Steady improvements in tracks and grooming, ski equipment and training approach have increased the overall speed, putting more emphasis on chasing marginal gains. “Tactics has become a more important part of cross country skiing than when I started coaching in the early 1990s,” says Magnar Dalen, who is the Director of Team Ragde Charge, adding some perspective to the issue:

“However, there were tactical elements involved in cross country skiing before as well. I vividly recall the surges that Daniel Tynell pulled off toward the end of Vasaloppet. He was using his specific strengths to drop his competitors. Jørgen and Anders Aukland cooperated during races. They took advantage of and profited from each other’s individual strengths to achieve impressive results. The biggest difference between then and now, is that currently, there are more racers who are consistently at a high level. Accordingly, the margins are smaller, making the tactical elements of racing more important,” Dalen says.

LONG EXPERIENCE

The seasoned Norwegian knows what he is talking about. Dalen’s resume features nearly 35 years of experience and a close working relationship with a number of legendary cross country skiers, including Gunde Svahn, Torgny Mogren, ,Bjørn Dæhlie, Virpi Kuitunen and Iivo Niskanen, as well as the top racers on the Aukland brothers’ team for the past eight season.

At the same time, Dalen points out that the tactical component can be over-emphasized. “There are some skiers who, in my opinion, spend too much energy on detailed tactical plans for scenarios that never materialize. The most important components of team tactics are common basic guidelines that everyone on the team agrees on, and good communication throughout the race,” Dalen says.

A NATURAL PART OF RACE PREPARATION

Gustaf Korsgren is the Team Director for Team Ramudden, and lives with Lina Korsgren, who was the best female marathon racer of 2021. In addition to Lina, Gustaf Korsgren’s team lineup also includes Jenny Larsson and Ida Dahl.

“Tactics are a natural part of race preparations on our team. But being a strong skier is still the most important component of ski racing. If you’re not there when the races are determined, it doesn’t matter how tactically clever you are,” says Korsgren, and continues:

“In our team, we have put a strong emphasis on making the move and taking charge of the races. We had a lot of success with that strategy last year, but this approach requires that all the racers have a strong physical foundation and capacity.”

TWO CRITICAL TACTICAL ELEMENTS

Korsgren points out two critical tactical elements of the women.

“Our racers avoid competing with each other. Nobody on the team will chase another teammate. It may sound obvious, but when you’re tired, your heart rate is through the roof or you just feel super strong, this can be hard to remember. The other crucial element is to let the girls know when the men’s pack is approaching and when we estimate they will overtake the women,” Korsgren says.

Both Dalen and Korsgren agree that there are differences among the skiers when it comes to tactical skills.

“As with all the skills you need to master, tactical skills are crucial. How individual skiers handle different race situations varies greatly, but keeping cool when critical race situations occur is more important than ever,” Dalen concludes. 

These are 12 tactical elements frequently used in marathon ski racing.

1. DON’T CHASE YOUR TEAMMATES

In marathon ski races, there will usually be multiple surges where 1-6 racers form a breakaway group. Often, these racers will not be the biggest stars, but some of the more unknown skiers. The teams that are part of the breakaways will gain an advantage. Having a skier in the lead group means that they don’t have to help set the pace of the main field, but can sit back in the pack. The teams that don’t have any racers in the breakaway but want to win the race have to lead and increase the speed. Sometimes, this tactic can determine the outcome of the race.

2. SURGE THROUGH A FEED ZONE

This tactic was more prevalent in the past, before the racers were carrying their own bottles. Back then, skiers relied on getting feeds from their service crews on the side of the course. These days, drinking belts have made racers less dependent on feed zones and aid stations, but the tactic is still applied in certain situations. The goal is simply to surge every time you get close to a competitor’s feed zone and prevent them from refueling. If used consistently, your competitors may run out of fuel. 

The disadvantage is that you spend a lot of energy on the frequent surges.

3. SLIPSTREAM TOWARD THE FINISH LINE

This tactic is most efficiently used toward the finish line or an intermediate sprint, but can theoretically be applied on all downhills in a race. The timing is crucial. The distance you should keep to the racer in front depends on several factors, including:

The Hill Length – The longer the hill, the bigger the gap you can afford.

Your Own and Your Competitor’s Skis – If you have outstanding glide, you can afford a bigger gap than if you have inferior glide.

Your Weight – A heavy skier glides faster than a light skier.

The Conditions – Snow conditions and temperatures impact the necessary gap.

The advantage of being behind makes you gain on the skier in front. For most of the race distance, it’s better to push on the pole tips of the racer in front of you or stand up slightly to increase your aerodynamic drag and decrease your speed. But when approaching a sprint or the finish line, there are other considerations. Assuming you nail the timing, the idea is to allow the racer in front the biggest possible gap at the top of the hill, then dart out to the side and pass them on the finish line. In races with a downhill finish, such as Jizerská Padesátka, it is crucial to master this tactic.

