Cross-country skiing on Isaberg

Swedish national Cross-Country Ski Team member Maria Rydqvist grew up in Smålandsstenar, 35 kilometers south of Hestra. There, she began training and competing in cross-country skiing when she was only seven years old. In her early teens she began commuting to Isaberg to train on tougher terrain. On Isaberg there are approximately 20 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails. “In the winter I would do tempo training on the hilly terrain at Isaberg. In the summer, I went roller skiing or Nordic Walking up the ski slope.”

Last winter was Maria’s best yet, with sixth place in the 15 km event at the World Championships in Oslo. Before that, she had taken three podiums with the relay team in the World Cup, and came in eighth place in the grueling Tour de Ski in the Italian Val di Fiemme. In addition, in the summer of 2010 she became a mother for the first time.

“Becoming a mother gave me a great motivation. It was a big challenge to train hard and be a mother at the same time”, says Maria. Hestra collaborates with the Swedish National Ski Team. Over the years, Maria has tested many pairs of cross-country ski gloves. Nowadays she lives in the region of Sweden called, Dalarna, which is known for its extreme cold.

“You don’t even feel really good gloves. They keep the cold out while providing direct contact with your poles”, says Maria.