Commentary: It’s Time to Bury the Tour de Ski – This Year’s Event Was an Embarrassment for the Original Brand

When skiing competitions are held at two locations, the event has nothing to do with the term 'tour', writes Atte Husu.

The winner of the Tour de Ski, Johannes Kläbo, competing in the 20 km free technique interval start in Toblach. Photo: LEHTIKUVA / EMMI KORHONEN

Atte Husu, sports journalist

How far we've come since the turn of 2006–2007.

That is the first thought when I heard about this year's Tour de Ski.

Nineteen years ago, ski bosses promoted the debut tour as a ten-day effort shared by the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Nowadays, nearly nothing is left of the original brand.

When the Tour de Ski was first mentioned, it was referred to as the Tour de France of skiing. Tour de France, the iconic cycling race held since 1903, has a total of 21 stages in its latest version. In 20 of those, the finish line is in a different city than the starting point.

Shirts featuring a map of the tour's locations are highly sought after among skiing enthusiasts. Just by looking at the t-shirt, one can infer that the dotted line representing the competitive route between the tour locations corresponds to thousands of kilometers in reality. This year, the race accumulated a total of 3,498 kilometers.

This year's Tour de Ski would receive no mapping hit from the tour shirt. In this year's event, skiing took place four times in Toblach, from where teams traveled by car for 140 kilometers to Val di Fiemme, which hosted the last three stages.

Iivo Niskanen did not participate in the Tour de Ski at all. Perttu Hyvärinen also skipped it. Photo: Jean Christophe Bott / EPA

The change from the last couple of years is large, as just two years ago the Tour visited Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. Last season, Germany withdrew, and this year Switzerland followed suit.

Any skiing follower can thus confidently say that this year's Tour was anything but what the ski bosses once painted for the skiing community.

All that remains is the name, which was already an embarrassment for this year's event.

Second-Class Race

The problem with the Tour de Ski has always been its timing and value.

In years with major championships, many top skiers have entirely avoided the Tour or only completed a portion of it. The underlying reason has been to evade the high risk of illness associated with traveling under strenuous conditions.

Sticking to two locations did not bring significant changes to previous years concerning early withdrawals. Of the 64 women who started on the first stage in Toblach, only 31 climbed to the final ascent that concluded the tour, marking the third-lowest number in the tour's history.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has pushed the current model on the skiing community for almost 20 years without any signs of growth compared to the original level. Would it be time then to try something new, ski decision-makers?

Good Competitions

Despite this year's Tour de Ski being a mockery of the original creation, both the women’s and men’s competitions maintained noteworthy excitement until the very end.

For women, Therese Johaug decided the game only in the penultimate stage, while although men’s race Johannes Hösflot Kläbo dominated the overall race, fierce competition for podium spots ensued in the slopes of Alpe Cermis.

In the women's race, the differences behind the top contenders were significant. Victoria Carl was eighth in the final results, finishing over seven minutes behind Johaug. In the men’s race, 25 skiers finished within seven minutes. Photo: Grega Valancic/VOIGT/Getty Images

Especially in championship years, some elites have skimmed through the Tour or only skied part of it. This has been due to the desire to avoid travel that incurs considerable strain, increasing the risk of falling ill.

Continuing with just two locations this year didn’t significantly change the rate of early withdrawals compared to past years. 64 women started on the first stage in Toblach, and only 31 reached the summit at the end of the tour, the third fewest in the tour's history.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has been forcing the current format onto the skiing community for almost two decades now, with no signs of growth compared to its starting point. Isn’t it time, ski decision-makers, to try something new?