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Cross-Country Skiing
Program
| Men | Women | ||
| 10km C | Feb. 12 ( 9:00-) | 5kmC | Feb. 10 ( 9:00-) |
| 15kmF/P | Feb. 14 ( 9:00-) | 10kmF/P | Feb. 12 (12:00-) |
| 30kmC | Feb. 9 ( 9:00-) | 15kmC | Feb. 8 ( 9:00-) |
| 50kmF | Feb. 22 ( 9:00-) | 30kmF | Feb. 20 ( 9:00-) |
| 4 x 10km Relay | Feb. 18 (10:15-) | 4 x 5km Relay | Feb. 16 (10:15-) |
Hiroyuki Imai (left) and Mitsuo Horigome (right) skiing strongly with the encouragement of spectators (The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, Jan. 13, 1997)
Viewer's guide
A feature of Courses A and B for classical and Course C for free is the tough uphill and downhill sections. They are tough courses, which make competitors climb up repeatedly, and then, when they are completely tired, they have downhill sections in which speed accelerates, giving the skiers little time to rest. Bjorn Dali (Norway) had this to say about the course: "It is definitely one of the toughest courses I have ever experienced." In contrast to Northen Europe the snow has a high moisture content, with competitors from each country saying "wax selection is difficult."
In classical competitions skating is prohibited, and wax selection has a great impact on the contest. In free technique competitions skating is permitted, which means there is a great sense of speed. In the pursuit start competition competitors start in an order determined by the results of the previous day's race, with the first skier across the finish line in the second race the winner, which makes it enjoyable for spectators. (originally run May 17, 1997)
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun