Skirious problems

Victor Lovera almost quit skiing. Now he has an Olympic silver medal, a place in the French relay team, and a training base in Norway.

This week, Jimmy’s childhood friend and French Olympic medalist Victor Lovera joins Mika and Jimmy in Lillehammer to talk about the decision that changed his career. After finishing outside the top ten in the Olympic individual skate, Victor decided he needed something new. He moved to Norway, joined Jimmy’s training environment, and pushed his training volume further than ever before.

We start with the important things: Norwegian autumn weather, Jimmy’s worst session of the year, and Victor’s first proper experience of Lillehammer. Mika is enjoying unusually warm October weather in Ramsau, Jimmy is preparing for minus twelve, and Victor is learning that Norway can be beautiful, brutal and occasionally both at the same time.

Then we get into Victor’s ambitious training week: around 138 hours, 45 kilometres of running, skating sessions, and a plan that worked brilliantly—until a cold, a fall and a sprained ankle arrived. Victor explains why he would do it again, what he learned about recovery, and why he is willing to take risks while chasing the next Olympics.

Mika and Victor also debate the difference between making a change and taking a stupid risk. Is a huge volume week smart preparation, motivation or just unnecessary suffering? Victor argues that change was necessary to move beyond a top-20 level; Mika argues that risk should not be confused with bad planning.

We also discuss the French team’s altitude setup, including time in Tignes and sleeping at around 3,000 metres in the Alps. Victor explains why altitude has become a bigger part of France’s preparation and how the team balances it with training and recovery.

Then we get into the Olympic relay. Victor takes us through the stress of watching his teammates race, starting against Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, being terrified of falling on the downhill, and finally carrying the French flag across the line for silver. He also explains why the French team celebrated properly afterwards—and why he thinks that mattered.

Other topics include:

• The Swedish federation’s attempt to prevent neutral Russian athletes from competing at the World Championships in Falun.

• Whether national federations should be able to interfere with FIS and CAS decisions.

• Rumors around Alexander Bolshunov’s possible return and neutral status.

• Why Victor’s results can swing from Continental Cup struggles to a seventh place at the World Cup.

• The difference between strong and weak Continental Cup courses.

• Free skiing coverage in the United States and why the boys think it could be a major win for the sport.

• Whether roller skiing belongs in the World Cup.

• Victor’s dream session: a 200-kilometre bike ride in the Alps with Jimmy and old friends.

Expect Olympic nerves, training debates, French stereotypes, questionable hotel reviews, and at least one discussion that starts with skiing and ends somewhere completely different.

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Too much snow cancels a ski camp. Naturally, we end up at Zak Ketterson’s house talking about how to save skiing. Just another week on Skirious Problems.

Zak joins Mika and Jimmy from somewhere approximately halfway up the atmosphere above Holmenkollen, where every session ends with a massive uphill and his wife Julie occasionally operates the rescue service. We talk moving from Minnesota to Norway, juggling three teams, and how long your partner should reasonably have to wait for that “breakthrough season.”

Then we get into what actually made Zak faster. Spoiler: it wasn’t a secret Norwegian interval session. We discuss his four-day training cycle, ditching heavy gym work, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is ignore the plan. There’s also the slightly uncomfortable experience of winning a big roller-ski race and suddenly having everyone tell you that you’re definitely getting a World Cup podium this winter. No pressure, mate.

Obviously, we also solve all of cross-country skiing’s problems. Why make races easy to watch when you could hide them behind an expensive subscription? Why race in front of excited American fans when you could argue about another European venue? And why spend money growing the sport when you could buy an even bigger wax truck? Some very calm, measured opinions all round.

Plus: Jimmy gets his ankles broken playing basketball before a World Cup, Zak explains that people can apparently have a personality outside skiing, and Mika considers taking up golf after discovering that it involves getting angry and occasionally having a drink. Finally, Zak tells us about the Norwegian skier who introduced himself as his biggest fan—then went straight onto the podium. The admiration quickly became mutual.

