Sauerland Ski Team Kicks Off the Season

Our thoughts are slowly turning back to winter—and that goes for the Sauerland Ski Team as well. The team has now begun intensive preparations for the upcoming competition season. As is tradition, the event kicked off with the so-called “Astenrollen.” The athletes set out on roller skis from Biggesee, making their way up the SauerlandRadring to the Kahler Asten, thereby marking the start of their athletic season for the coming months.

This is now the team’s ninth season—and its fifth as a pro team under the name Bruse Sauerland Ski Team—for which it has gained another regional sponsor in Cryotherm GmbH. What began as a strong regional initiative has long since developed into an international project: The Sauerland Ski Team now includes more than 40 cross-country ski marathoners as well as numerous supporters. They come not only from the Sauerland region, but from all over Germany and even from Sweden and Finland.

“For us, the Astenrollen is more than just a training session. It’s a shared signal: Now the critical phase of preparation begins,” says Lennert Versen of the Sauerland Ski Team. “We’re looking forward to a long and intense season in which we’ll once again have the opportunity to represent the Sauerland on many international courses. The fact that our team continues to grow and brings together athletes from several countries shows just how much appeal it has developed in recent years.”

The competition season kicks off for the local athletes in December at the race in Bad Gastein, Austria. This will be followed by numerous ski marathons and cross-country races—including the Ski Classics Pro Tour, the Euroloppet Series, and the Masters World Championships—before the season concludes in Norway in the spring. With their striking green jerseys, the Sauerland Ski Team has long since become a visible ambassador for the region.

Sauerland Tourism is also following the team’s development with great interest. “The Sauerland Ski Team is an excellent ambassador for the Sauerland as a winter sports region,” emphasizes Rouven Soyka of Sauerland Tourism. “The athletes carry the region’s name and colors far beyond the Sauerland while also showcasing the passion for sports and expertise in winter sports that are right here at home.”

The traditional Astenrollen event marks the kickoff. In the coming weeks, the Sauerland Ski Team has additional training sessions and final preparations on the schedule before the new competition season can begin.

Download the press release as a PDF here.

Press Contact:
Rouven Soyka, Sauerland-Tourismus e. V.
Johannes-Hummel-Weg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg
Phone: 02974-969830, Email: presse@sauerland.com