4. BE A LEAD UP FOR A TEAMMATE

This is one of the most frequently used tactics in Visma Ski Classics. When the skiers come close to an intermediate sprint or a sprint finish, teammates of the prioritized racer will try to speed up in order to string out the pack and make it harder for the competitors to get up and pass,  while the prioritized racer can draft and save some energy. Then, 50 to 200 meters prior to the sprint or the finish line, the domestique pulls to the side and lets his teammate go. 

5. LET A TEAMMATE GET A GAP

This tactic is most efficiently used on narrow race courses with few tracks, or when the weather/snow conditions are such that a few of the tracks have better glide. Marcialonga is a race where skiers have to be tuned in to this tactic. If several racers from one team manage to get to the front and then spread out across the tracks, one of them can easily surge and get away before the competitors have a chance to follow. 

6. GIVE UP A POLE TO THE TEAM CAPTAIN

This tactic has become more widespread over the past few years, as a consequence of more sophisticated teamwork. The teams have an internal hierarchy, and the teams prioritize the best racer. Accordingly, the weaker skiers on the team will have to give up their poles and sacrifice their race to serve the strongest racer. Of course, in order to use this tactic, all the racers have to use poles that are roughly the same length.

7. PRETEND TO BE MORE TIRED THAN YOU ARE

This is a classic. The idea is to breathe hard and look as exhausted as possible, even if you are not. When the competitors want you to take your turn at the front, you just raise your arms and say you’re too spent, or lead only for a short time and then slow down. The goal is to save energy and make your competitors work harder. When you think the others are sufficiently tired, you can spend your saved energy on a surge. There are countless stories of racers who hang out in the back of the pack and never contribute to the speed of the group. They just appeared to be at the end of their ropes. But then, a few kilometers from the finish, they are the ones who surge and get a gap.

8. WAIT FOR THE GUYS

The Visma Ski Classics women’s competitions usually start before the men’s races. Often, the women finish before the men catch up to them, but sometimes the women are overtaken by the men. In those cases, the strongest women conserve some energy, wait for the men to catch up, and then try to hang on to the guys as long as they can in order to drop their competitors. 

9. IN LARGE MEN’S FIELDS, “HIDE AWAY” SO THAT THE OTHER WOMEN DO NOT KNOW IF YOU ARE IN FRONT OR BEHIND

When women end up in large men’s field, it can sometimes be quite confusing. Several hundred skiers can be together. By using some cleverness, you can then take advantage of disappearing in the crowd, and get further ahead in the men’s field than the other women. When the field then bursts open, you get some advantage. Then, it’s about being a little smart and having control over where your biggest rivals are in the field.

10. LET SOMEONE GET AWAY (AND SURGE UP AGAIN LATER)

This tactic is  most frequently used in determining phases of the race and when the speed is high. Usually, the tactic is used by fast skiers who are able to stay cool and calculated even when they’re exhausted. Without slowing down too much, they let the skier in front get a small gap. When the gap is about five to ten seconds, they surge in order to drop any competitors in the group and overtake the skier(s) in front. 

11. START WITHOUT A DRINKING BELT AND THEN GET IT ON TOP OF A HILL

We talked earlier about the drinking belts and how they have made it less important to drink from the side of the trail. The disadvantage of the belt is the weight you have to carry with you. Especially on the uphills, you do not want to pull on 1-2 kg extra. It has therefore become more common in recent years to plan when receiving the belt so that you avoid skiing with it in the heaviest parts of the course. An example is Marcialonga. Here many start the race without a belt and go uphill to Canazei before they get it. Then you can go with it all the way down the valley, before throwing the belt at the bottom of the last hill.

12. CHOOSE THE FAST LANE

In certain snow conditions, there are huge differences in the glide from one track to the other, even if the tracks are very close. There are different reasons for this, including how the sun hits the trail, snow falling from trees next to trail and into the tracks, how the grooming machine is operated and where the TV/media snowmobile drives. The skiers learn to recognize these factors, and these considerations are often the reason why skiers might choose to change tracks. They want to find out if the glide is better in one of the other tracks. In many marathon races, skiers choose to stay behind the TV snow mobile, even though the other tracks look perfect.

However, when the snowmobile drives on the course, there is air mixed into the snow in its wake, which decreases the friction and makes the snow faster. This is a significant advantage, especially in falling snow. While very few – if any – skiers prefer to ski behind the snowmobile, it is sometimes necessary because the glide is so much better there. If used close to the finish, this tactic can determine the outcome of the race. Accordingly, the sprint for the track with the best glide often starts several kilometers before the finish line.

There were a lot of lane changes toward the end of Årefjellsloppet this spring because the racers were trying to figure out which part of the course had the best glide, which can be both in or out of the actual tracks.

Visma Ski Classics starts this weekend with the Pro Team Tempo and Individual Prologue in Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden. See the start lists here