Cross Country News

August 15, 2012 marks 100-day milestone for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup season 2012/13. In exactly 100 days, on November 24 the all sights will be set to Gällivare and the season opener over 10/15 km free ladies/men.

The coming 2012/13 season is featuring many highlights as will set a 3-year series of title events with FIS World Ski Championships and Winter Olympic Games. After a 2 year-break the FIS Cross-Country World Cup returns to Canada, this time for e big portion of racing action in Quebec and Canmore. Québec will host a free technique team sprint and individual free sprint whereas Canmore will organize mass start distance competitions in classical technique and a free technique sprint. The skiathlon in Canmore on 16th December will conclude the pre-Christmas competition period.

Seven competitions in nine days, that will be the first highlight of the season, the seventh edition of the FIS Tour de Ski. The Tour will kick off on 29th December with a free technique prologue in Oberhof, Germany. As a second stage, a pursuit will be held in the Thuringia Forest. For the first time in FIS Tour de Ski history, a stage will be carried out in Switzerland. Swiss Cross-Country skiing fans will have a chance to cheer on Dario Cologna on his home soil in Münstertal in the free technique sprint on 1st January.

After the second rest day, the Tour will continue in Toblach on 3rd January with distance competitions for the ladies and the A to B stage from Cortina to Toblach for the men followed with a short individual start competition in classical technique. The FIS Tour de Ski will traditionally conclude in Val di Fiemme with a mass start race on 5th and the Final Climb on 6th January.

The 2012/13 season will mark an important milestone on the road to Sochi as the pre-Olympic FIS Cross-Country World Cup takes place from 1st to 3rd February. The host of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games will organize three competitions, free technique sprint on Friday, skiathlon on Saturday and classical technique team sprint on Sunday.

The highlight of the 2012/13 season, the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme are scheduled from 20th February to 3rd March.

The season will conclude in Scandinavia with the well-established program featuring Lahti, Drammen, Oslo and the World Cup Final in Sweden with Stockholm and Falun as host venues.

You can find the complete FIS Cross-Country World Cup Calender 2012/13 HERE.