For the second year in a row, the long distance cross-country ski championship Ski Classics has added a new event to the schedule: Toblach/Dobbiaco Cortina.
With the new event Toblach/Dobbiaco Cortina, Ski Classics consists of ten events for the 2015/2016 season, and the Madshus Marathon team, which has dominated the Ski Classics circuit for years, is ready for the challenge. Here is a quick overview of what the season will bring.
Toblach/Dobbiaco Cortina takes place in the fantastic landscapes of the Italian Dolomite mountains on February 13, 2016, and the race will be organized for the 39th time. There are three events during the weekend of 13-14 of February. On Saturday the 13th, the Ski Classics race over 50km in classic technique goes from Toblach to Cortina, which is the Ski Classics calendar event. Then on Sunday February 14, the organizers offer a 30km skate race from Cortina back to Toblach. The real strong skiers ski both the events over 80km. The event is capped at 3,000 racers, and registration to Cortina Toblach opens on September 1, 2015.
The rest of the Ski Classics calendar is similar to last year.
The weekend of December 5-6 is the Ski Classics season opener, featuring the 15km Prologue on Dec 5 and the 35km classic race La Sgambeda on Sunday December 6, both in Livigno Italy. The Prologue is a Pro Team Tempo, open only to the Ski Classics Pro Teams. But the 35km classic race on Sunday, famous for its climb up to 2200masl at the turning point Grassi delli Agnelli, is open to both amateurs as well as the Pro Teams.
After the Livigno season opener, the Ski Classics moves to the Jizerska 50km in the Czech Republic on January 10, 2016. The classic race starts and finishes in the Czech countryside resort Bedrichov about one hour north of Prague.
Then the tour takes a two-week break before moving to St Moritz, Switzerland, for the 65km La Diagonela featuring stunning scenery of the Engadin valley on January 23.
The following weekend, the Ski Classics moves to Val di Fiemme, Italy, for the legendary Marcialonga: a 70km classic technique race that starts in Moena and finishes in Cavalese, on January 31.
The 50km König Ludwig Lauf in Germany is the 6th race in Ski Classics, taking place in the Bavarian town Oberammergau, on February 7.
Then the Ski Classics moves on to Toblach, Italy, on the weekend of February 13-14 for the new event Toblach/Dobbiaco Cortina. The new race is also the last race of the Central European portion of the Ski Classics, which takes a 4-week break before starting up with the final three races in Scandinavia.
Vasaloppet on March 6 is the 8th race in the Ski Classics. The legendary 90-kilometer classic race from Sälen to Mora in Sweden is also the oldest race in Ski Classics, and with long traditions dating back to 1923, Vasaloppet is also the most prestigious long-distance cross-country event.
After Vasaloppet, the Ski Classics moves to Norway for the 54km Birkebeinerrennet on March 19. The classic event traverses two mountains between the start in Rena and the finish in Lillehammer.
Årefjällsloppet in Åre, Sweden, is the Ski Classics final for the fourth year in a row. The 65km classic race caps the Ski Classics season on April 2.
All events in Ski Classics, aside from the Pro Team Prologue on December 5, are open to professional racers as well as amateur skiers, and all events will be broadcasted live on TV in dozens of countries.