Tour de Ski — Lago di Tesero Sprint

The Tour de Ski returns to Lago di Tesero

The Lago di Tesero Cross-Country Stadium, in the municipality of Tesero (Province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige), is one of the historic venues of the Tour de Ski, the FIS cross-country skiing World Cup stage circuit. Val di Fiemme is the only location to have hosted every edition of the Tour since its inception in 2006-2007: here, at the beginning of every January, the Tour reaches its climax between the Tesero sprint and the legendary ascent of Alpe Cermis.

The classic technique sprint

The Lago di Tesero stage is dedicated to the classic technique sprint, one of the most spectacular and unpredictable events in cross-country skiing. In the morning, time-trial qualifiers select the 30 fastest athletes; in the afternoon, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final take place in heats of six skiers. Sprints are often decided by mere hundredths of a second, with contacts, falls, and comebacks keeping the audience on the edge of their seats along the stadium's straights.

An Olympic-grade stadium

The tracks at Lago di Tesero have been completely renovated for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games: the stadium will host all Olympic and Paralympic cross-country skiing events and the cross-country portion of the Nordic combined. For this reason, the Fiemme stage of the Tour de Ski has also served in recent years as an Olympic test event, offering a privileged preview of what the world will witness at the Games.

Atmosphere and territory

The Tesero stage is much more than just a race: it is a winter sports festival that involves the entire Val di Fiemme. Thousands of fans, many from Nordic countries, fill the stands and trackside with flags, chants, and cowbells. Admission to the races is free, and the area around the stadium features food stalls, local Trentino products, and entertainment, all set in a natural landscape among the forests and peaks of the Fiemme and Fassa Dolomites.

The finale on Alpe Cermis

The Tesero sprint is the prelude to the final day of the Tour: the following day, on the alpine ski slope of Alpe Cermis, above Cavalese, the mass start takes place, culminating in the grueling Final Climb, the final ascent that determines the overall Tour de Ski standings. Together, the two days in Fiemme represent one of the most iconic events in the entire world cross-country skiing calendar.