December 22, 2011 – The sixth edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear will kick off in just seven days, on December 29, 2011. For the first time, the event will be carried out over 11 days, with nine races at four venues in two countries, and this year it will be the true season highlight since there are no championship of Olympic events on the program.

The kick-off will be in Oberhof (GER) on the 29th-30th of December, with a prologue in free technique and a handicap start race over 10 km (ladies) and 15 km (men) in classical technique. The Tour will then continue on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with a classical sprint and a short pursuit race (ladies 5km + 5 km, men 10km + 10km) in Oberstdorf (GER), site of the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

After four intensive competition days the athletes will have a well-deserved rest day on January 2nd, when athletes will travel from Oberstdorf to Italy. In Toblach, the racers will take on three races in a row for the first time. On Tuesday, January 3rd, they will race a short interval start race over 3km (ladies) and 5 km (men). A free technique sprint follows on January 4th, before the racers tackle the challenge of the special point-to-point stage from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Toblach for the third time. The male athletes will be racing in a free technique handicap start over 35 km. Based on the experiences from past years, the ladies will start in the stadium of Toblach and make three 5 km loops.

After the second rest day, the Tour will conclude in Val di Fiemme, the host of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013. January 7th  will see a mass start race over 10 km (ladies) and 20 km (men) in classical technique. The final stage on January 8th will again start in the cross-country stadium at the Lago di Tesero and end on Alpe Cermis, with the final climb stretching over 3.7 km and a climb of 425m. Both genders will race the same course, 9 km in free technique.

The snow conditions are promising everywhere. All venues have received snowfall in the past days or were able to produce snow. The sixth edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear can start: We are ready – do join us on the Tour 2011/2012!

Starting times & program

For an overview of the FIS Tour de Ski plus starting times and the complete programe click HERE.

Tour de Ski rankings 2010/2011:

Overall Results ladies

1. Justyna Kowalczyk, POL

2. Therese Johaug, NOR

3. Marianna Longa, ITA (retired)

Overall Results men

1. Dario Cologna, SUI

2. Petter Northug, NOR

3. Lukas Bauer (CZE)