Training nerds, ski-politics enthusiasts and anyone waiting for Mika to find a hobby: this one’s for you.

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This episode of Skirious Problems is a full preseason catch-up: altitude camps, questionable biathlon technique, brutal VO2 max testing, Russian participation, Norwegian team drama, Tour de Ski rumors, and plenty of gossip from inside the skiing world.

Mika and Jimmy are finally back from the United States, but the post-camp separation is already taking its toll. After weeks of training together, they are now split between Ramsau and Lillehammer and both have somehow lost their AirPods. The breakup is real.

We start with the German biathlon team training on the Ercolina in Ramsau, which leads to a passionate public-service announcement: if you are double-poling on skate roller skis, please buy classic roller skis. The boys also discuss Johan Wolfgang’s roller-ski technique advice and why even elite athletes can occasionally look ridiculous in training.

Then it gets serious...or at least slightly more scientific. Mika and Jimmy break down their altitude camp in Park City, including hemoglobin mass, lactate profiles, work efficiency and VO2 max testing. Jimmy predicted he would last nine minutes on the test and then pushed all the way to 9:15, coming remarkably close to the suspected all-time record. The bigger surprise was that his VO2 max barely changed, while his time to exhaustion improved dramatically.

The episode also covers the importance of interpreting performance tests correctly. A higher VO2 max is not always the most interesting result: improved efficiency, better lactate values and the ability to ski faster at the same oxygen uptake may tell a much bigger story.

After discussing the excellent camps in Park City and Rice Lake—and the technical disaster that delayed the live podcast—the conversation turns to ski-world gossip:

• The allegations and ongoing controversy involving Kristine Stavås Skistad and her former coach.
• The complicated relationship between coaching, management, contracts and athlete dependency.
• The latest developments surrounding Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking neutral status.
• Whether Alexander Bolshunov will return to international racing.
• The Norwegian team’s altitude camp in Font-Romeu, including illness, back problems and rumors of internal separation.
• France hosting the opening stages of the Tour de Ski in Les Rousses.
• The possibility of Austria hosting a future Tour de Ski stage—with Ramsau making a very strong case.
• Why organizing the Tour de Ski around New Year is so difficult for race organizers and hotels.

As always, expect strong opinions, questionable comparisons, political confusion, national stereotypes, and just enough sports science to make the gossip feel educational.

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🤳🏼 FOLLOW US:Skirious Problems: @skirious_problemsMika Vermeulen: @mikaa_verJames Clugnet: @jimmycluggz

Alvar Alev is back with Mika and Jimmy for a Park City catch-up that moves from serious skiing to completely unnecessary personal conflict.They talk about Alvar changing his training after six years, why Park City keeps bringing him back, what European skiing can learn from the American system, university teams, Soldier Hollow and Utah 2034, Will Koch’s move to biathlon, and the economics behind athlete pathways.Then Mika reveals he is still angry about pickleball. Jimmy explains why Mika is the worst person in the world to argue with. A debate about double poling becomes personal, Alvar gets a front-row seat, and nobody learns anything.This is not a polished interview. It is three elite skiers in Park City with too many opinions and enough history to say exactly what they think.

Mika got sick on the final day of the SKIRIOUS Park City camp, so Jimmy handed the second microphone to Norwegian coach Vetle and opened the floor to the athletes.What began as a quick camp recap became a live coaching clinic: what Norway can learn from American ski culture, why underdogs can build stronger teams, how to plan a sprint heat, when training should feel hard, whether young skiers need to peak, and how to balance skiing with other sports and school.Recorded at Soldier Hollow in Utah, future home territory of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Recorded in the middle of Blink Festival in Sandnes - with four people, three microphone cables and very tired legs - Mika and Jimmy sit down with Blink founder and sports director Arne Idland and IDT Sports' Morten Iversbakken.

Morten explains why IDT brings 1,300 pairs of brand-new roller skis to Blink, whether Lysebotn Opp times can really be compared across different years, and why equal equipment, logistics and athlete safety matter.

Arne tells the story of how Blink grew from an idea shared with legendary NRK commentator Kjell Kristian Rike into a free city-centre festival owned by the people of Sandnes. The conversation then gets bigger: what can World Cups learn from Blink, why does biathlon appear more willing to change than cross-country skiing, should roller skiing become part of the main World Cup, do we need more race formats - and do we even need classic technique?

This one contains skiing, business, city-building, FIS versus the IBU, a proposed Norwegian Olympics and the usual amount of Skirious chaos.

BLINK: https://www.blinkfestivalen.no/

IDT Sports: https://idtsports.com/

Does the famous “Norwegian training method” actually exist?

Professor Øyvind Sandbakk joins Mika and Jimmy for a deep conversation about what has really made Norway so successful—not only in cross-country skiing, but across endurance sport.

We discuss Norway’s wealth, sporting culture, club system and willingness to share knowledge; why copying individual Norwegian sessions often misses the bigger picture; and whether many athletes would develop better by staying home instead of chasing altitude camps.

The conversation then turns to how cross-country skiers are actually built: technique versus physiology, volume versus intensity, training at 14, 18 and 22, learning through failure, and why testing should be viewed as facing reality—not sitting an exam.

Topics include:

•⁠ ⁠Is there really a Norwegian method?

•⁠ ⁠What can countries with fewer resources realistically copy?

•⁠ ⁠Is altitude training overrated?

•⁠ ⁠Running versus roller skiing

•⁠ ⁠How training should develop from junior to senior level

•⁠ ⁠When more volume becomes valuable

•⁠ ⁠Why athletes need room to make mistakes

•⁠ ⁠What “talent” actually means in cross-country skiing

•⁠ ⁠Mika’s own training development and recent struggles

This is not a conversation about finding one perfect training programme. It is about understanding why different athletes need different routes—and why the environment around the training may matter just as much as the sessions themselves.

Subscribe to Skirious Problems for more honest conversations from inside cross-country skiing.

#CrossCountrySkiing #EnduranceTraining #NorwegianMethod

Jimmy and Mika are back with your No. 1 Nordic podcast, and this time they’re joined by Johannes Rydzek for an in-depth conversation about one of the biggest stories in winter sports: the removal of Nordic Combined from the Olympic program.

Johannes shares his perspective on what the decision means for athletes, the future of the sport, and why he believes Nordic Combined still deserves its place on the biggest stage. We discuss how the news has affected the community, what can be done to grow the sport, and the challenges athletes now face as they look beyond the next Olympic cycle.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Skirious Problems without plenty of laughs along the way. From behind-the-scenes stories on the World Cup to the usual banter between Jimmy and Mika, this episode has a bit of everything.

Fresh episodes every two weeks, plus behind-the-scenes training VLOGs coming soon.

Jimmy and Mika are back with your No. 1 Nordic podcast, and this time they're joined by American ski star Sophia Laukli for an honest conversation about one of the toughest seasons of her career.

After stepping away from racing to deal with ongoing health challenges, Sophia opens up about what it was really like to put skiing on hold, the physical and mental battles behind the scenes, and how she's worked her way back toward the World Cup.

We talk about rebuilding fitness from scratch, learning to trust the process again, balancing ski racing with trail running, and what motivates her as she returns to competition. Sophia also shares insights into life on the U.S. team, training, racing, and what she's hoping to achieve this winter.

Of course, it wouldn't be Skirious Problems without plenty of laughs along the way. From training stories and travel chaos to the usual banter between Jimmy and Mika, this episode has a bit of everything.

