“The hands must keep on going”

For elite Vasaloppet racers, the real competition usually begins at Oxberg, after about three hours of skiing. The field of racers spread out on the difficult slopes, with some skiers pulling away or falling behind. “It is pretty much a fox hunt and requires being incredibly concentrated from this point onwards. All pieces of the puzzle must be in place in order to come in first,” says Daniel Tynell, who won the Vasaloppet for the third time in 2009. “Equipment is one piece of the puzzle that must be perfect,” he continues. Even little details can become a major nuisance, which allows a skier to lose focus and make wrong decisions.

A second skin for the hands

The best glove I can have is one that I don’t think about at all. It shouldn’t even feel like you have it on. My thoughts should just revolve around skiing and the competition,” says Daniel. As a professional cross-country racer, Daniel’s summers and autumns are spent training, with winter and spring devoted to competitions all across Europe. “It is only inevitable that I will get blisters on my hands. It is something you can learn to deal with, but it is important to minimize them and everything else that can interfere“.

It is also important to be careful when trying new models in terms of materials, fit and details. All hands are different. “Personally, my hands are warm and I prefer tight gloves that feel almost like a second skin.”