July 14, 2011 – With the masses heading to the beach, cross-country skiers are busy getting ready for the new season. When they want to spend some training hours on skis in summer they basically have two options – ski on a glacier or use an indoor skiing facility.

Indoor Cross-Country Skiing Facilities
TheDNA Ski Tunnel in Vuokatti/Sotkamo (FIN) that opened in the spring of 1998 was the first Cross-Country tunnel in the world. The inside air and snow temperatures are normally between -5 and -9 °C, but can be dropped to -18 °C if needed. Skiers from all over the world train there. The tunnel is 1.2 km long and includes curves and climbs. When there is snow outside there is a connection from the tunnel to the outdoor tracks and biathlon stadium. The first-snow track outdoors opens every year on 10th October. But there are varous indoor training facilities in Finland including ski tunnels e.g. in Helsinki, Paimio or Jämijärvi.

In June 2006 the first ski tunnel was opened in Torsby, Sweden. The tunnel follows the natural topography of the land, so the 1,3 km long skiing track provides skiers with a varied route, including a total climb of 25m. The arena has also an indoor biathlon arena. The shooting range has 6 individual ranges. The Swedish Cross-Country national team frequently uses the Torsby ski tunnel.

Since 2009, Central Europeans have the possibility to use a ski tunnel in Oberhof, Germany. The 14.5 million Euro project includes a 1.9 km long Cross-Country track with up- and downhills up to 12 % incline with a total climb of 25m. In June 2011, a new part of the tunnel was opened, which includes four shooting ranges for biathletes.

Glacier Skiing
Glaciers offer a second option where to ski on snow in summer. Many professional Cross-Country teams go to Ramsau, Austria. Dachstein, Styria’s highest mountain offers good skiing conditions all year round. In the altitude of 2,700m you can find up to 15km of tracks in summer.

In Italy Passo Stelvio is the main destination. Open from end of May until November Passo Stelvio is one of the biggest summer ski resorts in Europe. There are three loops prepared, which cover a total of 12 km. During the winter Passo Stelvio is closed due to snowfall, so the opening of the road marks the beginning of the summer skiing season in the area.