Book reviews

How to master the development staircase in cross-country skiing

April 23, 2025

Daniel Svensson
Department of Sport Sciences, Malmö University

*Øyvind Sandbakk, Pål Rise, Per Elias Kalfoss, Thomas Losnegard & Brit Baldishol*
**Utviklingstrappa i langrenn**
245 sidor, hft., ill
Bergen: Fagbokforlaget 2024
ISBN 978-82-450-4584-0

Reviewing a book is usually a pretty straight-forward assignment. Read, reflect, review. But how do you review education material for coaches and skiers? Probably not the way I am about to do it, but I will take a historical-envious approach to the task. In many ways, I would argue that the Swedish ski coach Gösta Olander’s 1948 pamphlet with training advice för skiers is perfectly sufficient (Olander 1948). It is 11 pages long. Here, we are dealing with a more elaborate and detailed guide of 245 pages. This alone says quite a lot about the development of XC skiing, where training has gone from general endurance and strength to sport-specific abilities developed through specialized training (Sandbakk 2017).

As much as it pains any Swede to admit, Norway has been the dominant force in XC skiing for quite some time. They win the medal count in every FIS World Championships. In the recent FIS event in Trondheim, local hero Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won all the gold medals on the men’s side. A historic accomplishment, though I will not miss the opportunity to point out that the Swedish skiers won all the gold medals on the women’s side.

Anyway, the Norwegians keep overachieving in sports and the explanations usually brought up are similar as for the other Nordic countries: strong public investment in sports, a member-based model of sport organization which helps keep costs relatively low and allows for people to be active from cradle to grave. There is also a strong cultural appreciation of being physically active and spending time outdoors. But what explains the dominance of Norway in XC skiing?

The team of authors includes both scientific and practical expertise in XC skiing and coaching, and this comes through in the text.

The number of ski clubs and the status of the sport of XC skiing compared to other sports is of course part of it, but there is also something to be said about the competence of coaches at all levels. In this book, the reader gets an insight into the structure and content of Norwegian XC ski coaching and training. The team of authors includes both scientific and practical expertise in XC skiing and coaching, and this comes through in the text. There is a good balance between detailed training recommendations and more overarching sections about coaching and values.

The introduction emphasizes the importance of core values such as health, community, joy and honesty. The focus here is on grassroots sport, and the tensions between core values and elite sport are discussed. The higher the ambition, the greater the danger for sacrificing values for results. This theme is present throughout the book.

The first chapter is about parasport and para-athletes. It is an important topic, and it is commendable to place it first in the book. It brings up issues about barriers for participation and competition, as well as challenges regarding classification.

In the second chapter, coaching roles take center stage. It is a rich discussion of how coaching can be done at different stages, from grassroots youth sport to national and international elite. A key aspect here is relational competence (relasjonskompetanse) and communication.

Chapter three is about technique and tactics, which both are keys to success in XC skiing. While technique has been discussed since the dawn of the sport, my impression is that tactics historically had a less prominent position in XC skiing than in, say, cycling. But the authors do a good job here of connecting technique and tactics and explaining how both qualities can be trained in playful ways. It is also beautiful to read the Norwegian names of the different techniques or gears – fiskebein (fishbone) and dobbeldans (double-dance) has a better ring to it than the Swedish equivalents växel 1, växel 2 (gear 1, gear 2), etcetera.

Chapter four is the most detailed and hands-on part of the book. Here we get suggestions for seasonal training plans, as well as suggested sessions for different age groups and levels. I am in no position to question these, but I note with interest that it is not until 15-16 years of age that systematic performance tests and sport specific training all year round are recommended. I am also happy to see training advice for exercisers like yours truly. Very helpful indeed, and relevant because the vast majority of those who train XC skiing as kids and adolescents will become exercisers rather than Olympic champions.

“…the vast majority of those who train XC skiing as kids and adolescents will become exercisers rather than Olympic champions” (Shutterstock/GROGL)

Finally, chapter five returns to the issue of health in relation to (elite) XC skiing and training. Nutrition, sleep and mental health are important for everyone, and skiers are of course no exception. There have been issues with eating disorders and mental illness among elite skiers, so this chapter is a well-needed reminder that we need to prioritize health even if we strive for elite performance.

Apart from the chapters themselves, the book is stuffed with additional resources. QR codes take the reader to websites and podcasts on selected topics related to each chapter. As a youth level coach and XC ski enthusiast, I am impressed by the knowledge and usefulness of Utviklingstrappa i langrenn. The editors, as well as the other contributors, represent a great mix of theoretical and practical knowledge on coaching and training. They cover the most important issues and offer practical guidance for training and competition.

Maybe the key word in the title of the book is utviklingstrappa (poorly translated as “development staircase”). A staircase is not a pyramid, to name another common way to visualize development strategies for coaches. A pyramid is hierarchical, and a symbol of power. A staircase is more practical and allows you to move from one floor to another, from where you stand now to somewhere higher or the other way around. Though the book is recently published, many of the ideas in it has guided Norwegian XC ski coach education for a long time. This is also the third edition of the book, so given the results over the last few decades it seems that the utviklingstrappa has helped with what it was supposed to do in terms of educating coaches and developing world-class athletes.

If there is anything lacking, I would argue that it is a discussion of how the sport of XC skiing relates to landscapes of training. Climate change threatens the future of skiing even in the Nordic countries. Maybe not the easiest topic for young skiers, but perhaps something which coaches need to address? XC skiing is deeply emotional for many and historically embedded in a culture of nature appreciation. At the same time, there has been a strong optimism regarding scientific and technological solutions (Lidström 2025, Svensson & Sörlin 2019). What happens when the sport moves to asphalt or indoors? Utviklingstrappa i langrenn will help new generations of skiers and coaches develop, but whether it can help XC skiing to remain relevant for a large part of the population in a warmer climate remains to be seen.