The partnership between cross-country skier Niilo Moilanen, 25, and WelCo Oy, a builder and developer of wellbeing facilities, continues into the coming season. The duo already has three years of shared journey behind them, and the fourth season now beginning will culminate in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, from 24 February to 7 March 2027. We called Niilo in the middle of a high-altitude training camp. He answered from Livigno.
“We’re currently here in Livigno at an altitude of about 1,800 metres. Last night the first snow fell here too. We came to Livigno first for a week with a smaller group, and now the other Finnish national team skiers have joined us as well. We’re training at altitude and on dry land for three weeks, so this is still a fairly intensive training block before the racing season begins,” Moilanen says.
Niilo and the other skiers train six days a week. On average, the days are structured so that the first training session is in the morning, followed by lunch and rest, and then a second session in the evening. The training volume is high, and it is also meant to be varied. When training at altitude, the skiers spend the first week adapting to the conditions and start training at a more relaxed pace.
“You can feel the difference up here. There’s less oxygen available, your heart rate is higher all the time, and recovery is slower. Now that we’re already in the second week, I’m starting to get used to it better,” Moilanen continues.
The skiers will return to Finland at the beginning of November. There won’t be much rest in Finland either, as a training camp and race in Olos follow soon after. From there, the journey continues to Ruka, where the Finnish Cup is skied first, followed by the World Cup. The group of skiers is larger in domestic competitions, but as a rule, the World Cup has room for 6 skiers per country in both the women’s and men’s events.
“The World Championships in the spring are my main goal, but I want to have a solid and consistent season. Sprint distances are still my main events, and I need to be able to perform in both styles. When we get back to Finland from here, I need to feel good and full of energy right away. Everything feels really good now, and I’m very much looking forward to the races this coming season,” Moilanen concludes.
WelCo Oy wishes Niilo and the other Finnish skiers every success this season!