Holding a full-time job, Endresen managed to finish ahead of more seasoned Pro Tour athletes in important events such as Birkebeinerrennet and Marcialonga. In this interview with ProXCskiing.com, we understand her background, experience, and goals as she aims to make long-distance skiing more fun for non-professional skiers.

Get ready to hear from the heroes of long-distance skiing! We’re not just talking about the strongest and fastest racers but also the athletes who surprise us with their incredible performances and personal bests. One of these impressive skiers is Fanny Endresen, a Ski Classics Pro Team member from Team Straye Flammekaster. 

Despite not being a full-time athlete, Fanny has achieved some outstanding results this season that caught our attention. She took home the gold medal at the Ski Classics Challengers event Trysil Skimaraton, finishing 19 seconds ahead of her competitors. And at two of the most important calendar events, Birkebeinerrennet and Marcialonga, Fanny finished in 15th place, ahead of more seasoned skiers. 

These remarkable performances earned Fanny the 37th position in the Yellow Champion competition, and we were looking forward to knowing more about her background and future goals.

Finishing 15th in your first Marcialonga and first season competing is an outstanding performance. How was the experience?

“Marcialonga was very cool. I had never participated before, and I thought the racecourse was really fun with all the small cities, undergrounds, audience, and of course, the good vibe, which was pretty much everywhere. I felt good during the race, but I broke my pole after just 6km, which was a bit tricky. Fortunately, I got a new pole after approximately 2km. Also, I must admit the last climb was tough.”

Have you done some specific preparation for this season?

“I had done a bit more double poling than usual before this race since I had only done one race without grip wax beforehand. A good performance in Marcialonga was one of my goals. Still, never having participated before, I was interested in the experience and curious about how the race was since I had heard that it is a particularly fun race to do.”

How did you become a long-distance skier? How has your experience been so far?

“Last year, I had the pleasure of being part of the hilarious gang in Team Straye Flammekaster, which has allowed me to experience how it is to participate in the Ski Classics circus, with good starting positions. My experience until now has been super fun, and I look forward to doing more races, even though I am far from a professional athlete, holding a full-time job and mainly doing this just for fun.”

Tell us some of your background related to cross-country skiing. 

“I have done cross-country skiing ever since I was a little girl and always loved being outside skiing. I did some races when I was around 14-15 but I have never done it professionally. However, I have always exercised regularly, and cross-country skiing has been my number one choice of training. I guess you can say I have been more dedicated over the last three years or so. I have trained a lot with a social training group, Team Driv Trening, and participated in some local races in Norway.”

How was Team Straye Flammekaster created, and what are its goals?

“The team was created during the Covid pandemic as an effort to participate in international races. However, the team quickly gained some talented skiers and sponsors who wanted to join. The goal of making long-distance skiing more accessible for non-professionals remains a priority for the team. Over the past three years, the skiers have made significant progress, and the team has attracted more skiers who strive to perform well on the leaderboards.”

If Fanny Endresen’s story teaches us something, it’s that you don’t have to be a full-time athlete to achieve incredible results in long-distance skiing. Fanny has proven that anyone can excel in skiing with hard work, dedication, and a love for the sport. 

Her performance at Marcialonga and Birkebeinerrennet is a testament to this. And with teams like Straye Flammekaster, skiing is becoming more accessible to non-professional skiers who want to experience the thrill of the sport. So, let Fanny’s story inspire you to hit the slopes, challenge yourself, and see what you can achieve.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consisted of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.