Photo: Bildbyrån
It is not easy to ski when there is no snow.
That’s what the Swedish cross-country team experienced during their training camp in Vålådalen. They are now shortening the camp due to lack of snow.
– Now the plus temperatures have taken too much of a toll on the snow and then we choose to change the setup a bit, says national team manager Anders Byström.
The Swedish ski stars who did not choose to join the high-altitude camp in Italy’s Val Senales have been in Jämtland’s Vålådalen for the past few days – but now they are forced to leave the facility.
Anders Byström explains the situation
The reason why the national team management chose to cancel the camp in the middle, even though it would actually last until Sunday 10 November, is simply because the weather conditions in Vålådalen are too bad. When they got there a couple of days ago, it was perfect snow and everyone was able to enjoy the nice weather. Now the situation has worsened and the snow is melting away.
– Together with coaches and rider representatives, we have made the decision to round off the camp after today’s interval session and move the remaining days to a later date in Bruksvallarna. Anyone who wants to can stay, but we also give the opportunity to go home and look for better snow conditions, says the national team manager Anders Byström in a press release.
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The upload for the new season – and above all the Sweden premiere in Bruksvallarna in two weeks – has thus been disrupted a little. The national team skaters who are affected are Ebba Andersson, Calle Halfvarsson, Edwin Anger, Johanna Hagström and Oskar Svensson.
– Vålådalen has done a brilliant job to create tracks under tough conditions. We’ve had a few good training days, but now the plus temperatures have taken too much of a toll on the snow and we’re choosing to change the setup a bit. Quality is important this period and we get that by making this change, says Byström.
Ebba Andersson shows off the tracks
Some Swedish skiers have posted videos on Instagram about how they ski on the half-melted tracks. For example, Ebba Andersson has posted an Insta clip where you can see her staking out a sun-warmed blanket of snow that is about to disappear.
“We came, we saw, we skied,” she writes under the clip.
Vålådalen track manager Latti Östlund is really disappointed about the weather chaos that is ruining the national team camp. He says to Expressen:
– Last Saturday we had two miles of perfect ski tracks. On Tuesday we had about four kilometers to go. It is very tough. It’s six, seven plus degrees around the clock. We have ensured that the dams can complete their tests. I have received signals that it is a priority.
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This is not good news for the Swedish national team skaters. Hope it doesn’t mess up their upload too much. The skiers who are in Val Senales seem to be having a good time anyway, not that there is much snow there either.
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