At the 2026 winter olympics in lago di tesero, italy, norwegian equipment testers are logging far more miles on cross-country skis than the competing athletes. Retired racers mats iversen and pål trøan aune test waxes and grinds by skiing dozens of laps daily on a small track. Their work ensures norway's skis perform optimally, contributing to successes like johannes hosflot klaebo's gold medals.
In the lead-up to norway's johannes hosflot klaebo securing his fourth straight gold in cross-country skiing, two figures in norwegian team suits skied loop after loop on a tiny test track near the race trails in lago di tesero, italy. These were not klaebo or other athletes, but retired ski racers mats iversen and pål trøan aune, hired to test combinations of skis, waxes, and stone grinds for the norwegian team.
Iversen skied more than 15 miles on one day, reaching 44 miles on another, and over 200 miles in his first week, tracked via the strava app. Klaebo, whose wednesday race covered just over six kilometers or 3.5 miles, noted at a news conference that iversen skis 'way more' than the athletes. 'They’re amazing, and they are doing an amazing job to help us have the best possible skis,' klaebo said. 'None of us would be able to sit here if it wasn’t for them.'
The testers operate from a customized truck housing hundreds of ski pairs and workstations. They perform 'paired glideouts' on a small hill, comparing speeds of matched skis to isolate the effects of waxes and grinds, structured like a single-elimination tournament with results sent via whatsapp or gps watches. Norway's investment allows this specialization, unlike other teams where staff multitask.
The u.s. team uses a $750,000 truck named yolanda, with coaches sometimes testing waxes. U.s. coach matt whitcomb said norway prepares two or three times more skis for testing. Canada's team employs italian ski pilots thea schwingshakl and sara hutter, who ski up to 15 miles daily and noted getting 'a bit dizzy' from the loops.
Equipment issues can impact races, as american johnny hagenbuch suggested after the men's relay, where he lost ground on downhills despite starting strong. 'There was nothing i could do,' he said. Iversen and aune, friends with racing experience, contribute to norway's broader snow sports efforts, including nordic combined and biathlon. Iversen's brother emil won gold in the men's relay. The testers' repetitive work, up to 200 laps a day, is demanding but vital, as boss tord hegdahl described it as 'simple and boring' yet essential for ski feel.
