October 12, 2014 – With around 50 days until the start of the 2014/15 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season, national teams around the world are working full speed on preparing for the upcoming season. The month of October usually means high altitude camps. Here is an overview of what various teams have been up to.

Dario Cologna (l) and Jona Baumann running up Rinerhorn © Swiss XC

U.S. Ski Team in Park City
Kikkan Randall and the rest of the U.S. Ski team are headed to Park City for a training camp through October 19. The team then moves to Canmore for the Frozen Thunder from October 20-28. Their pre-World Cup camp will take place in Muonio (FIN) in November before the FIS Cross-Country World opener in Ruka (FIN).

Canada
Team Canada’s coaching staff was restructured in the spring. Norway’s Tor Arne Hetland joined the men’s World Cup team, which mainly trained in the USA and Canada. Devon Kershaw and Co. will join the U.S. team in Park City for altitude and dryland training and will return to home soil to Canmore for Frozen Thunder. Then the whole team moves to Europe on Novemeber 17 and will train in Gällivare (SWE) in preparation for the World Cup season.

Germany
At the end of September German skiers met in Oberhof for their general performance tests. For many, it was an important milestone on their way to win the nomination for the first World Cup period and the first chance to meet the whole team. After a few days at home, the complete German A team will travel to Ramsau and Val Senales.

Norway
Norwegian skiers had a busy training season with camps in Norway, Sweden and Italy. They started the preparation for the next winter in Sognfjell in June followed with camps of the men’s team in Oslo and Trondheim. In the summer, the all-rounder teams gathered in Seiser Alm and Livigno, Italy for high altitude training. Two weeks ago the ladies’ team travelled to Kvitfjell (NOR) and the men were off to Frisil (NOR). Before heading to high altitude in Val Senales, Italy the team is going to train in Meråker. The final phase of the preparation for the new season will take place in Beitostølen before the national season opening.

Sweden
In September, the Swedish teams were in training camps in central Europe. The men’s squad trained in Toblach whereas the ladies were in Ramsau. On October 13 the training program continued in Val Senales and Livigno. The team will stay in Italy until October 28 and will head home for the first snow training in Bruksvallarna from November 10-20.

Swiss
Dario Cologna and Co. underwent annual capacity tests over the last two weeks in Magglingen – VO2 max, lactate profile, and speed tests. After a week at home the Swiss team is headed to Ramsau on October 19 for a 10-day training camp.

Ramsau am Dachstein is the place to be these days also for other teams as cross-country teams from France and Czech Republic are conducting there their high altitude training there.