December 08, 2011 (Canada) – Canada’s national ski team athletes are making a splash on the World Cup scene in more ways than one this season. Not only are they grabbing attention in the results lists, they are also turning heads sporting new race couture designed and supplied by One Way and driving around in souped up team vans. The big reveal is yet to come, however, when the team unveils the team bus for the 2012 Tour de Ski, which was first introduced last year.

Cross Country Canada’s four-year deal with Finnish nordic equipment company, One Way, to supply the NST’s racing kit for the 2011-12 season, was announced with some fanfare last April. One Way, which also supplies racing suits to the French and Slovenian national teams, is known for its distinctive designs and colour schemes.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with One Way in order to provide access to some of the most critical resources our athletes require for optimal training and successful performances,” said Davin MacIntosh, executive director, Cross Country Canada, during the announcement last spring. “Our preparation will be enhanced with One Way on our team, and we firmly believe this partnership gives our athletes another opportunity to compete at the highest level at all times.”

Andreas Bennert, CEO of One Way Sport OY Finland also said at the time that: “The Canadian National Ski Team is one of today’s youngest and most exciting teams in the world. They have developed, in terms of performance, immensely over the last few years. Their strong team spirit is also an important part of being a vibrant and modern cross-country ski team.”

The NST’s new One Way racing suits for 2011-12 were finally showcased in mid-November, when the athletes competing in a FIS race in Bruskvallarna, Sweden, wore them for the first time in competition. While somewhat conservative in style, in comparison to the suits One Way designed for the French national team, for example, the new Canadian racing suits feature a bright red and white colour scheme with large white maple leafs emblazoned on the shoulders and thighs, making them relatively easy to pick out on the trails. There will certainly be no mistaking them for the Americans or the Swiss (whose black suits look almost identical). This week the Senior World Cup team was seen sporting new warm-up jackets in Davos, with the women wearing white with bright pink accents.

When not strutting their stuff in their new One Way swag, the Canadian team will be riding in style in their tricked out team vans, which have received a major cosmetic facelift. “In Europe we have 2 vans, one is a cargo van which carries all our skis and gear, and the other is part cargo and part passenger,” Head Coach, Justin Wadsworth, told SkiTrax. The Canadian team now rolls into World Cup venues in a van sporting a larger than life decal of Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey’s now-iconic air-guitar rock star pose following their gold medal win in the team sprint at the World Ski Championships in Oslo last year.

According to Wadsworth, the team leases the vans from their ski technicians, because there are barriers to vehicle ownership and long term rentals in Europe.  “The cargo van is owned by Micke Book (one of our service men), and we lease it from him, and the other is owned by Yves Bilodeau and we lease it from him as well. It’s tough to own vehicles in Europe as you need to have certain requirements, so it works well with our system.”

Wadsworth also acknowledged the vehicle support the team receives back in Canada from sponsors: “In Canada we have had our vehicles and trailers donated by Canadian Pacific and Alta Gas. We have the largest Mercedes Sprinter Van that carries the team and gear with ease, as well as a trailer – both were part of our sponsorship with CP. Alta Gas has given us two pickups and an SUV for use in Canada also, which has been great.”

The big reveal fans are waiting for, however, is this year’s version of the team’s rock star bus for the 2012 Tour de Ski. Last year Team Canada unveiled its so-called “Magic Bus,” a fully tricked out bus similar to those used by professional cycling teams, complete with sleeping quarters, kitchen, 2 lounges, and flat screen TVs. Rented through the German firm MZES, the Team Canada bus was designed to ease the strain of Tour de Ski logistics on athletes, such as traveling to and from the race sites, and to maximize the athletes’ recovering time between races.

Wadsworth says that the new team bus will be rolled out at the end of this month: “We’ll have new logo’s on the bus, which will be seen for the first time the day before the Tour starts,” he told SkiTrax.  “The same company in Germany, MZES, is supplying the bus, which they have upgraded for us at no cost. The bus this year is payed for generously by B2Ten, which has supported both our athletes and our team really well over the last couple years.”

Team Canada was the first team to utilize such team bus, and, given the success of Kershaw and Harvey in last year’s tour, it will be interesting to see how many copycat buses are rolled out by other teams use this year.

The video below is courtesy of FIS Cross Country and features a tour of last year’s team bus with Head Coach, Justin Wadsworth, at the start of the 2011 Tour de Ski.

Nordic equipment manufacturers are hoping on board the trend as well. One Way recently unveiled a new truck that travels to World Cup races and features an on-board product showroom and mobile service crew.