Youth Favorites Women 

The Youth competition on the women’s side is quite open this winter. Ida Dahl, the winner from last season, has moved on to the senior class (over 26) and has set her sights on the Yellow Bib there. The same applies to Julia Angelsiöö who finished second in this category. But it doesn’t mean the fight won’t be fierce among the young skiers in this category.

Ida Palmberg from Team Ramudden, Tereza Hujerová from Team Robinson Trentino, and Karolina Hedenström from Lager 157 Ski Team are the three biggest favorites in the battle for the pink jersey. They respectively finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th in the Youth competition last season.

Ida was a solid top-20 skier with some results close to the top 10. At Pustertaler Ski Marathon, she managed to reach the 10th position. Tereza’s best races were La Diagonela, 22nd; Jizerská Padesátka, 20th; Tartu Maraton, 21st, and Årefjällsloppet, 18th. Karolina had the best results of these three, but she only completed four Pro Tour stages. Vasaloppet’s 16th place was her worst result, and Årefjällsloppet’s 8th place was her best. The season finale Ylläs-Levi was also a good race for her as she finished 9th there.

These three skiers are very even performers, and it is difficult to predict the possible winner in the Youth competition. A very open class, development is high each season, and a lot can happen during summer, but in general, Palmberg and Hedenström will have a slight upper hand here. 

It is also worth mentioning that some surprises can occur in this category. If some young world-class standard distance skiers, such as national team members, decide to participate in selected Pro Tour stages and manage to be on the podium or close by, they can get enough points to take home the Youth bib after the season. One such name could be Moa Lundgren.

Youth Bib Favorites Women – Ski Classics Season XIV

Ida Palmberg

• Nationality: Sweden
• Date of Birth: 06.02.1999
• Pro Team: Team Ramudden
• Likelihood to win: 4 out of 5

Karolina Hedenström

• Nationality: Sweden
• Date of Birth: 03.11.2000
• Pro Team: Lager 157 Ski Team
• Likelihood to win: 4 out of 5

Tereza Hujerová

• Nationality: Czech Republic
• Date of Birth: 22.05.1998
• Pro Team: Team Robinson Trentino
• Likelihood to win: 3 out of 5

Moa Lundgren

• Nationality: Sweden
• Date of Birth: 14.04.1998
• Pro Team: Exsitec Ski Team
• Likelihood to win: Dark horse

Youth Favorites Men 

For some years now, the youth invasion has taken place in Ski Classics. Many young skiers, such as Max Novak, Johannes Eklöf, and Herman Paus, have been on the podium or among the top finishers, even winning some stages. The last season’s Youth winner Max Novak is now too old to compete in this competition. However, the fight in this category will again be extremely severe, and many great names are ready to show what they are made of.

The three biggest favorites to win the male Youth competition are Herman Paus, Team Ramudden, Axel Jutterström, Team Eksjöhus, Amund Riege, Team Ramudden, and last season, they finished second, third, and fourth in this particular order. There are a couple of worthy contenders as well, and most likely, Petter Stakston, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Thomas Joly, Team Nordic Expérience, are two names who can seriously shuffle the deck in this competition.

Herman had a fantastic season last winter with his six top-10 finishes, of which Vasaloppet’s 6th and Ylläs-Levi’s 4th places are true testaments of his capacity. Axel had seven top-20 places and even a podium one, as he was third at Vasaloppet. Amund was also successful and finished in the top 40 in every race he took part in. His best results came from Jizerská50, Vasaloppet, Birkebeinerrennet, and Reistadløpet, where he finished 13th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, respectively. He also finished second at Alliansloppet this summer.

Of the two contenders mentioned here, Petter showed that he could be a force to be reckoned with as he won the 90-kilometer rollerski race in Sweden, Klarälvsloppet. Last winter, he focused more on standard distances and participated in many Scandinavian Cup races. He finished three Pro Tour stages with the following results: Birkebeinerrennet 83rd, Reistadløpet 16th, and Ylläs-Levi 18th.

Thomas is also a strong skier and got four top-20 places last winter. Birkebeinerrennet was his greatest race, and he only let seven skiers finish before him. He also performed well on rollerskis this summer, and his third place at Alliansloppet is great proof of that.

As we can see, based on last year’s results, any one of these skiers can be number one in the Youth class. Young skiers tend to develop fast and raise the bar if their summer training has proceeded well. This could easily happen this season as well. Selecting one name is always challenging, but Herman Paus is the one that yours truly will pick as your biggest favorite.

There is also a dark horse in the Youth competition, Alvar Mylback, Lager 157 Ski Team, born in 2006. He is a super-talented junior skier from Sweden with a serious ambition to be one of the best in the future. This season may be too early for him, but we should keep an eye on him and expect him to do great things in the years to come.

Youth Bib Favorites Men – Ski Classics Season XIV

Herman Paus

• Nationality: Norway
• Date of Birth: 21.08.2000
• Pro Team: Team Ramudden
• Likelihood to win: 5 out of 5

Axel Jutterström

• Nationality: Sweden
• Date of Birth: 14.11.1998
• Pro Team: Team Eksjöhus
• Likelihood to win: 3 out of 5

Amund Riege 

• Nationality: Norway 
• Date of Birth: 21.10.2000
• Pro Team: Team Ramudden
• Likelihood to win: 3 out of 5

Thomas Joly 

• Nationality: France
• Date of Birth: 26.08.1998
• Pro Team: Team Nordic Expérience
• Likelihood to win: 3 out of 5

Petter Stakston

• Nationality: Norway
• Date of Birth: 11.03.1997
• Pro Team: Team Aker Dæhlie
• Likelihood to win: 2 out of 5

Alvar Myhlback

• Nationality: Sweden
• Date of Birth: 22.03.2006
• Pro Team: Lager 157 Ski Team
• Likelihood to win: Dark horse

Written by Expert Commentator Teemu Virtanen.

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