Special Tour de Ski format, and return of Holmenkollen 50km

The 2025/2026 FIS Cross-Country season will feature two headline changes: a special Tour de Ski stage format and the return of the iconic Holmenkollen 50 km.

Heats Mass Start (Tour de Ski, Stage 3 – Toblach, ITA) - To mark the 20th edition of the Tour de Ski, FIS will debut a "Heats Mass Start" on New Year’s Eve in Toblach. - There will be four heats for each gender, with roughly 20–25 athletes per heat depending on total entries. - Each heat will begin at a different time as a standard mass start; the next heat will start after the previous one finishes. - The overall winner is determined by the fastest time across all heats. - Final details will be refined over the summer ahead of implementation.

Oslo Holmenkollen 50 km (World Cup) - After a one-year absence, the 50 km mass start at Holmenkollen (Oslo, NOR) returns as a pinnacle of the World Cup. - In 2025/26 both the men’s and women’s 50 km are scheduled for the same day: Saturday, March 14. - The men will start first, and the women will begin 45 minutes later, creating a period when both races are on course simultaneously. - Spectators can expect to see athletes pass 12 times, delivering more than three hours of continuous racing in one of the sport’s most storied venues.

These innovations aim to celebrate endurance and strategy while enhancing spectator engagement during an Olympic season.