What are the different types of Olympic cross-country skiing?

Cross-country skiing is one of only five events to take centre-stage at every Olympic Winter Games since they debuted in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

Considering the sport's vaunted status in the official programme, Olympics.com offers you a primer, with less than 60 days to go before the 2022 Games begin in Beijing, on the differences, big and small, between the cross-country skiing disciplines.

It’s first worth noting that there are two methods used in cross-country skiing, which is a branch of the Nordic skiing family of events in which athletes use ski-poles, skis and pure strength to propel themselves across long distances.

Classic v. freestyle methods

The first is the classic method, a technique in which the athlete’s skies move back and forth in a parallel motion inside parallel grooves of snow. The freestyle technique is the faster of the two methods, where the skier moves their feet from side to side in a manner resembling ice skating more so than classic-style cross-country skiing.

Given this distinction, we’ll move on to the 12 different events – six each in both men’s and women’s and utilising both the classic and freestyle methods of skiing – that you’ll find at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

The skiathlon forces the athletes to use both techniques (classic and freestyle). The men’s event takes place over 30km (with two 15km sections) while the women’s skiathlon is over 15km (with two 7.5km sections). In both the men’s and women’s skiathlon events, skiers complete one stage using the classic technique of the cross-country skiing methodology and the freestyle technique in the other stage.

The skiathlon is a mass start event in which all athletes begin at the same time. It also demands an equipment change at the halfway mark.

Non-skiathlon events

In other classic technique-based events in Beijing, you’ll find the men’s 15km classic race and the women’s shorter version – the women’s 10km classic race.

There are also two freestyle-method events. First up is the men’s 50km freestyle and the women’s version, the 30km freestyle, both a huge test of endurance for all racers involved.

Up next are the relays – always fan favourites during the Games – with the men contesting the 4x10km relay and the women racing a 4x5km relay. The men’s and women’s relays are comprised of teams of four members each and begins with a mass start. The first skier to cross the finish line is the winner and the event requires participating teams to use both styles (classic and freestyle).

For the first two legs, the classic stroke is used and for the last two legs, skiers switch to the freestyle technique.

Up next are the men’s and women’s sprint events (both freestyle and classic). In these individual races (1.4km for men and 1.2km for women), the sprints are set up much like those in the world of athletics. They begin with a qualifying round and, from there, the top two finishers in each heat move on from quarterfinals to semis until the final rounds are established and contested.

Team efforts

Finally, you have the men’s and women’s team sprint (classic). This event consists of two skiers per team with the first skier in each team looping the sprint course twice and then trading off with their teammate, who then completes two laps. This process continues until both skiers have completed six full laps. The first team to cross the finish line wins.

All Beijing 2022 cross-country skiing events will take place from 5-20 February 2022. at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center and Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, People's Republic of China.

So those are the bare basics of one of the oldest and most revered of winter sports, and an icon of the Olympic Games. Now all that’s needed is the magic and the drama of the athletes and their stirring combination of power, speed and desire to bring the events to life.