bakeries Champion Men #Anders Aukland #Jörgen Aukland #Stanlislav Rezac Champion Women #Seraina Boner #Laila Kveli #Jenny Hansson Sprint #Simen Östensen Youth Men #Morten Eide Pedersen Youth Women #Laila Kveli 2014
Teams #Team United Bakeries #Team Centric #Team Coop-Exspirit Champion Men #Johan Kjölstad #John Kristian Dahl #Simen Östensen Champion Women #Seraina Boner #Laila Kveli #Susanne Nyström Sprint #John Kristian Dahl Youth Men #Christoffer Callesen Youth Women #Inger Liv Bjerkreim Nilsen 2014/2015 Teams #Team Santander #Team United Bakeries #Team Coop Champion Men #Petter Eliassen, Team Leaseplan Go #Anders Aukland, Team Santander #Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team Santander Champion Women #Katerina Smutna, Team Silvini Madshus #Seraina Boner, Team Coop-Exspirit #Britta Johansson Norgren, Team SkiProAm Sprint #Öystein Pettersen, Team United Bakeries Youth Men #Anders Malmen Höst, Lyn Ski Youth Women #Tone Sundvor, Team Synnfjell

References

External links

* {{Official website Ski marathons Skiing in Europe Recurring sporting events established in 2011