This Norwegian Pro Team consists of skiers from Norway and Sweden. Team Aker Daehlie secured the 6th position in the Pro Team ranking during Season XV and now looks forward to the upcoming winter season.
Team Aker Daehlie has seven Pro Team athletes, three women and four men, ready to fight for points, podium places, and being one of the best Pro Teams overall in the upcoming winter. For Season XVI, the squad counts on its experienced roster of six athletes from Norway and one from Sweden: Astrid Oyre Slind (1988), Silje Oyre Slind (1988), Guro Jordheim (1996), Stian Hoelgaard (1991), Petter Stakston (1997), Max Novak (1996), and Magnus Vesterheim (1994).
This Pro Team is powerful, and many Ski Classics fans expected them to be even higher up in the ranking. That could easily happen this season as the athletes are capable of winning and getting podium places.
Astrid Oyre Slind is one the best skiers in the World, both in traditional distances and Ski Classics. She has successfully raced at the World Championships and the FIS World Cup. In Ski Classics, she has become a Legend with her 15 event wins.
Her sister Silje performed exceptionally well on the Pro Tour last season by taking home a podium place at Gronklitt ITT (3rd) and being fourth in four different races. She was also second at Vasaloppet in 2023.
Guro Jordheim has not been as successful as her famous teammates, but she has been in the top-15 club seven times and once in the top-10, at Gronklitt Classic.
The four male skiers in the squad are all top skiers. Stian Hoelgaard has yet to win a Pro Tour race, but he has been on the podium countless times, including five times in a row at Vasaloppet (2016-2020). He has had one of the longest careers in Ski Classics and continues to be a force to be reckoned with.
Max Novak possesses the stamina and skills to be a winner, but so far, he has succeeded in being victorious only once. However, he has been on the podium 10 times during his career and is naturally seeking to win again this winter.
Petter Stakston can also be a podium skier, and that is his goal this season. Last winter, he was fifth in two races and eighth in one. He will certainly aim to find more stability and secure his place among the top skiers in every race.
Magnus Vesterheim is another team member who craves a podium place. He has been close to it many times, with a fourth place and 14 top-10 finishes. This season could be the one when he finally reaches the much-coveted podium.
"Team Aker Daehlie is the first private team competing at the highest level, including athletes from Ski Classics, FIS/all-around, Paralympic xc-skiing, and younger age groups," says Pro Team Director Chris Jespersen.
