Austria prepares to welcome Pro Teams and their athletes once again as the Ski Classics Season XVI kicks off in Bad Gastein. The season opener weekend starts with the Bad Gastein flat ITT.
On Saturday, December 14, Season XVI will burst into action with the ITT in Bad Gastein, Austria, covering a distance of 7 kilometers on a flat course. This new event format will open up the standings in an interesting way.
The flat ITT is a new race format for Season XVI and is organized as a new 200-point ITT. Athletes will start with a 20-60-second gap, depending on the seeding group.
“The opening event Bad Gastein ITT will be a thrilling start to Season XVI, where athletes hit the ground running. Sportgastein’s stunning views and a flat ITT race will give a new category of athletes the favorite burden compared to a climb ITT. This is our first flat ITT, which we believe is a good combination on a Tour in combination with climb ITTs. We cannot wait to start!” says Ski Classics Event Director Theresa Fugger.
Bad Gastein ITT – Ski Classics Pro Tour – Event 1
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024
Place: Sportgastein, Austria
Distance: 7km Classic
Start Time: 8:20 – 12:30 CET
SC Play: Bad Gastein ITT
More information about the Bad Gastein ITT can be found HERE
As last season, a Ski Classics Challengers event for professional and recreational skiers is also available. On Saturday afternoon, December 14, it’s time for the Raiffeisen Gastein Classics, a 30-kilometer-long mass-start race in classic technique. A shorter 15-kilometer is also available for the competitors.
Online registrations for the Challengers event open on June 10, 2024.
Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein embodies a captivating blend of contrasts and extremes, where tradition meets modernity, untouched natural beauty converges with urban dynamism, and art and culture flourish. One striking feature is the village center’s magnificent Belle Époque-style buildings, complemented by a waterfall. This unique combination has earned Bad Gastein the title of “Monte Carlo of the Alps.”
However, this southernmost town in the Gastein Valley offers much more than meets the eye. With majestic peaks soaring above 3000 meters and its proximity to the Hohe Tauern National Park, it emerges as a veritable paradise for nature enthusiasts and sports fans.
Situated at an altitude of 1600 meters, Sportgastein stands out as a winter wonderland with guaranteed snow from mid-November until the end of April, thanks to its strategic location. Here, long-distance and traditional cross-country skiers can revel in a network of perfectly groomed tracks, both for classic and skating techniques, and can appreciate the winter landscape, encompassed by the magnificent Hohe Tauern National Park.
Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVI (2024/2025)
- Event 0: December 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Pro Team Presentation XVI – Bad Gastein, Austria
- Event 1: December 14, 2024 – Bad Gastein ITT – Sportgastein, Austria, 7km
- Event 2: Release May 27, 18:30 CET
- Event 3: Release May 28, 12:00 CET
- Event 4: Release May 28, 18:30 CET
- Event 5: Release May 29, 12:00 CET
- Event 6: Release May 30, 12:00 CET
- Event 7: Release May 31, 12:00 CET
- Event 8: Release June 1, 12:00 CET
- Event 9: Release June 1, 18:30 CET
- Event 10: Release June 2, 12:00 CET
- Event 11: Release June 3, 12:00 CET
- Event 12: Release June 4, 12:00 CET
- Event 13: Release June 5, 12:00 CET
- Event 14: Release June 5, 18:30 CET
- Full Calendar Release: June 6, 12:00 CET
The Season XVI of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. The season starts on December 13, 2024, and ends on March 30, 2025, at (to be revealed)…
For more updates and detailed information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour, make sure to visit skiclassics.com.
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Photo: Reichert/NordicFocus
