The ski jumpers will be the first to start out in the new season on 17/18 November, led by overall World Cup winner Kamil Stoch (POL) in his home nation of Poland, or Wisla, to be more precise. The cross country skiers and Nordic combined athletes follow the weekend after at the traditional venue of Ruka (FIN), with the biathletes competing in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
At Christmas and the New Year we will be keeping our fingers crossed once again for the Fischer Race Family at the Four Hills Tournament with its familiar venues and the Tour de Ski, which will be stationed in Toblach (ITA), Val Mustair (SUI), Oberstdorf (GER) and Val di Fiemme (ITA) this year. The biathletes will likewise be in action at the beginning of January at the "ORA Trophy" (Oberhof, Ruhpolding, Antholz). At the end of January it will be the turn of the younger athletes at the Junior World Championships for the Nordic disciplines in Lahti (FIN) and for the biathletes in Orsblie (SLO).
This is, however, more or less a "warm-up program", because the absolute highlight will follow from 19 February to 3 March with the World Championships in Seefeld. The WSC on home ground will be something special for Fischer, too: among other things, the new 19l20 race ski line will be presented to more than 100 dealers from around the world while Klaebo, Kalla & co. are battling for medals. There will only be a brief respite as the next highlight will follow immediately after from 7 to 17 March in Östersund (SWE), when things get serious for Mäkäräinen, Bø & co. and the biathletes crown their World Champion in Sweden.
The World Cup winter will be rounded off in the middle and the end of March when the large crystal globes are awarded to the overall World Cup winners in Schonach (GER, Nordic combined), Quebec (CAN, cross country), Planica (SLO, men's ski jumping), Chaikovsky (RUS, women's ski jumping) and Oslo (NOR, biathlon). Will the Fischer Race Family's overall World Cup winners of the previous year, Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Johannes Høsflot Klaebo, Akito Watabe and Kamil Stoch, be able to add to their collection of trophies this season, too?
The final long-distance race for the cross country athletes will take place on 13 April with the 70km from Ylläs to Levi (FIN). A skating race will also be included in the Visma Ski Classics series for the first time this winter with the Engadin Skimarathon, and it will be interesting to see whether Britta Johansson Norgren (SWE) and Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR) will be able to defend their titles once again.
We can look forward to a winter with a whole host of exciting contests on our doorstep - let's keep our fingers crossed for the Fischer race Family athletes!