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Jimmy and Mika are back with your nb 1 nordic podcast and this time they’re joined by Lillehammer local Kasper Herland from Team Anlegg Øst for a proper deep dive into one of the most impressive breakthrough seasons on the circuit.Kasper takes us behind the scenes of Team Anlegg Øst’s huge year, from the day-to-day grind to the moments that changed everything. We talk about his rapid rise to a top-5 finish in his very first World Cup race, what clicked in his training, and how a small private setup can compete with the big national teams.Of course, it wouldn’t be Skirious Problems without a few disasters along the way. Kasper shares stories of completely bonking on the bike, suffering through brutal sessions, and the lessons learned from going a little too deep.The conversation also gets properly nerdy. We dig into training philosophy, intensity control, threshold work, ski-specific endurance, recovery, and all the little details endurance athletes obsess over. If you enjoy the geekier side of training, this one’s for you.And between all that, there’s plenty of banter, laughs, and classic podcast chaos from Jimmy and Mika.Fresh episodes every two weeks plus behind-the-scenes training VLOGs coming soon.🎧 SUBSCRIBE TO “SKIRIOUS PROBLEMS” ON:* Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1nVdyNDhttps://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2QxcEt1cFN0VWUyNlJ6Qm9wWWZ2UFhhbGdhQXxBQ3Jtc0tsR3F5UTREODNORUxGMThDaEVzZFhsaXZQaHYxWDZHUkt1VkdxSUEtei0ycjljdnlUSUg4cFVhSTJmdEpLSHpxekVxWWZmMHBCM0Zfak9JOVRzTm1jdEpqd0VqcWZONWRXbkFiZmsyUmdXeGdNN2FQZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F1nVdyNDukQ7Ucv7IdfXzpg%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0&v=b_avBy6GbeA* Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWtwRlBqYTNpRDh4b1doYkVRUEJ5UWdJcHY2QXxBQ3Jtc0tuSk1EdDY3amUyS3RtZ2tYMVdxSnBPWTZvWllUZG5obTNxcm5OV2NiakUzVWl5THNkeWRaRFZzTHRyZTBQeTd2MzB0ZGFZVUJLVVlhUlRwWEs1aDF2d1BwMFh4UDVkeEZtdnV1Y0FhRWFrVFRvM005cw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fno%2Fpodcast%2Fskirious-problems%2Fid1718097138&v=b_avBy6GbeA⁠- RSS-Feed: ⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/s/ed0abed0/podcast/rss ⁠* YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLUlyGJW-RXmRlAZHfACivg⁠⁠🤳🏼 FOLLOW US:* Skirious Problems: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVBMb2VWYnlJZjhSN1JPX1FhMXlic19xak9md3xBQ3Jtc0tsempCVjNKNjlPTXpGendqUDJYeDRyMW1sZWlsR0tydzRudm1RWHpob19TRElUTVlyeUtJcnBlVUtkMFprTVkyQW5hLTMxeVF4V2d3d1BHRGQ5YWdEbUZGU2ZDSWNDSEpmRTVITFhJcFg0NTFjT0ptNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fskirious_problems&v=b_avBy6GbeA ⁠* Mika Vermeulen: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmMwMEJlN1pZV0MtN3g3R1ZSZ183cE9KODdSZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsMmJqc0dKbldzcHZtTVdXYXdzM1FaTTNRanNHa1VwdllBcWJxZ096QURGWGJ5Mm1NUFJYQzVuS1NOdGs5UjlTREhjeEJhNHZkdk5JTkoxT2lsMDZ1cHNJT2tlUUFtYngzMktxbkVZV2xubVdNNVZmOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmikaa_ver&v=b_avBy6GbeA ⁠* James Clugnet: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGFBY1NFYnFSWDlSWkZMYllNWUQ5cDNqTXF3d3xBQ3Jtc0tseE1jVDMxd1B4SXg3cGNfTGhWZzhMODNzM1YxZXVKTVdPdlNSb2luYXpHcDdwVjU0UGlHYzlPY2I5cjNDNFQtWExXOElaNElSeWVFSXNNT3lDOGtHY21kdUU1czRzVVFnOHByekVkejZETjQwejVRQQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fjimmycluggz&v=b_avBy6GbeA ⁠⁠