December 22, 2015 – In just 10 days the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear gets under way already for the 10th time. On January 1, 2016 the sprint prologue will mark the start of eight days of competitions, at four venues in three countries. At the end, on January 10, we will know who are the king and queen of the Tour de Ski for 2016.

With mild weather across Europe all organizing committees are working hard to ensure the best conditions for this season’s highlight event.

Lenzerheide, SUI
Things are looking very good in Lenzerheide. The three-day competition program starts with a sprint free, mass start classic and free technique pursuit. For one week now the crew at Lenzerheide has been working hard to have everything ready for the first Tour de Ski stages at the Cross-Country arena in Lantsch / Lenz. The tribunes and all other temporary buildings are ready. Now the focus for the organizers is on the preparation of the tracks.

“The stadium, sprint track and a 3.3 kilometer loop are already in perfect condition,” confirmed Hannes Parpan, LOC president. “In the upcoming days, we are going to extend the loop even further,” he confirmed. The competition program in Lenzerheide will go as planned.

Oberstdorf, GER
The LOC Oberstdorf has been fighting hard with the lack of snow and very mild temperatures. Currently, these factors have made snow production not possible. “We are working full speed; the preparations are in very good progress. But we are missing cold temperatures and snow. However, we are optimistic and highly motivated,” explained Stefan Huber, head of the LOC.

The snow report with an updated weather forecast is expected on Wednesday, 23rd December. FIS, LOC Oberstdorf and DSV are going to evaluate the situation and decide on the next steps. Competition programme for Oberstdorf will be confirmed the following days.

Toblach, ITA
Toblach in Italy hosted successful FIS Cross-Country World Cup competitions on final weekend before Christmas. A well prepared 5 km loop and stadium is ready for the interval start in free technique to take place here on 8th January.

Val di Fiemme, ITA
The hosts of the final Tour de Ski stages have reported that they are ready. The 2.5 km course to be used for mass start classic completions is almost completed. The stadium in Lago di Tesero is covered with snow and the connection from Lago di Tesero to Alpe Cermis, which runs on the Marcialonga track is finished. In just 20 days from now the new King and Queen of the 10th edition of the FIS Tour de Ski will crowned atop Alpe Cermis.

2015-16 Tour de Ski © FIS

INTERESTING TOUR DE SKI FACTS

10 years of history, 10 years of great performances, moments, victories and defeats. Here is a top 10 facts you might did not know about the Tour de Ski.

Athletes

479 athletes have taken part in the FIS Tour de Ski. 97 of them have managed to make it to the podium. Norway has been dominant in the Tour de Ski. Norwegian men have recorded 22 stage wins, women scored one more. Petter Northug Jr. himself have won 13 stages, Justyna Kowalczyk managed to be first in a stunning 14 Tour de Ski stages.

Youngest winners

Dario Cologna and Charlotte Kalla are the youngest winners of the overall Tour de Ski standing. Dario Cologna was 22 years and 299 days old to win in 2008. Charlotte Kalla was only 20 years and 168 days old when she won in 2008. The youngest athletes ever to finish the Tour de Ski are Andrey Parfenov (RUS) and Lisa Larsen (SWE). Parfenov was 20 years and 20 days in 2008 and Larsen 19 years and 16 days in 2010.

Only a few did it all

There are only a few athletes that participated in all the Tours and only two skiers, to finish them all. Petter Northug Jr. of Norway and Italy’s Giorgio Di Centa have finished all Tour de Ski editions so far.Di Centa, Northug, Kershaw and Gaillard on the men’s side started in all the Tours. Only Aino Kaisa Saarinen and Stefanie Böhler did the same on the women’s side.

No stage victory but overall Tour de Ski win

It might seem unlikely but it is possible to win the overall FIS Tour de Ski without winning a single Tour de Ski stage. Tobias Angerer won the first edition of the Tour de Ski, Alexander Legkov was the first Russian skier to win the Tour in 2013 but they did not win a single stage. Martin Johnsrud Sundby defended the Tour de Ski victory in 2015 also without winning a single Tour de Ski stage. On the other hand, Petter Northug and Axel Teichmann won most Tour de Ski stages in one edition, won three Tour de Ski stages in 2010 resp. 2009, more than anybody else and still finished in 2nd place and 3rd place.

START TIMES AND SCHEDULE

More than 70 million spectators watched the FIS Tour de Ski last winter. If you cannot cheer for your favorites on site, here is an overview of the start times. Please note that the start times are subject to change. Find the schedule here.