Stian Hoelgaard from Norway is one of the most successful Pro Team athletes with his 12 podium places and five consecutive Vasaloppet podiums from 2016 to 2020. He transferred from Team Koteng to Team Curira, a Swedish Pro Team, and he has now joined his team for an early season ski camp in Kiruna, Sweden. Tomorrow’s Orsa2Levi, hosted by Teemu Virtanen, has a chat with this talented skier who talks about his ski career, training, his new and old teams, his future plans, his current hometown Oslo, and the importance of fatherhood.
“It feels good to be in this new team. I like Sweden and Swedish people. I think the language barrier is more difficult the other way around. I can see the other guys in the team looking like question marks when I’m speaking. This spring was a bit uncertain in terms of what would happen to Team Koteng, and I started to check around to see other options. Then, I got an offer from Team Curira, and it was tempting to try something new,” Stian reveals on tomorrow’s podcast.
Last season was not what Stian had expected, but his second place at Årefjällsloppet, the 100 km season finale, proved that he is still a podium skier when everything clicks.
“Årefjällsloppet saved my season a bit, although I managed to be close to the top in some races in January. I just didn’t have a dream race last season where everything could have worked perfectly. I just wasn’t good enough last winter. I had good skies and felt fine, but the margins are very small on top, and I need to be at my best to be on the podium. The results speak for themselves, and that was my level last season.”
Stian is also a proud father of a two-year-old daughter, and he is a devoted Christian.
“Skiing is something that I love, but it doesn’t really compare to my valuable things in life like my family, my friends and my faith. My daughter is two, which is a great age but also a stressful one. She gives and takes energy, and maybe in the end I’ll end up having zero energy. I didn’t know what to expect before I became a father, and it has changed my life completely. I really enjoy it, and it’s great to see that new things happen every week as she grows up.”
Tomorrow, you will have a great chance to learn more about this outspoken and friendly skier who has a positive outlook on life and the world around him. Orsa2Levi is available on every podcast platform and on the Visma Ski Classics website.
