“To partner up with the toughest and longest cross country race in the world felt natural for us”, says Jan Ekmark, Fischer Marketing Director. “Alongside such partnerships, we’re working with the world’s best athletes. Without their feedback, we wouldn’t be able to innovate the way we do. By highlighting this extraordinary event, we can further inspire our core community of passionate and dedicated skiers to keep moving the boundary of what they thought was possible. It’s absolutely the kind of challenge to let them thrive as athletes.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
In recent years, triple champion Andreas Nygaard has proven the best at dealing with distance while withstanding both adverse winds and harsh weather.
The 2018 edition was the most extreme to date. Temperatures were far below zero and fresh snow kept covering the tracks, so conditions were slow. When Nygaard eventually sprinted down his opponents two hours behind the estimated schedule, it was pitch-dark already. Further down the field, 121 starters had to give up the race.
“This is the toughest race I’ve ever done. It’s been brutally hard”, the Norwegian top long distance skier would say. On his feet? A pair of Fischer skis!
High ranking skis
The fact that the black and yellow skis have dominated the awards ceremonies in Jokkmokk has of course not gone unnoticed by race organizer Wolfgang Mehl: “In our latest race in 2019, five out of six podiums were won on Fischer skis,” he explains.
Mehl is not only the mastermind behind the modern revival of the race dating back to 1884, but - just as his newest partner – he’s also from Austria. “First of all, I’m of course very happy to welcome the world’s best ski manufacturer to our ultra race. That they happen to come from the same country as myself is - on a more personal note - obviously a sweet bonus”, he admits with a grin.
Join the Challenge on Strava
Now you get the chance to win one of five competition packages including a pair of Fischer Speedmax 3D skis - the first choice of champions with its unmistakable trademark yellow gliding sidewall - and a starting place for the race in 2022.
All you need to do is to prove that you have what it takes to complete 220 km on skis. In order to make things a bit easier for you, you don’t necessarily need to ski through untouched Arctic wilderness, and instead of the regular 30 hours time limit, you have 30 days from March 5th to April 3rd to accomplish this feat.
Are you up for it? Then sign up for the challenge, join the Red Bull Sverige Club and wax your skis. Heja!
Photos © Red Bull Content Pool
